Drought Impact Influenced Games Collapses Damage Velocity

Lead-State Collapses

Droughts that flipped or worsened a team's position in the game — leads given up, ties broken, and deficits dug deeper. Ranked by how much ground was surrendered.

Leads Surrendered

4,244

Ahead at drought start, tied or behind by the end

Ties Broken

865

Tied at drought start, fell behind by the end

Deficits Deepened

6,703

Already trailing, fell further behind

Biggest Collapses of the Season

The top 150 droughts by margin swing — how many points of position each team gave up before the drought broke.

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#	Team	State	Opponent	Score Swing	Pts Allowed	Length	Date
1	Crown College Polars	Lead surrendered	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	up 12 → down 29	43	16:08	Dec 10
2	Curry College Colonels	Deficit deepened	New Hampshire Wildcats	down 38 → down 70	33	9:11	Nov 6
3	Mayville St Comets	Deficit deepened	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	down 30 → down 59	31	8:05	Nov 11
4	College Of Biblical Studies Ambassadors	Deficit deepened	UTSA Roadrunners	down 40 → down 69	30	14:14	Nov 5
5	College Of Biblical Studies Ambassadors	Deficit deepened	McNeese Cowboys	down 6 → down 34	29	8:48	Nov 10
6	College Of Biblical Studies Ambassadors	Deficit deepened	Rice Owls	down 14 → down 41	29	7:06	Nov 4
7	Delaware Blue Hens	Deficit deepened	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	down 17 → down 44	28	13:10	Mar 7
8	Lyon Scots	Deficit deepened	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	down 22 → down 48	29	11:04	Nov 9
9	Justice College Lions	Lead surrendered	Utah Tech Trailblazers	up 5 → down 20	27	9:03	Dec 13
10	UL Monroe Warhawks	Lead surrendered	Georgia State Panthers	up 3 → down 22	26	6:35	Jan 17
11	UTSA Roadrunners	Lead surrendered	North Texas Mean Green	up 3 → down 21	25	8:23	Feb 7
12	The Citadel Bulldogs	Tie broken	Chattanooga Mocs	tied → down 24	25	6:35	Feb 21
13	Eastern Illinois Panthers	Deficit deepened	Purdue Boilermakers	down 31 → down 54	25	8:37	Nov 28
14	Washington College (MD) Shoremen	Lead surrendered	Navy Midshipmen	up 1 → down 22	25	8:30	Nov 14
15	Arizona State Sun Devils	Lead surrendered	Iowa State Cyclones	up 4 → down 19	24	8:45	Mar 7
16	Cheyney (PA) Wolves	Deficit deepened	Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks	down 6 → down 29	24	7:43	Nov 8
17	VMI Keydets	Lead surrendered	Samford Bulldogs	up 6 → down 17	24	7:09	Jan 1
18	Northwestern State Demons	Deficit deepened	McNeese Cowboys	down 10 → down 33	24	5:58	Dec 5
19	Coppin State Eagles	Deficit deepened	Liberty Flames	down 9 → down 31	24	9:08	Dec 6
20	Stetson Hatters	Lead surrendered	Wright State Raiders	up 5 → down 17	24	9:03	Nov 25
21	Eastern Illinois Panthers	Lead surrendered	Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles	up 2 → down 20	24	8:08	Feb 21
22	Jackson State Tigers	Deficit deepened	Arkansas Razorbacks	down 12 → down 34	24	7:51	Nov 21
23	Bethany (WV) Bison	Deficit deepened	Bowling Green Falcons	down 16 → down 38	24	5:44	Nov 6
24	Dallas Christian Crusaders	Deficit deepened	East Texas A&M Lions	down 32 → down 54	24	5:32	Nov 19
25	Robert Morris Colonials	Lead surrendered	Toledo Rockets	up 3 → down 19	23	8:25	Dec 13
26	Saint Josephs Long Island Golden Eagles	Deficit deepened	Stony Brook Seawolves	down 16 → down 38	23	7:55	Nov 11
27	Centenary (NJ) Cyclones	Deficit deepened	Saint Peter's Peacocks	down 41 → down 63	23	7:55	Dec 22
28	Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers	Lead surrendered	Merrimack Warriors	up 3 → down 19	23	7:17	Feb 5
29	Charleston Cougars	Lead surrendered	South Florida Bulls	up 11 → down 11	23	7:01	Dec 10
30	City College NY Beavers	Deficit deepened	Quinnipiac Bobcats	down 1 → down 23	23	6:51	Nov 19
31	Winthrop Eagles	Deficit deepened	Texas Tech Red Raiders	down 7 → down 28	24	8:00	Dec 28
32	Long Island University Sharks	Deficit deepened	Illinois Fighting Illini	down 19 → down 40	24	7:22	Nov 22
33	Mount Saint Mary (NY) Knights	Lead surrendered	Fordham Rams	up 1 → down 20	24	7:20	Nov 7
34	Montana State Bobcats	Lead surrendered	Idaho State Bengals	up 4 → down 17	23	8:21	Feb 21
35	Tennessee State Tigers	Deficit deepened	Iowa State Cyclones	down 2 → down 23	23	5:56	Mar 20
36	UNC Greensboro Spartans	Deficit deepened	NC State Wolfpack	down 19 → down 40	23	5:05	Nov 12
37	NJIT Highlanders	Lead surrendered	Bryant Bulldogs	up 9 → down 12	22	9:20	Feb 28
38	Army Black Knights	Lead surrendered	Colgate Raiders	up 4 → down 17	22	7:38	Feb 4
39	Morgan State Bears	Deficit deepened	DePaul Blue Demons	down 6 → down 27	22	7:23	Dec 9
40	Jarvis Christian Bulldogs	Lead surrendered	Incarnate Word Cardinals	up 1 → down 20	22	5:40	Nov 7
41	Regent Royals	Deficit deepened	Norfolk State Spartans	down 13 → down 34	22	5:37	Nov 5
42	Principia College PRINCIPIA	Deficit deepened	Saint Louis Billikens	down 31 → down 52	22	4:45	Dec 28
43	Chicago State Cougars	Deficit deepened	Saint Louis Billikens	down 8 → down 29	22	4:00	Nov 6
44	Shenandoah Hornets	Deficit deepened	Radford Highlanders	down 5 → down 25	23	9:18	Dec 28
45	Pacific Union PACIFIC UNION	Deficit deepened	UC Davis Aggies	down 5 → down 25	23	9:13	Dec 28
46	Bob Jones Bruins	Deficit deepened	Winthrop Eagles	down 6 → down 26	23	7:52	Dec 13
47	Bethesda University Flames	Deficit deepened	Utah Valley Wolverines	down 38 → down 58	23	6:54	Dec 20
48	Georgia Bulldogs	Deficit deepened	Saint Louis Billikens	down 12 → down 32	23	6:38	Mar 19
49	Alcorn State Braves	Deficit deepened	Baylor Bears	down 27 → down 47	23	6:01	Dec 19
50	Niagara Purple Eagles	Tie broken	Iona Gaels	tied → down 20	22	10:26	Jan 9
51	BYU Cougars	Tie broken	Clemson Tigers	tied → down 20	22	8:30	Dec 9
52	UT Martin Skyhawks	Lead surrendered	SIU Edwardsville Cougars	up 12 → down 8	22	8:19	Feb 14
53	Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs	Deficit deepened	Davidson Wildcats	down 23 → down 43	22	7:29	Feb 9
54	Indiana State Sycamores	Lead surrendered	Southern Illinois Salukis	up 9 → down 11	22	7:20	Feb 25
55	Justice College Lions	Deficit deepened	Idaho State Bengals	down 6 → down 26	22	7:05	Nov 21
56	Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons	Deficit deepened	App State Mountaineers	down 41 → down 61	22	6:03	Dec 3
57	San Diego Toreros	Lead surrendered	Portland Pilots	up 14 → down 6	22	5:43	Feb 28
58	Champion Christian Tigers	Deficit deepened	Southern Jaguars	down 49 → down 69	22	4:53	Nov 15
59	Bowling Green Falcons	Deficit deepened	Arkansas State Red Wolves	down 5 → down 25	21	6:14	Feb 7
60	Maryland Terrapins	Lead surrendered	Iowa Hawkeyes	up 4 → down 16	21	6:13	Mar 11
61	Benedictine (AZ) Redhawks	Lead surrendered	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	up 1 → down 19	21	5:34	Dec 29
62	Miami (OH)-Middletown ThunderHawks	Deficit deepened	IU Indianapolis Jaguars	down 7 → down 27	21	5:30	Dec 16
63	Mobile Rams	Deficit deepened	South Alabama Jaguars	down 6 → down 26	21	5:27	Dec 29
64	Colorado Buffaloes	Lead surrendered	Iowa State Cyclones	up 3 → down 17	21	5:26	Jan 29
65	Cal State Northridge Matadors	Deficit deepened	Northern Iowa Panthers	down 1 → down 21	21	5:01	Nov 6
66	Dallas Christian Crusaders	Deficit deepened	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders	down 38 → down 58	21	4:59	Dec 12
67	McNeese Cowboys	Deficit deepened	Michigan Wolverines	down 26 → down 46	21	4:58	Dec 29
68	Carolina University Bruins	Deficit deepened	Liberty Flames	down 26 → down 46	21	4:22	Nov 17
69	Worcester State Lancers	Deficit deepened	Bryant Bulldogs	down 14 → down 34	21	4:07	Dec 28
70	Abilene Christian Wildcats	Lead surrendered	Utah Tech Trailblazers	up 2 → down 17	22	7:35	Jan 1
71	Evansville Purple Aces	Deficit deepened	Southern Illinois Salukis	down 2 → down 21	22	6:43	Feb 12
72	Brescia Bearcats	Deficit deepened	UT Martin Skyhawks	down 3 → down 22	21	10:14	Nov 25
73	Ball State Cardinals	Lead surrendered	Ohio Bobcats	up 4 → down 15	21	8:13	Feb 17
74	West Virginia Mountaineers	Lead surrendered	Kansas State Wildcats	up 4 → down 15	21	8:06	Mar 3
75	Loyola Marymount Lions	Deficit deepened	Gonzaga Bulldogs	down 17 → down 36	21	8:05	Jan 4
76	Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks	Deficit deepened	UIC Flames	down 5 → down 24	21	7:29	Dec 29
77	Northern Illinois Huskies	Deficit deepened	Ball State Cardinals	down 7 → down 26	21	7:25	Feb 28
78	Columbia College (SC) Fighting Koalas	Deficit deepened	UNC Wilmington Seahawks	down 17 → down 36	21	7:19	Dec 27
79	Minnesota Golden Gophers	Deficit deepened	Purdue Boilermakers	down 3 → down 22	21	6:46	Dec 10
80	Creighton Bluejays	Deficit deepened	Gonzaga Bulldogs	down 10 → down 29	21	6:40	Nov 11
81	UTSA Roadrunners	Lead surrendered	Florida Atlantic Owls	up 3 → down 16	21	6:27	Dec 31
82	Oregon Ducks	Lead surrendered	Illinois Fighting Illini	up 6 → down 13	21	6:25	Mar 3
83	Tennessee Volunteers	Lead surrendered	Michigan Wolverines	up 2 → down 17	21	6:11	Mar 29
84	Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners	Deficit deepened	Florida State Seminoles	down 10 → down 29	21	5:49	Nov 25
85	Rockford Regents	Deficit deepened	Illinois State Redbirds	down 3 → down 22	21	5:47	Nov 20
86	William Peace Pacers	Deficit deepened	UNC Greensboro Spartans	down 7 → down 26	21	5:22	Dec 12
87	New College (FL) Mighty Banyans	Deficit deepened	North Florida Ospreys	down 5 → down 24	21	5:01	Nov 15
88	Adrian Bulldogs	Deficit deepened	Central Michigan Chippewas	down 21 → down 40	21	5:00	Nov 25
89	Warren Wilson Owls	Deficit deepened	Charleston Southern Buccaneers	down 1 → down 20	21	5:00	Dec 4
90	Ecclesia Royals	Deficit deepened	Southern Jaguars	down 13 → down 32	21	4:54	Nov 10
91	Murray State Racers	Lead surrendered	McNeese Cowboys	up 6 → down 13	20	8:27	Nov 24
92	Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils	Lead surrendered	Grambling Tigers	up 8 → down 11	20	7:33	Mar 9
93	Southern Illinois Salukis	Lead surrendered	Valparaiso Beacons	up 3 → down 16	20	6:48	Jan 21
94	UMass Lowell River Hawks	Deficit deepened	UConn Huskies	down 15 → down 34	20	6:26	Nov 7
95	St. John Fisher Cardinals	Deficit deepened	Colgate Raiders	down 24 → down 43	20	6:12	Dec 6
96	Charlotte 49ers	Lead surrendered	UTSA Roadrunners	up 13 → down 6	20	6:11	Feb 15
97	Georgian Court Lions	Deficit deepened	Temple Owls	down 20 → down 39	20	5:49	Dec 9
98	Oregon Ducks	Deficit deepened	Ohio State Buckeyes	down 3 → down 21	21	7:22	Jan 8
99	NJIT Highlanders	Lead surrendered	High Point Panthers	up 2 → down 16	21	7:19	Dec 5
100	IU Indianapolis Jaguars	Deficit deepened	Youngstown State Penguins	down 2 → down 20	21	7:17	Dec 6
101	Lancasater Bible College Chargers	Deficit deepened	La Salle Explorers	down 10 → down 28	21	6:49	Nov 22
102	Air Force Falcons	Lead surrendered	Nevada Wolf Pack	up 7 → down 11	21	6:40	Jan 17
103	Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons	Deficit deepened	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	down 32 → down 50	21	6:36	Nov 7
104	Merrimack Warriors	Deficit deepened	Florida Gators	down 7 → down 25	21	6:25	Nov 21
105	Massachusetts-Boston Beacons	Deficit deepened	Massachusetts Minutemen	down 20 → down 38	21	5:19	Dec 22
106	UNC Greensboro Spartans	Lead surrendered	The Citadel Bulldogs	up 8 → down 10	20	9:53	Jan 15
107	Eastern Kentucky Colonels	Deficit deepened	Wichita State Shockers	down 6 → down 24	20	9:40	Dec 21
108	Columbia International Rams	Deficit deepened	Presbyterian Blue Hose	down 17 → down 35	20	8:13	Nov 26
109	Central Michigan Chippewas	Tie broken	Saint Louis Billikens	tied → down 18	20	7:12	Dec 7
110	Murray State Racers	Lead surrendered	Belmont Bruins	up 2 → down 16	20	7:02	Jan 31
111	Miami Hurricanes	Lead surrendered	Pittsburgh Panthers	up 10 → down 8	20	6:40	Dec 30
112	Penn State-Shenango Nittany Lions	Deficit deepened	Youngstown State Penguins	down 4 → down 22	20	6:36	Nov 10
113	UCLA Bruins	Deficit deepened	Illinois Fighting Illini	down 3 → down 21	20	6:14	Feb 21
114	Northern Kentucky Norse	Lead surrendered	Detroit Mercy Titans	up 6 → down 12	20	5:49	Jan 30
115	Georgia Bulldogs	Tie broken	Texas A&M Aggies	tied → down 18	20	5:42	Jan 31
116	La Salle Explorers	Lead surrendered	Penn State Nittany Lions	up 3 → down 15	20	5:40	Nov 15
117	Northern Kentucky Norse	Lead surrendered	Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons	up 14 → down 4	20	5:33	Dec 6
118	Loyola Marymount Lions	Tie broken	Gonzaga Bulldogs	tied → down 18	20	5:31	Jan 4
119	Sacred Heart Pioneers	Deficit deepened	Queens University Royals	down 5 → down 23	20	5:22	Nov 15
120	St. Mary's (MD) Seahawks	Deficit deepened	George Washington Revolutionaries	down 27 → down 45	20	5:21	Dec 22
121	City College NY Beavers	Tie broken	Fairfield Stags	tied → down 18	20	4:21	Dec 22
122	Averett Cougars	Deficit deepened	High Point Panthers	down 36 → down 54	20	4:12	Nov 8
123	Southern Virginia Knights	Deficit deepened	South Carolina Upstate Spartans	down 3 → down 21	20	3:43	Nov 8
124	Rosemont Ravens	Deficit deepened	Navy Midshipmen	down 31 → down 49	19	9:38	Dec 21
125	Chattanooga Mocs	Deficit deepened	Wofford Terriers	down 2 → down 20	19	9:17	Jan 29
126	Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles	Tie broken	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	tied → down 18	19	8:07	Feb 7
127	Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons	Deficit deepened	Campbell Fighting Camels	down 32 → down 50	19	4:19	Dec 7
128	Aquinas Saints	Deficit deepened	Bowling Green Falcons	down 33 → down 51	19	3:13	Dec 7
129	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Deficit deepened	Illinois Fighting Illini	down 7 → down 24	20	8:24	Jan 8
130	Voorhees Tigers	Tie broken	Western Carolina Catamounts	tied → down 17	20	8:08	Nov 13
131	Campbellsville Tigers	Deficit deepened	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	down 30 → down 47	20	7:21	Dec 15
132	Midwestern State Mustangs	Lead surrendered	Tarleton State Texans	up 15 → down 2	20	7:20	Nov 28
133	Elon Phoenix	Lead surrendered	Northeastern Huskies	up 1 → down 16	20	7:12	Jan 15
134	San Diego Toreros	Deficit deepened	Washington Huskies	down 2 → down 19	20	7:09	Dec 22
135	UC Riverside Highlanders	Deficit deepened	UC Irvine Anteaters	down 4 → down 21	20	6:47	Jan 22
136	Eastern University (PA) Eagles	Lead surrendered	Rider Broncs	up 3 → down 14	20	6:44	Nov 15
137	North Florida Ospreys	Deficit deepened	Gonzaga Bulldogs	down 9 → down 26	20	6:40	Dec 7
138	Auburn Tigers	Lead surrendered	Tennessee Volunteers	up 10 → down 7	20	6:36	Mar 12
139	Texas Tech Red Raiders	Deficit deepened	Purdue Boilermakers	down 3 → down 20	20	6:18	Nov 21
140	Erskine Flying Fleet	Lead surrendered	Wofford Terriers	up 2 → down 15	20	5:58	Nov 21
141	Regent Royals	Lead surrendered	Norfolk State Spartans	up 5 → down 12	20	4:31	Nov 5
142	Monmouth Hawks	Tie broken	Drexel Dragons	tied → down 17	19	9:46	Jan 15
143	New Haven Chargers	Lead surrendered	Le Moyne Dolphins	up 1 → down 16	19	8:42	Jan 8
144	Alcorn State Braves	Lead surrendered	Ole Miss Rebels	up 8 → down 9	19	8:12	Dec 29
145	Coe Kohawks	Deficit deepened	Northern Iowa Panthers	down 6 → down 23	19	7:49	Dec 1
146	Princeton Tigers	Tie broken	Akron Zips	tied → down 17	19	7:24	Nov 8
147	College Of Biblical Studies Ambassadors	Deficit deepened	Sam Houston Bearkats	down 3 → down 20	19	7:22	Dec 28
148	Idaho Vandals	Lead surrendered	Montana Grizzlies	up 10 → down 7	19	7:01	Feb 7
149	Kansas State Wildcats	Deficit deepened	Houston Cougars	down 1 → down 18	19	6:59	Feb 14
150	The Citadel Bulldogs	Lead surrendered	East Tennessee State Buccaneers	up 6 → down 11	19	6:49	Jan 23

How We Classify a Collapse

Not every scoring drought costs a game — a team up 20 that goes cold for two minutes is still up double digits when it ends. This page isolates the droughts that actually changed a team's position in the game, tagged by what the team's own lead margin did from the drought's start to its end. Lead surrendered means the team was ahead when the drought began and tied-or-trailing by the time it broke. Tie broken means the game was even at the start and the team fell behind. Deficit deepened means the team was already trailing and dug the hole further.

The table below is ranked by margin swing — how many points of position a team gave up during the drought, biggest collapse first. It's the closest thing on this site to a leaderboard of droughts that actually decided outcomes, as opposed to ones that were merely long.

Related: drought cost · coaching · correlations