The following is a list of games ordered vacated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The list does not include forfeits imposed as a result of NCAA sanctions or wins from FCS, Division II, or Division III football.
As a private association, the NCAA only changes its own records to reflect forfeits or vacations that its own Committee on Infractions has ordered, and not for sanctions imposed by individual conferences.[1]
Currently, the record for most wins currently recognized as vacated by the NCAA is the 37 wins vacated by LSU football as a result of Vadal Alexander being ineligible for his entire college career.[2]
Historically, the most wins ever vacated by a team at any point in time is the 112 wins vacated by Penn State football as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. These wins were later restored to Penn State’s record in 2015 as a result of a settlement.[3] [4]
In addition to vacating and forfeiting games, the NCAA has the power to issue other forms of sanctions. The harshest sanction is a ban on a school's competing in a sport for at least one year. Sometimes referred to as the NCAA's death penalty, this sanction has been imposed once against an FBS college football program: SMU football for the 1987 season as a result of the Southern Methodist University football scandal.
| School | Coach | Year | Actual W–L | Adjusted W–L | Games Affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Mike Shula | 2005 | 10–2 | 0–2 | Vacated 9 regular season wins and 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic win |
| 2006 | 6–7 | 0–7 | Vacated 6 regular season wins | ||
| Nick Saban | 2007 | 7–6 | 2–6 | Vacated 5 regular season wins | |
| Arizona State | Herm Edwards | 2021 | 8–5 | 0–5 | Vacated 8 regular season wins |
| 2022 | 3–9 | 1–9 | Vacated 2 regular season wins | ||
| Arkansas State | Steve Roberts | 2005 | 6–6 | 2–6 | Vacated 4 regular season wins |
| 2006 | 6–6 | 0–6 | Vacated 6 regular season wins | ||
| California | Tom Holmoe | 1999 | 4–7 | 0–7 | Vacated 4 regular season wins |
| FIU | Don Strock | 2005 | 5–6 | 0–6 | Vacated 5 regular season wins |
| Florida State | Bobby Bowden | 2006 | 7–6 | 2–6 | Vacated 4 regular season wins and 2006 Emerald Bowl |
| 2007 | 7–6 | 0–6 | Vacated 7 regular season wins | ||
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | 2009 | 11–3 | 10–3 | Vacated 2009 ACC Championship Game win |
| Kentucky | Mark Stoops | 2021 | 10–3 | 0–3 | Vacated 9 regular season wins and 2022 Citrus Bowl win |
| Louisiana | Mark Hudspeth | 2011 | 9–4 | 1–4 | Vacated 7 regular season wins and 2011 New Orleans Bowl win |
| 2012 | 9–4 | 5–4 | Vacated 4 regular season wins | ||
| 2013 | 9–4 | 1–4 | Vacated 7 regular season wins and 2013 New Orleans Bowl win | ||
| 2014 | 9–4 | 7–4 | Vacated 2 regular season wins | ||
| LSU | Les Miles | 2012 | 10–3 | 0–3 | Vacated 10 regular season wins |
| 2013 | 10–3 | 0–3 | Vacated 9 regular season wins and 2014 Outback Bowl win | ||
| 2014 | 8–5 | 0–5 | Vacated 8 regular season wins | ||
| 2015 | 9–3 | 0–3 | Vacated 8 regular season wins and 2015 Texas Bowl win | ||
| Missouri | Gary Pinkel | 2015 | 5–7 | 0–7 | Vacated 5 regular season wins |
| Barry Odom | 2016 | 4–8 | 0–8 | Vacated 4 regular season wins | |
| North Carolina | Butch Davis | 2008 | 8–5 | 0–5 | Vacated 8 regular season wins |
| 2009 | 8–5 | 0–5 | Vacated 8 regular season wins | ||
| Notre Dame | Brian Kelly | 2012 | 12–1 | 0–0 | Vacated 12 regular season wins and 2013 BCS National Championship Game loss |
| 2013 | 9–4 | 0–4 | Vacated 8 regular season wins and 2013 Pinstripe Bowl win | ||
| Ohio State | Jim Tressel | 2010 | 12–1 | 0–1 | Vacated 11 regular season wins and 2011 Sugar Bowl win. See Ohio State University football scandal. |
| Ole Miss | Houston Nutt | 2010 | 4–8 | 0–8 | Vacated 4 regular season wins |
| 2011 | 2–10 | 0–10 | Vacated 2 regular season wins | ||
| Hugh Freeze | 7–6 | 0–6 | Vacated 6 regular season wins and 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl win | ||
| 8–5 | 1–5 | Vacated 7 regular season wins | |||
| 9–4 | 1–4 | Vacated 8 regular season wins | |||
| 5–7 | 0–7 | Vacated 5 regular season wins | |||
| SMU | Mike Cavan | 1998 | 5–7 | 1–1 | Vacated 4 regular season wins and 6 regular season losses |
| Syracuse | Paul Pasqualoni | 2004 | 6–6 | 0–6 | Vacated 6 regular season wins |
| Greg Robinson | 2005 | 1–10 | 0–10 | Vacated 1 regular season win | |
| 2006 | 4–8 | 0–8 | Vacated 4 regular season wins | ||
| Tennessee | Jeremy Pruitt | 2019 | 8–5 | 0–5 | Vacated 7 regular season wins and 2020 Gator Bowl win |
| 2020 | 3–7 | 0–7 | Vacated 3 regular season wins | ||
| USC | Pete Carroll | 2004 | 13–0 | 11–0 | Vacated 1 regular season win and 2005 Orange Bowl win. See University of Southern California athletics scandal. |
| 2005 | 12–1 | 0–0 | Vacated 12 regular season wins and 2006 Rose Bowl loss. See University of Southern California athletics scandal. |