December 19 in college football
Every December 19 in Iron's archive: the ranked teams that lost to unranked ones, the ranked matchups, and the games worth retelling. Every result links to its game card.
- 55games on file
- 1unranked win over a ranked team
- 11ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1903–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on December 19
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Missouri 19 | #18 Southern Miss 17 | Neutral site |
Ranked vs ranked on December 19
11 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #1 Alabama 52 | #7 Florida 46 | Neutral site · Mercedes-Benz Stdm · Atlanta, GA |
| 2020 | #3 Clemson 34 | #2 Notre Dame 10 | Neutral site · Bank of America Stdm · Charlotte, N.C. |
| 2020 | #4 Ohio St. 22 | #14 Northwestern 10 | Neutral site · Lucas Oil Stadium · Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 2020 | #18 Oklahoma 27 | #6 Iowa St. 21 | Neutral site · AT&T Stadium · Arlington, Texas |
| 1959 | #10 Clemson 23 | #7 TCU 7 | Neutral site |
| 2025 | #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #8 Oklahoma Sooners 24 | On the road · Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium · Norman, Oklahoma |
| 2020 | #9 Cincinnati 27 | #23 Tulsa 24 | At home · Nippert Stadium · Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 1959 | #14 Penn State 7 | #11 Alabama 0 | Neutral site |
| 1977 | #12 Nebraska 21 | #14 North Carolina 17 | Neutral site |
| 1970 | #13 Georgia Tech 17 | #19 Texas Tech 9 | Neutral site |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | #14 BYU 46 | #19 SMU 45 | 1 pt |
| 2020 | #9 Cincinnati 27 | #23 Tulsa 24 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #3 Clemson 34 | #2 Notre Dame 10 | 24 pts |
| 1959 | #10 Clemson 23 | #7 TCU 7 | 16 pts |
| 2025 | #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #8 Oklahoma Sooners 24 | 10 pts |
| 2020 | #1 Alabama 52 | #7 Florida 46 | 6 pts |
| 2020 | #18 Oklahoma 27 | #6 Iowa St. 21 | 6 pts |
Biggest comebacks
Deficit the winner erased. Measured from in-game margins where play data exists, cross-checked against quarter scores; a row prints only when the quarter lines corroborate it, so this list starts in 2000.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Marshall 64 | East Carolina 61 | 30 ptsat a quarter |
| 2020 | Utah 45 | Washington St. 28 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2025 | #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #8 Oklahoma Sooners 24 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Appalachian State 31 | Ohio 29 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2023 | UTSA Roadrunners 35 | Marshall Thundering Herd 17 | 14 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Marshall 64 | East Carolina 61 | 125 pts |
| 2020 | LSU 53 | Ole Miss 48 | 101 pts |
| 2020 | #1 Alabama 52 | #7 Florida 46 | 98 pts |
| 2020 | Stanford 48 | UCLA 47 | 95 pts |
| 1980 | #14 BYU 46 | #19 SMU 45 | 91 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #8 Oklahoma Sooners 24 | 83,550 |
| 2017 | Florida Atlantic 50 | Akron 3 | 25,912 |
| 2020 | #5 Texas A&M 34 | Tennessee 13 | 22,645 |
| 2020 | LSU 53 | Ole Miss 48 | 21,905 |
| 2020 | #18 Oklahoma 27 | #6 Iowa St. 21 | 18,720 |