Big Ten Rivals Lead College Football Wins vs No. 1
Any team can beat any other team on any given Saturday in college football. Well, almost any team. But it's not often that the No. 1 team in the country goes down, and when it does happen, Iowa fans usually have a front-row seat to the fallout.
A new ranking of programs with the most wins against AP No. 1 opponents features several Big Ten teams that Hawkeye fans know all too well. From Purdue's giant-killing ways to Ohio State's championship pedigree, the conference looms large in the history of college football's biggest upsets.
Purdue: The Giant Killer Iowa Fans Know Well
Purdue sits near the top of the list with seven wins against AP No. 1 teams, tied with Ohio State, Oklahoma, and USC. The Boilermakers' most recent top-ranked upset came against Michigan in 1976, but Iowa fans remember a more recent sting.
In 2021, an unranked Purdue squad knocked off No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State in the same season. That win over the Hawkeyes derailed what had been a promising campaign and served as a painful reminder that the Boilermakers have a habit of playing their best when the stakes are highest.
In fact, Purdue holds the record for the most wins against Top 5 teams while unranked, with 10 such victories in the Top 25 poll era. Four of their seven wins against No. 1 teams came against Notre Dame, with the others against Big Ten foes Michigan State, national champion Minnesota in 1960, and Michigan.
Ohio State and Wisconsin: Big Ten Powerhouses
Ohio State also claims seven wins against No. 1 opponents, with their most recent coming against Texas in 2025. The Buckeyes have a knack for turning those upsets into championships. Ohio State won the national title four of the last six times it knocked off the top-ranked team, including wins over Oregon in 2024, Alabama in 2014, Miami in the 2002 BCS title game, and USC in the 1968 Rose Bowl.
Wisconsin, another Iowa division rival, has four wins against No. 1 teams. The Badgers' most recent came against Ohio State in 2010, a victory that helped Wisconsin reach the Rose Bowl as co-Big Ten champion. Wisconsin also holds the distinction of being the only team to beat Ohio State during the Buckeyes' first national title season in 1942. The unranked Badgers also knocked off No. 1 Michigan in 1981.
Alabama Tops the National List
Nationally, Alabama stands alone with 11 wins against AP No. 1 teams. The Crimson Tide's most recent came against Georgia in the 2023 SEC Championship Game. Eight of those 11 victories came during the Nick Saban era, including two College Football Playoff national title wins over Clemson, a BCS title game win against LSU, and a pair of SEC Championship victories against Georgia.
Notre Dame and Miami are tied for second nationally with nine wins each against No. 1 opponents. The Fighting Irish's most recent came against Clemson in 2020, while Miami's last top-ranked upset was against Florida State in 2000.
Notre Dame's history includes a pair of national championship wins against No. 1 Alabama in 1973 and No. 1 Texas in 1977. But the game everyone remembers is the 1988 home contest against Miami, known in college football lore as