The comeback is one of the greatest events in sports. There’s nothing quite like watching a team defy the odds and roar back for a jaw-dropping victory. There is no shortage of such performances to document, but these are the biggest comebacks in college football history.
College Football’s All-Time Biggest Comebacks
From the 1994 “Choke at Doak,” when 9-1 Florida allowed cross-state rival 9-1 Florida State to score 28 unanswered fourth-quarter points to end the game in a tie (overtime wasn’t used in college football yet), to the 1980 “Miracle Bowl,” with BYU quarterback Jim McMahon leading the Cougars to an improbable 46-45 victory after being down 45-25 with four minutes left in the final frame.
Then there was the flu and hypothermia-riddled Joe Montana scoring 23 points in the last 7:37 minutes in the 1979 Cotton Bowl to propel Notre Dame over Houston. While these games weren’t the biggest comebacks in terms of points, they were some of the most memorable.
Here are some other notable comebacks that just missed the cut:
- 28 Points: Baylor 36, UCF 35 (2023)
- 28 Points: Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (2023)
- 28 Points: Oregon State 41, Colorado 34 (2018)
- 27 Points: NC State 56, Maryland 41 (2011)
- 25 Points: Southern Miss 44, Kentucky 35 (2016)
- 25 Points: Miami 39, California 38 (2024)
- 24 Points: Auburn 28, Alabama 27 (2010)
35 Points: Michigan State 41, Northwestern 38 (2006)
We all remember the Atlanta Falcons blowing their 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Well, Northwestern did it first — and with a bigger lead.
Michigan State actually scored the first points of the game, a 32-yard field goal. But the Wildcats went on a 38-0 run from 5:17 in the first quarter to 9:54 in the third. Then the Spartans pulled out the uno reverse card, posting 38 unanswered to end the game.
The scoring finished how it started — off the leg of freshman kicker Brett Swenson. With 13 seconds left, he pushed a 28-yard field goal through the uprights, cementing his name in Michigan State lore.
34 Points: UCLA 45, Texas A&M 44 (2017)
UCLA struck first with a 29-yard field goal, but the momentum quickly evaporated. The Bruins’ next six drives were a disaster — two fumbles followed by four consecutive three-and-outs — while Texas A&M built a commanding 38-10 lead by halftime, eventually extending it to 44-10.
Then the magic happened.
UCLA scored touchdowns on five straight possessions, with QB Josh Rosen finding WR Jordan Lasley for the go-ahead score with just 43 seconds left, capping off the jaw-dropping rally from 34 points down.
32 Points: UCLA 67, Washington State 63 (2019)
Hey, look, it’s the Bruins again!
Just two years to the month after their record-breaking comeback vs. Texas A&M, they found themselves in a similar position against Washington State early in the year.
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The Bruins started strong, leading 10-7 after the first quarter, but by halftime, they found themselves trailing by 18 points. Washington State continued to build on their advantage, ballooning the lead to 32 points in the third quarter as the Cougars exploded for six touchdowns in less than 23 minutes of action.
Then, the Bruin magic returned. UCLA mounted a comeback fueled by two special-teams scores — a 100-yard kickoff return by Demetric Felton and a 69-yard punt return by WR Kyle Philips — and the dual-threat abilities of QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who generated 550+ yards of offense and seven total TDs.
31 Points: Maryland 42, Miami 40 (1984)
The sixth-ranked Hurricanes dominated the first half against Maryland, jumping out to a staggering 31-0 lead. However, the Terrapins flipped the script, scoring 42 points in the final 27+ minutes to steal a 42-40 victory. The win not only shocked Miami but also guaranteed bowl eligibility for Maryland as they improved to 6-3.
Miami had risen from No. 10 in the preseason AP poll to the top spot after impressive neutral-site victories over then-No. 1 Auburn and No. 17 Florida. So, it was particularly jarring for the ‘Canes to squander a commanding 31-0 lead — at home, no less!
What sparked the Terps’ turnaround? Frank Reich.
Maryland chucked its conservative offense out and inserted the backup QB into the lineup (12 of 15 passing for 260 yards and four scores), resulting in six straight touchdowns and the largest comeback in NCAA history at the time.
31 Points: Ohio State 41, Minnesota 37 (1989)
Another 31-point lead, you say?
The Buckeyes saw their 1 in 14,000,605 chance of winning, and it required digging a 31-0 hole and committing six turnovers.
After reaching both benchmarks, they Thanos-snapped the Golden Gophers’ lead away with a 23-point fourth quarter, taking a 41-37 edge with 51 seconds left on the clock. But even after 3.5 hours, 78 points, and 792 yards of football, the game wasn’t over.
With only seven seconds remaining, Minnesota QB Scott Schaffner rolled to his left and launched a 25-yard pass to Steve Rhem, who had managed to break free in the end zone. That final throw, the 137th play of an unforgettable day, reached Rhem’s outstretched fingers. However, the ball and Rhem hit the Metrodome turf with a disappointing thud, marking the wild finish to a wild game.
31 Points: Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41 (2006)
Hey, look, it’s the Golden Gophers again! But unlike the Bruins, they are on the wrong side of history.
Following a seven-minute field-goal drive out of halftime, Minnesota held a 38-7 lead … only to watch it vanish over the next 23 minutes.
Texas Tech, led by NCAA record-holder QB Graham Harrell, sent the contest to overtime on a 52-yard field goal as time expired. The Gophers kicked their own field goal on their one-and-only possession in OT before Red Raiders RB Shannon Woods punched in his third rushing TD of the day for the 44-41 win.
31 Points: TCU 47, Oregon 41 (2016)
In the 2016 Alamo Bowl, the Horned Frogs, ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP poll, found themselves down 31-0 at halftime to Oregon. But Ducks QB Vernon Adams Jr. left the contest following a hard hit to the head. The rest is history.
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TCU went on a second-half rampage, matching the Ducks’ 31 points and sending the game to overtime. After two nail-biting extra periods, the teams were still tied at 41, but an eight-yard TD run by TCU QB Bram Kohlhausen sealed the victory.
31 Points: Tulsa 48, Fresno State 41 (2016)
Which is more impressive: Fresno State building a 31-0 lead in just 20 minutes or Tulsa erasing it?
The Bulldogs’ scoring spree actually worked in Tulsa’s favor, leaving the Golden Hurricane more time to pull off the comeback. Down just 31-21 by halftime, Tulsa kept the momentum going and eventually forced overtime, securing a thrilling 48-41 victory.
30 Points: California 42, Oregon 41 (1993)
Aided by Cal turnovers, Oregon scored three touchdowns in just two minutes during the first quarter, eventually reaching a 30-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half. However, the Ducks started to play it safe, allowing the Bears to swing the momentum to their side.
On the back of three Oregon penalties, Cal scored its first TD of the game before halftime. But it was in the second half that fans were at a loss for words. QB Dave Barr led his squad to a 35-11 surge that culminated in a two-point conversation and the Bears’ first lead of the contest.
Oregon had one last chance to regain the lead, but QB Danny O’Neil’s pass was intercepted with 29 seconds to play, allowing Cal to run out the clock and secure the biggest comeback in program history.
29 Points: Stanford 46, Colorado 43 (2023)
What do the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes and Miami Hurricanes have in common? They both choked away games — badly.
Mario Cristobal’s unthinkable decision to run it — and fumble it — against Georgia Tech instead of kneeling it down resulted in one of the worst losses of the season. But in terms of points, Deion Sanders’ collapse was unforgettable.
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With QBs Justin Lamson and Ashton Daniels struggling to move the chains, Stanford found itself trailing 29-0 at halftime. Yet, the Cardinal didn’t just implement adjustments out of the locker room — they looked like a completely different team.
Stanford strung together eight straight scoring drives and produced 408 of their 523 yards in the second half and overtime, leading to a 46-43 victory. Of course, the Buffaloes helped, committing 17 penalties for 127 yards in a game that started at 8:20 p.m. ET and ended at nearly 3:15 a.m.
Elic Ayomanor played the role of Jason Voorhees, destroying Colorado’s defensive backs on Friday the 13th, setting the school record for receiving yards in a single game (294).
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