ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
October 3.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 32.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Michigan State17 | #2 USC7 | At home · East Lansing, MI |
| 1970 | Purdue26 | #3 Stanford14 | On the road |
| 1959 | Illinois20 | #4 Army14 | At home |
| 2015 | Arizona State38 | #7 UCLA23 | On the road |
| 1981 | Florida State36 | #7 Ohio State27 | On the road |
| 1964 | Kentucky20 | #7 Auburn0 | At home |
| 1970 | Kansas State21 | #8 Colorado20 | At home |
| 1959 | Purdue28 | #8 Notre Dame7 | At home |
| 2020 | TCU33 | #9 Texas31 | On the road · DKR Texas Memorial · Austin, Texas |
| 1981 | Missouri14 | #9 Mississippi State3 | On the road |
| 1964 | Iowa28 | #10 Washington18 | At home |
| 2020 | Tulsa34 | #11 UCF26 | On the road · Bounce House · Orlando, Fla. |
| 1992 | Arizona23 | #11 UCLA3 | At home |
| 2009 | UTEP Miners58 | #12 Houston Cougars41 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 25.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #1 Ohio State28 | #7 Penn State9 | At home |
| 1992 | #1 Washington17 | #20 USC10 | At home |
| 2020 | #2 Alabama52 | #13 Texas A&M24 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 1992 | #2 Miami19 | #3 Florida State16 | At home |
| 1970 | #2 Texas20 | #13 UCLA17 | At home |
| 1959 | #2 Northwestern14 | #5 Iowa10 | On the road |
| 2015 | #25 Florida38 | #3 Ole Miss10 | At home |
| 1987 | #3 Miami26 | #4 Florida State25 | On the road |
| 2020 | #4 Georgia27 | #7 Auburn6 | At home · Sanford Stadium · Athens, Ga. |
| 2009 | #4 LSU Tigers20 | #18 Georgia Bulldogs13 | On the road |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | #3 Miami26 | #4 Florida State25 | 1 pt |
| 1998 | #12 Georgia28 | #6 LSU27 | 1 pt |
| 2009 | #17 Miami Hurricanes21 | #8 Oklahoma Sooners20 | 1 pt |
| 2015 | #12 Clemson24 | #6 Notre Dame22 | 2 pts |
| 1970 | #2 Texas20 | #13 UCLA17 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #13 Alabama38 | #8 Georgia10 | 28 pts |
| 2015 | #25 Florida38 | #3 Ole Miss10 | 28 pts |
| 1959 | Purdue28 | #8 Notre Dame7 | 21 pts |
| 1964 | #8 Michigan21 | #6 Navy0 | 21 pts |
| 2020 | #4 Georgia27 | #7 Auburn6 | 21 pts |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased. Verified against quarter scores; available from 2000. Each result shows how its deficit was measured.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | North Carolina38 | Georgia Tech31 | Trailed by 21 · in game |
| 2015 | Bethune-Cookman Wildcats28 | North Carolina Central Eagles26 | Trailed by 19 · in game |
| 2020 | Tulsa34 | #11 UCF26 | Trailed by 18 · in game |
| 2009 | Northwestern Wildcats27 | Purdue Boilermakers21 | Trailed by 18 · in game |
| 2015 | East Carolina49 | SMU23 | Trailed by 16 · in game |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Oklahoma State134 | Phillips0 | 134 total pts |
| 1914 | Washington & Jefferson105 | Dickinson0 | 105 total pts |
| 1914 | Washington and Lee103 | Morris Harvey0 | 103 total pts |
| 2009 | UTEP Miners58 | #12 Houston Cougars41 | 99 total pts |
| 1981 | San José State65 | Fresno State33 | 98 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · October 3IRON
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner / tied | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Michigan State34 | Michigan8 | 103,234 fans |
| 2009 | Auburn Tigers26 | Tennessee Volunteers22 | 102,941 fans |
| 1998 | #3 Tennessee17 | Auburn9 | 85,214 fans |
| 1998 | #8 Florida16 | Alabama10 | 83,818 fans |
| 1998 | #12 Georgia28 | #6 LSU27 | 80,792 fans |