Learn more about college football shutouts during the 2023-2024 season. Blanking an opponent is usually the result of a gross mismatch between a top-tier D1 team and a lesser opponent. These matchups can be painful to watch depending on which team you’re supporting: in most cases the better team treated the game like a practice session.
Below, we’ll list the 2023-2024 season’s shutout games. After, we’ll discuss a few ways to bet on a game you think will be a shutout.
| Bonus | |
|---|---|
 #1 BetMGMREVIEW | New Customers - Up to $1500 Paid Back in Bonus Bets Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days One new customer offer/Add'l Terms Bet Now 21+ Playable in Ohio only Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-589-9966 |
Table of Contents
2023-2024 College Football Shutouts
| Game | Result | Pt Total |
|---|---|---|
| Total Games | 33 | |
| Iowa at Tennessee Cheez-It Citrus Bowl | TENN 35, IOWA 0 1/01/24 1:00pm EST - Bowls | 35 |
| South Florida at Syracuse Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl | USF 45, SYR 0 12/21/23 8:00pm EST - Bowls | 45 |
| Michigan at Iowa | MICH 26, IOWA 0 12/02/23 8:00pm EST - Week 14 | 26 |
| Penn State at Michigan State | PSU 42, MSU 0 11/24/23 7:30pm EST - Week 13 | 42 |
| Marshall at South Alabama | USA 28, MRSH 0 11/18/23 5:00pm EST - Week 12 | 28 |
| East Carolina at Navy | NAVY 10, ECU 0 11/18/23 12:00pm EST - Week 12 | 10 |
| Western Michigan at Northern Illinois | NIU 24, WMU 0 11/14/23 7:00pm EST - Week 12 | 24 |
| Rutgers at Iowa | IOWA 22, RUTG 0 11/11/23 3:30pm EST - Week 11 | 22 |
| Akron at Miami (OH) | M-OH 19, AKR 0 11/08/23 7:00pm EST - Week 11 | 19 |
| San Jose State at Hawaii | SJSU 35, HAW 0 10/28/23 11:59pm EDT - Week 9 | 35 |
| Duke at Louisville | LOU 23, DUKE 0 10/28/23 3:30pm EDT - Week 9 | 23 |
| Houston at Kansas State | KSU 41, HOU 0 10/28/23 12:00pm EDT - Week 9 | 41 |
| Nevada at San Diego State | NEV 6, SDSU 0 10/21/23 9:00pm EDT - Week 8 | 6 |
| Michigan at Michigan State | MICH 49, MSU 0 10/21/23 7:30pm EDT - Week 8 | 49 |
| Army at LSU | LSU 62, ARMY 0 10/21/23 7:30pm EDT - Week 8 | 62 |
| SMU at Temple | SMU 55, TEM 0 10/20/23 7:00pm EDT - Week 8 | 55 |
| Troy at Army | TROY 19, ARMY 0 10/14/23 3:30pm EDT - Week 7 | 19 |
| UMass at Penn State | PSU 63, MASS 0 10/14/23 3:30pm EDT - Week 7 | 63 |
| Navy at Charlotte | NAVY 14, CLT 0 10/14/23 2:00pm EDT - Week 7 | 14 |
| Bowling Green at Miami (OH) | M-OH 27, BGSU 0 10/07/23 3:30pm EDT - Week 6 | 27 |
| Iowa at Penn State | PSU 31, IOWA 0 9/23/23 7:30pm EDT - Week 4 | 31 |
| Gardner-Webb at East Carolina | ECU 44, GWEB 0 9/23/23 6:00pm EDT - Week 4 | 44 |
| Eastern Michigan at Jacksonville State | JVST 21, EMU 0 9/23/23 5:00pm EDT - Week 4 | 21 |
| Fresno State at Arizona State | FRES 29, ASU 0 9/16/23 10:30pm EDT - Week 3 | 29 |
| Prairie View A&M at SMU | SMU 69, PV 0 9/16/23 7:00pm EDT - Week 3 | 69 |
| Wagner at Navy | NAVY 24, WAG 0 9/09/23 3:30pm EDT - Week 2 | 24 |
| Delaware State at Army | ARMY 57, DSU 0 9/09/23 12:00pm EDT - Week 2 | 57 |
| Murray State at Louisville | LOU 56, MUR 0 9/07/23 7:30pm EDT - Week 2 | 56 |
| Sam Houston State at BYU | BYU 14, SHSU 0 9/02/23 10:15pm EDT - Week 1 | 14 |
| Southeast Missouri State at Kansas State | KSU 45, SEMO 0 9/02/23 7:00pm EDT - Week 1 | 45 |
| The Citadel at Georgia Southern | GASO 34, CIT 0 9/02/23 6:00pm EDT - Week 1 | 34 |
| Colgate at Syracuse | SYR 65, COLG 0 9/02/23 4:00pm EDT - Week 1 | 65 |
| Arkansas State at Oklahoma | OU 73, ARST 0 9/02/23 12:00pm EDT - Week 1 | 73 |
FAQs on the 2023-2024 College Football season
There were 33 shutout games in the 2023-2024 College Football season.
Michigan at Michigan State
- Score – Michigan 49, Michigan State 0
- Date – October 21, 2023 – Week 8
- Michigan Head Coach – Jim Harbaugh
- Michigan State Head Coach – Harlon Barnett
The eventual champion Michigan Wolverines had a tremendous 2023-24 season, and they had multiple shutouts during the season. The first of the two shutouts was a blowout of the rival Michigan State Spartans. The Wolverines were coming off a 2022 season that began with 13 straight wins and finished with a loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Then in 2023, Michigan started the season 7-0 prior to its game against Michigan State. Meanwhile, the Spartans were struggling.
The Week 8 game between Michigan and Michigan State was perfect timing for the Wolverines, as they went into East Lansing, Michigan, and sent home the Spartan Stadium fans early. Michigan had multiple scores in each of the first three quarters, and the scoring began with a Blake Corum one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Then, J.J. McCarthy had three touchdown throws of more than 20 yards apiece to finish the scoring for the first half, and two of the touchdowns went to tight end Colston Loveland.
In the second half, the Wolverines defense got into the mix, as Mike Sainristil scored a touchdown on a 72-yard interception return. This touchdown, with the extra point from kicker James Turner, made the score 35-0. Sainristil’s interception was the first of two Wolverine interceptions in the game. Then, the final two scores of the game were a McCarthy 11-yard touchdown pass and a six-yard touchdown run by Alex Orji.
Iowa at Penn State
- Score – Penn State 31, Iowa 0
- Date – September 23, 2023 – Week 4
- Iowa Head Coach – Kirk Ferentz
- Penn State Head Coach – James Franklin
The Penn State Nittany Lions were one of the best teams in the country during the 2023-24 season, and they showcased that impressiveness with three shutouts during the season. Not only did Penn State have multiple Big Ten shutouts, but they also had a shutout of a ranked team. This shutout occurred on September 23 when the Nittany Lions blew out the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 4 of the regular season.
The No. 24 Hawkeyes had a very impressive start to the season and were 3-0 entering this contest. Meanwhile, No. 7 Penn State was also 3-0 and was coming off a 30-13 victory at Illinois during the previous week. The scoring was very sparse during the first quarter between Penn State and Iowa: the only score came on a 46-yard field goal by Nittany Lions kicker Alex Felkins. Then in the second quarter, there was just one score as well: Drew Allar’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Dinkins to make the score 10-0 in favor of Penn State.
In the second half, Allar continued his strong touchdown throws. In the third quarter, he found tight end Tyler Warren for two touchdowns. Then in the fourth quarter, Allar threw another short touchdown pass, a three-yard throw to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Penn State moved to 4-0 and would extend the winning streak to six games in total. Unfortunately, Penn State’s season ended with a loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
Arkansas State at Oklahoma
- Score – Oklahoma 73, Arkansas State 0
- Date – September 2, 2023 – Week 1
- Arkansas State Head Coach – Butch Jones
- Oklahoma Head Coach – Brent Venables
What a Week 1 it was for Oklahoma, as the Sooners hosted the Arkansas State Red Wolves of the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves had finished with a 3-9 record the previous year and had not had a winning season since 2019. Arkansas State knew it would be a difficult matchup to begin the season against No. 20 Oklahoma, but the Red Wolves did not see this drubbing coming.
Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel was on fire this game, as he threw for two touchdowns in the first quarter. The Sooners scored a total of 28 points in the first frame, as they had an interception return for a touchdown along with a Marcus Major two-yard touchdown run. Then, at halftime, the Sooners had a 45-point lead after a couple of touchdown runs, including a five-yard score from Gabriel.
In the second half, the scoring did not stop. Jackson Arnold threw a 21-yard touchdown and ran for a seven-yard touchdown. A couple more rushing touchdowns by the Sooners brought the score up to 73-0. It was a very impressive Week 1 for an Oklahoma team that finished the season 10-3.
Other Years
Have a look at shutout games from past seasons, including quick writeups about major blowouts:
Betting on a Shutout Game
There are a few different ways to bet on a shutout college football game, both directly and indirectly. The following are the most common. Be sure to review your sportsbook’s current betting odds in advance of placing any wager, particularly riskier prop and parlay bets.
To Win to 0 Prop Bet
Bet whether one side will win the game to zero, also known as a shutout win. Some sports betting sites also offer this bet for the first half and second half. In most cases, a shutout victory will have a positive odds value indicating a less likely outcome. The exception would be a game between two mismatched opponents. In this case, the stronger opponent’s line for a shutout victory may have a negative value.
Note: This prop will not be available for games when it’s highly likely both teams will score at least once.
Team Point Total Prop Bet
Decide whether a team’s final point total will be over or under the sportsbook’s line.
- First, identify the team likely to score 0 points.
- Second, bet “Under” whatever line the sportsbook has assigned.
The under will have a high negative odds value if a shutout is in play. Compare odds across multiple sportsbooks to make sure you’re getting the best value.
First to 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 Points Prop Bets
A team likely to shutout their opponent will also be likely to reach various point total milestones throughout the game.
- First, choose the team likely to blank their opponent.
- Second, review the lines and odds for the First to Score X points prop bets, usually ranging from 15-40 points in 5 point increments.
- Third, identify a point total that offers the best betting value.
For example, the first team to score 15 points will be obvious and come with a high negative odds number, making it an expensive wager. Instead of taking this bet, consider taking a higher point total that will offer better value.
Pick a number a team will comfortably achieve, but not so high that they’ll need to make an extraordinary effort. This bet will offer a much better return on investment compared to a smaller point value.
Shutout Game Parlay Bets
Combine any of the above bets into a 2-3 selection parlay bet. Note that some sportsbooks may limit the number and type of prop bets that you can parlay.
Here’s an example shutout game 3-selection parlay for the Michigan Wolverines:
- Michigan to win to 0 prop bet
- Michigan point total over 30
- Michigan first to 20 points
Finally, be careful parlaying 4 or more prop bet selections, as it will quickly become a very risky wager. The underdog team need only score once to make this example a losing bet.
Handicapping Strategy
It’s best to bet on a shutout when it’s not the obvious outcome, but not a complete long-shot either. As with most things sports betting, the likely result will come loaded with juice, often requiring a big upfront investment in exchange for a nominal payout.
Instead, try to identify games where the probability of a shutout is in the 50-75% range. Placing appropriate wagers on these games will offer you a good return on your money at a moderate amount of risk.
Betting on College Football
We highly recommend having a look at our college football betting guide. It explains how to bet on college football, covering the point spread, total, moneyline, and common exotics like parlays. Also review our college football prop bets page, updated daily with the latest NCAAF prop betting lines and odds. Finally, jump on the latest college football futures odds, including odds to win each conference.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-589-9966
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days
One new customer offer/Add'l Terms
Bet Now BetMGM Ohio
College Football Betting Resources
- College Football Betting Guide – Read up on how to bet your favorite teams this football season, reviewing the most common ways to bet on college football, plus season win totals, standings, and in-depth research.
- College Football Betting Sites – Our top licensed and legal US sports betting sites for college football.
- College Football Odds – Latest point spreads, totals, and moneylines for upcoming college football matchups and more.
- College Football Prop Bets – Prop betting lines and odds for upcoming College football games.
- College Football First Team to Score prop bet – See odds for which team will score first in the next schedule NCAA football games.
- College Football Futures Odds – Learn more about how to bet on college football futures. Review odds to win the National Championship and key D1 college football conferences like the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12, plus odds to win the Heisman Trophy.
- College Football Win Total Odds – Our tutorial explains how to bet on college football win totals, plus links to team win totals grouped by conference.
- College Football Game to Overtime Prop Bet – See odds for upcoming games, then review overtime game counts from recent seasons.
- Undefeated College Football Teams – See which teams are still undefeated in the current regular season.
- College Football Betting Tips – Quick tips and essential knowledge for those looking to up their college football betting game.
- College Football Overtime Games – We track multiple overtime college football games from 2002 to the current season. See the longest overtime games in NCAA football history.
- College Football Shutout Games – Monitor a list of college football shutout games this season. Review shutout games from previous seasons.
- High-Scoring College Football Games – Have a look at a list of the highest-scoring game this season, updated multiple times each week.
- College Football Championship Results – Review recent College Football Championship winners, appearances, results, including from the BCS era.
- Can the AP Preseason Poll Predict a Winner? – Our classic case study looks at the AP preseason college football poll’s potential to predict an eventual national champion.