Decade leaderboard

Top 25 College Football Games of the 1880s

Every completed game in the decade, scored without team allegiance by game-time AP poll strength, final-score closeness, and overtime.

Games: 25
Top score: 35/100
Overtime: 0

National ranking

The decade's top 25

0 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.

1889Week 9
Amherst at Columbia
Amherst 0, Columbia 0
Unranked Amherst vs. Unranked Columbia · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 9
Wesleyan (CT) at Lehigh
Wesleyan (CT) 11, Lehigh 11
Unranked Wesleyan (CT) vs. Unranked Lehigh · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 8
Lafayette at Lehigh
Lafayette 6, Lehigh 6
Unranked Lafayette vs. Unranked Lehigh · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 7
Navy at Dickinson (PA)
Navy 0, Dickinson (PA) 0
Unranked Navy vs. Unranked Dickinson (PA) · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 4
Franklin & Marshall at Bucknell
Franklin & Marshall 12, Bucknell 12
Unranked Franklin & Marshall vs. Unranked Bucknell · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 4
Boston A.C. at Trinity (CT)
Boston A.C. 0, Trinity (CT) 0
Unranked Boston A.C. vs. Unranked Trinity (CT) · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 3
Columbia at Lafayette
Columbia 10, Lafayette 10
Unranked Columbia vs. Unranked Lafayette · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1889Week 2
Amherst at Williams
Amherst 10, Williams 10
Unranked Amherst vs. Unranked Williams · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1888Week 6
Rutgers at Stevens
Rutgers 18, Stevens 18
Unranked Rutgers vs. Unranked Stevens · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1888Week 3
Amherst at Trinity (CT)
Amherst 0, Trinity (CT) 0
Unranked Amherst vs. Unranked Trinity (CT) · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1887Week 4
Trinity (CT) at Boston University
Trinity (CT) 14, Boston University 14
Unranked Trinity (CT) vs. Unranked Boston University · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1887Week 4
Stevens at Dartmouth
Stevens 4, Dartmouth 4
Unranked Stevens vs. Unranked Dartmouth · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1886Week 9
Princeton at Yale
Princeton 0, Yale 0
Unranked Princeton vs. Unranked Yale · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1886Week 5
Stevens at Lehigh
Stevens 0, Lehigh 0
Unranked Stevens vs. Unranked Lehigh · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1886Week 3
Pennsylvania at Philadelphia All-Stars
Pennsylvania 6, Philadelphia All-Stars 6
Unranked Pennsylvania vs. Unranked Philadelphia All-Stars · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1886Week 1
MIT at Williams
MIT 14, Williams 14
Unranked MIT vs. Unranked Williams · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1885Week 8
Lafayette at Lehigh
Lafayette 6, Lehigh 6
Unranked Lafayette vs. Unranked Lehigh · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1885Week 5
Lehigh at Lafayette
Lehigh 0, Lafayette 0
Unranked Lehigh vs. Unranked Lafayette · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1884Week 9
Princeton at Yale
Princeton 0, Yale 0
Unranked Princeton vs. Unranked Yale · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1884Week 8
Pennsylvania at Pennsylvania Alumni
Pennsylvania 16, Pennsylvania Alumni 16
Unranked Pennsylvania vs. Unranked Pennsylvania Alumni · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1883Week 11
Pennsylvania at Stevens
Pennsylvania 6, Stevens 6
Unranked Pennsylvania vs. Unranked Stevens · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1882Week 7
Stevens at British Club of New York
Stevens 1, British Club of New York 1
Unranked Stevens vs. Unranked British Club of New York · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1881Week 8
Princeton at Yale
Princeton 0, Yale 0
Unranked Princeton vs. Unranked Yale · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1881Week 7
Amherst at Dartmouth
Amherst 0, Dartmouth 0
Unranked Amherst vs. Unranked Dartmouth · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
1881Week 7
Harvard at Princeton
Harvard 0, Princeton 0
Unranked Harvard vs. Unranked Princeton · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score

Methodology

How each game earns up to 100 points

AP ranking, 50 points: each team earns 26 minus its game-time AP rank. Unranked teams receive zero.

Closeness, 35 points: the final margin is subtracted from 35, with margins of 35 or more receiving zero.

Overtime, 15 points: overtime starts at nine points and rises by two per additional period, capped at 15.

Regular-season rankings use the AP Top 25 recorded for the game's week. Postseason games use the final regular-season AP poll published before bowl and playoff results. Overtime uses period scoring when available, then explicit overtime notes as a fallback. Older decades may have less complete poll, period, and box-score data.