In college football, games in which 100 points are scored by a single team are rare, especially since 1940. In the post-World War II era, it is considered in poor form to run up the score of lopsided games. There have been only three occurrences since 1970, and just one since 2003.
On October 25, 1884, Yale defeated Dartmouth 113–0, becoming the first team to score 100 points in a game. [1] The next week, Princeton defeated Lafayette 140–0. [2]
The most points scored by a single team, and the most lopsided final score in college football history, occurred on October 7, 1916 when Georgia Tech beat Cumberland 222–0. [3] Only two other programs have scored at least 200 points in a single game: King College, now King University, defeated Lenoir 206–0 in 1922 and St. Viator College beat Lane College (IL) 205–0 in 1916.
Fifteen programs have scored at least 150 points in a game: Albion, Arizona, Bowling Green, Central Oklahoma (twice), Dayton, Georgia Tech, Harvard, King (TN), Millikin, Missouri S&T, Oklahoma (twice), Pittsburg State, St. Viator, Stevens and Tulsa (twice).
It is rare for a team to have scored in a game when the opponent scored over 100 points, but several cases exist, including when SMU kicked an early field goal but Rice "came back" to win 146–3 in 1916.
Early records are often incomplete and sometimes contradictory. Scores without footnotes listed in the table below have been confirmed in at least two sources, usually The Football Thesaurus and the football media guide of one of the corresponding schools. A footnote by the score indicates a separate single reference source. The table includes not only scores from NCAA programs, but also from those that compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and from games played before the advent of the NCAA or NAIA.
As a supplement to the list, the following summarizations are provided.
Oklahoma leads the pack of most 100+ point victories with 8, followed by Georgia Tech with 5. Wesleyan holds the distinction of losing the most 100+ point games with 5, where Kingfisher College and Oklahoma Baptist are second with three each.
Excluding games in the 19th century and early 1900s, the Houston Cougars are the only current FBS team to score 100 points against another FBS team, against Tulsa in 1968.
A total of 19 teams have both won and lost 100 point games: Amherst, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho State, King (TN), Louisville, Marion Military Institute, Michigan State, Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri S&T), NC State, New Mexico, North Central, Northern Illinois, Pacific (OR), Penn State, Pittsburg State, Rochester, Tulsa, and Virginia.
Virginia and Pacific (OR) are the only teams to win and lose a 100-point game in the same season. In 1890, Virginia lost to Princeton 115-0 and defeated Randolph-Macon 136–0. In 1923, Pacific (OR) lost to Chemawa Indian School 104-0 and beat George Fox, then called Pacific College, 118–0.
In only one game did the losing team score more than 7 points, with North Central scoring 32 points in 1968 and North Park winning by "only" 72 points.
The 1920 season produced the most 100 point games in a single year with 17, but the 1910s proved to be the decade with the most 100 point games with 96. From 1910 to 1929, a total of 147 games were played with 100 points scored by one side, meaning 67.7% of all such games were in this 20-year period.
Decade | # games | Percent of total |
---|---|---|
1860s | 0 | 0.0 |
1870s | 0 | 0.0 |
1880s | 14 | 6.5 |
1890s | 10 | 4.6 |
1900s | 27 | 12.0 |
1910s | 98 | 44.2 |
1920s | 51 | 23.5 |
1930s | 7 | 3.2 |
1940s | 4 | 1.8 |
1950s | 2 | 0.9 |
1960s | 4 | 1.8 |
1970s | 0 | 0.0 |
1980s | 2 | 0.9 |
1990s | 0 | 0.0 |
2000s | 1 | 0.5 |
2010s | 0 | 0.0 |
2020s | 0 | 0.0 |
The 1916 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. John R. Bender served his first season as head coach of the Volunteers. Because of World War I, Tennessee did not field another varsity squad until 1919.
The 1920 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. Playing as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the team was led by head coach John R. Bender, in his third year, and played their home games at Waite Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season 7–2 overall and 5–2 in the SIAA. The Volunteers offense scored 243 points while the defense allowed 40 points.
The 1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1917 college football season. The season began on September 28. A curtailing of expenses was required for extension into 1918.
The 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the members schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1897 college football season
The 1911 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1911 college football season. The season began on September 23.
The 1912 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1912 college football season. The season began on September 28.
The 1913 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1913 college football season. The season began on September 27. Conference play began that day with Alabama hosting Howard.
The 1920 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Michigan Agricultural College (MAC) as an independent during the 1920 college football season. In their first and only year under head coach George Clark, the Aggies compiled a 4–6 record and outscored their opponents 270 to 166.
The 1914 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1914 college football season. The season began on September 26.
The 1915 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1915 college football season. The season began on September 25.
The 1922 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1922 college football season. In their seventh year under head coach Andy Smith, the team compiled a 9–0 record, won the PCC championship, and outscored its opponents by a combined total of 398 to 34. The 398 points scored led major college football.
The 1912 Maryland Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Maryland Agricultural College as an independent during the 1912 college football season. In their second season under head coach Curley Byrd, the Aggies compiled a 6–1–1 record and outscored all opponents by a total of 191 to 60.
The 1925 Colorado Agricultural Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Colorado Agricultural College in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) during the 1925 college football season. In its 15th season under head coach Harry W. Hughes, the team compiled a 9–1 record, won the RMC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 228 to 79.
The 1916 Chattanooga Moccasins football team represented the University of Chattanooga—now known as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga—as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) during the 1916 college football season. Led by Johnny Spiegel in his second and final year as head coach, the Moccasins compiled an overall record of 3–5 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play.
The 1920 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) during the 1920 college football season. Led by second-year head coach R. L. Sullivan, the Rebels compiled an overall record of 4–3, with a mark of 0–2 in conference play. Ole Miss played home games at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
The 1935 Denver Pioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) during the 1935 college football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Percy Locey, the Pioneers compiled a 6–3 record, finished fourth in the RMC, and outscored opponents by a total of 109 to 101.
The 1925 Pacific Coast Conference football season was the 11th season of college football played by the member schools of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) and was a part of the 1925 college football season.
The 1917 Haskell Indians football team was an American football team that represented the Haskell Indian Institute as an independent during the 1917 college football season. In its first and only season under head coach Antonio Lubo, Haskell compiled a 6–5 record. "Pep" Black was the team captain.
The 1921 Bowling Green Normals football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State Normal School as a member of the Northwest Ohio League (NOL) during the 1921 college football season. In its third season of intercollegiate football, Bowling Green compiled a 3–1–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 178 to 34. Earl Krieger was the head coach, and Franklin "Gus" Skibbie was the team captain.
The 1927 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1927 college football season. In their first season under head coach Vincent E. Montgomery, the Coyotes compiled a 7–2 record, tied for the NCC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 143 to 105.