The 133: CFP Week One Edition
The final Saturday in October has passed which means we are officially on week one of the College Football Playoff rankings. We normally do our Top 25, but this week, I think we should do something a bit different. I am ranking all 133 FBS teams, one by one.
I will be elaborate more with the top 25 and mostly keep it to one to two sentences beyond that unless I feel necessary. NET yards per play is simply a team’s defensive yards per play allowed subtracted from their offense’s yards per play. The same concept goes for NET success rate.
1. Michigan Wolverines | 25.84625 points
8-0 | 5-0 in Big Ten
There’s a very apparent elephant in the room when it comes to Michigan’s football program right now, and if you position yourself at the 50 and pull out your phone, you could probably figure out what it is. That being said, until anything comes to light from the NCAA, Michigan sits atop the polls at the halfway point.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes | 24.8296 points
8-0 | 5-0 in Big Ten
Much has been made (by me) about Ryan Day’s infatuation with being the smartest guy in the room, but in spite of all of that, Ohio State still ranks third at the halfway point of the season. The offensive line is a major negative in a way that it might be the worst line within the top 25 and uncharacteristically bad for Day’s tenure in Columbus, but the defense is playing phenomenally, (see: the entire Penn State game) and the Ohio State secondary has become a major strong point of a terrific unit. Their defense can only do so much though with Michigan still looming Thanksgiving weekend. Kyle McCord has to improve and learn to play a complete game rather than just two quarters.
3. Georgia Bulldogs | 24.37122 points
8-0 | 5-0 in SEC
Georgia has definitely taken a step backward from their past two national championship squads, but when they’re rolling, they’re still the best team in the nation. That has been the issue, though, is that they’ve struggled to get their foot all the way on the gas. They struggled with mediocre South Carolina and Auburn teams, didn’t look dominant against Vanderbilt, but against Kentucky, the best team they’ve played so far, it’s by far the best any team has looked this season. They’re up against it now, however, as they’ll be without Brock Bowers for at least the Florida and Missouri games. Can someone step up as a playmaker on the outside?
4. Washington Huskies | 24.18304 points
8-0 | 5-0 in PAC-12
+2.9 NET yds. per play (1st) | +16.0% NET success rate (6th)
Proof of how thin the margins are between the top few teams right now: Washington barely beating bad Arizona State and Stanford teams was enough to bump them down a few pegs from the top midseason spot. Michael Penix Jr. still looks like the Heisman front-runner regardless, though that may have to do with a certain other contender’s team being embroiled in scandal, and coach Kalen DeBoer is currently leading the best Huskies team since their 1991 unbeaten season as Washington leads the nation in net yards per play and total offense.
5. Florida State Seminoles | 23.75677 points
8-0 | 6-0 in ACC
A big year was expected from Mike Norvell and Florida State, and thus far, they’ve passed their two biggest tests en route to a 8-0 start for the first time since 2015. Jordan Travis has been every bit as advertised this season, totaling 24 touchdowns to just two interceptions in what’s been a big play, almost boom or bust, passing game at times. Keon Coleman has emerged as one of the most dominant receivers in the nation. There are concerns, but no team this year is anything close to perfect. If they win out, expect to see them in the CFP.
6. Oregon Ducks | 23.57388 points
7-1 | 4-1 in PAC-12
Oregon’s dominance is starting to pay off for them, and for my money, this is a top four team in the nation. Their best win came this past weekend in a rout of Utah on the road. I think I speak for everyone when I say a rematch between the Ducks and Washington for a CFP spot would be the perfect ending to a conference that should not be leaving this landscape, but Oregon will likely have to win out to get there.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide | 23.42684 points
7-1 | 5-0 in SEC
2023 Alabama is quite the enigma. This is the worst skill group Saban has ever had at Alabama. On a pure points and yards per game basis, it’s the worst offense the Tide have had in the CFP era and Saban’s worst since 2008. However, what this Alabama team has going for it is its normal rivals are also having down years across the board in an overall middling SEC. Alabama’s defense and running game, akin to many of the early Saban teams, are doing the heavy lifting on this team, but Jalen Milroe has been better since being benched against USF. Even with Saban’s weakest team in the decade the CFP has existed, this team may still be able to do what last year’s didn’t and reach the Playoff.
8. Penn State Nittany Lions | 22.96436 points
7-1 | 3-1 in Big Ten
Penn State is very good, so much so that many thought they had a real shot at taking out both Ohio State and Michigan this season. They’re once again 0-1 in those tests, though. Despite a suffocating defense, Penn State’s offense struggled mightily just to move the ball against Ohio State, and their offense now ranks 93rd in the country in yards per play and 67th in EPA/play. Drew Allar looks nothing like what he was promised to be, and this skill position group sorely lacks any kind of playmaker.
9. Texas Longhorns | 22.76014 points
7-1 | 4-1 in Big XII
Texas was a stop away from being the second ranked team on this list at the halfway point, but nine is a good spot for them as they can control their own destiny the rest of the way in the Big XII.
10. LSU Tigers | 22.66914 points
6-2 | 4-1 in SEC
Well, well, well…look who’s back. LSU, after dropping a grossly mismanaged game at Ole Miss to fall to 3-2, fell out of my top 25. They have responded by destroying everyone in their path since to find themselves back in the top 10. Jayden Daniels is playing like the best quarterback in the nation and absolutely should be in New York at the pace he’s playing at, and without him, this team is 2021 all over again. Seriously, to rank 99th in defensive success rate against and to still have a positive net rate, let alone be over 11% in the positive is incredible, and it’s solely because of Daniels. He’s currently at over 3000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns on the season, and believe me, they’ve needed every single one of them. If their defense can figure anything out against top tier teams, they can rip one off against Alabama coming off a bye week on November 4th.
11. Oklahoma Sooners | 22.64256 points
7-1 | 4-1 in Big XII
It was nearly poetic, but I suppose Oklahoma still managing to lose to the team from Kansas on their schedule is poetic enough. OU had been the surprise of the season, but they slipped up against a better coached team in Lawrence on Saturday. Win out, and they’re in the Big XII Title Game, but they have a lot to figure out defensively right now.
12. Air Force Falcons | 21.7422 points
8-0 | 5-0 in Mountain West
Our highest ranked Group-of-Five team and the leader in the clubhouse for the New Year’s Six Bowl berth, the 2023 Air Force Falcons might just be Troy Calhoun’s best team yet as they continue to creep higher in the top 15. They’re big and nasty up front, they have a three-headed monster in their triple option attack, and their defense has held up their end of the bargain to boot. The one concern was quarterback Zac Larrier’s health, but he played against Navy after Calhoun said he’d be out a while. Now that he’s already back and playing again, this is a team that could very possibly run the table.
13. Tennessee Volunteers | 21.6074 points
6-2 | 3-2 in SEC
Tennessee has an elite pass rush, good rushing attack, a good run defense, but two glaring problems: pass defense and Joe Milton, and both were on display in the Vols’ loss to Alabama where they were blanked, 27-0, in the second half after a 20-7 lead at the break. Kudos to the Vols, however, as they rebounded nicely at Kentucky in what looked to be Joe Milton’s best outing yet.
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 21.59398 points
7-2
We’ve watched Notre Dame embarrass themselves against Louisville. We’ve watched them embarrass USC. Simply put, Notre Dame is a fringe top-10 team not built to go higher than 10 but never fall out of the top 20. They had an absolute gauntlet of a four week stretch against Ohio State, Duke, Louisville, and USC, and a 2-2 split is pretty solid all things considered. It’s a good team — far from great — but they’re tough defensively, especially in the secondary, and they can run the ball. Now Marcus Freeman just has to stop developing the freak-it gene, and this program can go somewhere in the near future.
15. Utah Utes | 21.00294 points
6-2 | 3-2 in PAC-12
Kyle Whittingham deserves an unbelievable amount of credit for the job he’s done with this team thus far. Star quarterback Cam Rising has not played a game, they were down 16 starters at one point, and yet they sit at 6-2. Their lack of Cam Rising finally bit them against a vastly better Oregon team. A lot of their success this season regardless of this past week is due to this defense which just might be arguably the best in the country. As a unit, it ranks top ten in success rate against.
16. Kansas State Wildcats | 20.95245 points
6-2 | 4-1 in Big XII
On the back of three straight dominant conference wins, Kansas State has leapt one of their two losses in the top 25 in Missouri. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 82-3 over the past two weeks in what seems to be a rounding into form of a good team plagued by injuries prior.
17. Missouri Tigers | 20.7221 points
7-1 | 3-1 in SEC
It feels like everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop with Missouri, and it just hasn’t yet. After the LSU loss, a loss to Kentucky felt like an “oh, that makes sense” moment for this team, and they came out and beat Kentucky by three scores on the road and followed that up with a demolition of South Carolina. Brady Cook has been inoffensive and has served as a capable game manager for this offense, getting the ball to their assortment of weapons on the outside, namely Luther Burden III. It does feel nice to be right, even if it’s over a five-star receiver, but the Burden breakout has slotted him into the top five receivers in college football right now, and he will likely be WR1 next season.
18. Ole Miss Rebels | 20.16233 points
7-1 | 4-1 in SEC
I’m not a huge fan of this Ole Miss team mainly because of their defense and me not being a believer in Jaxson Dart or Lane Kiffin, but they are in a great place to win 10 regular season games this season given the landscape of the SEC. Their metrics scream 8-4, a big reason they’re well below an LSU team with two losses that they beat, but they have a very advantageous schedule ahead of them after beating Auburn. Outside of Georgia, they get Vanderbilt, A&M, and UL-Monroe at home and go to Starkville for the Egg Bowl. If Lane Kiffin is capable of winning 10 games at Ole Miss, this is the season to do it.
19. USC Trojans | 19.99749 points
7-2 | 5-1 in PAC-12
USC is here against my will and my formula hates me, but a two game losing streak has this team staring down the barrel of dropping out of the top 25 completely. This team is the most fraudulent top 25 team I have ever seen in my life, and if it didn’t have an alien playing quarterback, they would go 6-6. This defense is the softest unit in the country who can be leaned on and passed on until their opponent decides to stop which we’ve seen two weeks straight. What’s worse, they’ve not even played great offenses for the most part, and they’ve allowed under 300 yards just once, and it was against Notre Dame who was gifted short fields most of the game. A bad, bad team who I dislike very much. Lincoln Riley is built for the NFL and should go do that.
20. Oregon State Beavers | 19.81095 points
6-2 | 3-2 in PAC-12
Oregon State isn’t much different from last season to this season offensively in terms of their identity. The one difference is they’re just better this season, and a lot of that comes down to the addition of DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei came to Corvallis with a fresh start in mind, and that’s exactly what’s happened. He is completing just 60.2% of his passes, but because of the terrific run game, a lot of what DJ is doing is taking shots downfield. His 12.3 aDoT is among the highest across the Power-Five as over 50% of his pass attempts have been beyond 10 yards down the field. Running back Damien Martinez continues to build off his fantastic freshman campaign with a season that will assuredly end with him well over 1,000 rushing yards. The loss to Arizona stunted their season momentum, but this is still a very good team.
21. Louisville Cardinals | 19.57448 points
7-1 | 4-1 in ACC
A week after getting their prove-it win over Notre Dame, Louisville followed it up with one of the worst losses of the season, dropping a game to lowly Pittsburgh by three scores. Then they respond by shutting out a good but very banged up Duke team to get back into the top 25. I think they’re about 10-15 spots worse than this ranking, but Jeff Brohm has made the most of what he’s been given.
22. Fresno State Bulldogs | 19.54315 points
7-1 | 3-1 in Mountain West
Fresno State was looked at as the early favorite for the Group-of-Five NY6 qualifier, but a road loss to a good Wyoming squad dashed those hopes for many…but not me. For starters, they probably complete the comeback if Mikey Keene doesn’t get hurt, and secondly, they’re still in a great spot to make the Mountain West Championship at one loss. Fresno State also has major points for their résumé as it boasts not one but two Power-Five wins, one of them a full dismantling of a bad Arizona State team. They got the job done on the road at Utah State without Keene, and just took down a surging UNLV team.
23. James Madison Dukes | 19.54315 points
8-0 | 5-0 in Sun Belt
No team in the country across any major FBS or Division I sport is getting screwed by the NCAA quite like James Madison’s football program. At 6-0 and in the driver’s seat to win the Sun Belt, the Dukes not only can’t play in a bowl game due to it being their second season at the FBS level, but they can’t even play in their conference championship. It’s an unfair rule, plain and simple, and I hope the Sun Belt just lets them play in the championship should they have the record to make it, otherwise they’re crowning an illegitimate champion.
Speaking on just the team, all Curt Cignetti does is build programs, and he’s seamlessly taken this program from an FCS powerhouse to an FBS G5 powerhouse overnight. He’s naturally going to be in line for a power conference job soon, but for right now, he has the Dukes playing tremendous football. Quarterback Jordan McCloud is playing the best ball of any gunslinger in the conference, wide receiver Reggie Brown is a walking explosive play, and this defense forces the most turnovers of any Sun Belt school. It would be a shame to see this team go unbeaten and get left out of unbelievably important moments of not just history but exposure on a national level in a program’s young FBS history, like a conference championship game or a New Year’s Six bowl. It’s a joke what’s being done to this team.
24. Kansas Jayhawks | 19.4581 points
6-2 | 3-2 in Big XII
For a team no one ever seems to put stock into, Kansas, despite the absence of Jalon Daniels, continues to prove everyone wrong. The Jayhawks just upset Oklahoma and are poised for their best season since 2008. Kansas is always going to be one of the most electric offenses in the country, and Lance Leipold has made up for their defense and health concerns that seemed determined to stifle their season trajectories.
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys | 19.32989 points
6-2 | 4-1 in Big XII
The Pokes rebounded from bad losses to South Alabama and Iowa State by sweeping the Kansas teams — which are both now ranked wins — in consecutive weeks and pummeling the lower end teams in the conference. They’ve continued this super surge into the top 25 on the back of the nation’s leading rusher, Ollie Gordon.
26. Tulane Green Wave | 19.32859 points
7-1 | 4-0 in American
Tulane currently sits at fifth among group-of-five teams in the midway ranking, but they arguably have the best shot at repeating as the G5 NY6 representative. With a now healthy Michael Pratt, the Green Wave is rolling again, and their lone loss is a 37-20 defeat against Ole Miss without Pratt.
27. Liberty Flames | 19.20943 points
8-0 | 6-0 in Conference USA
Jamey Chadwell has taken all of the success of his system from Coastal Carolina to a much less fun school, and he has Liberty rolling through its first season in a depleted Conference USA with ease. There’s a solid chance Liberty goes unbeaten and continues to climb the ranks as their only test left inside the top 100 (barely) is at Western Kentucky.
28. North Carolina Tar Heels | 19.19596 points
6-2 | 3-2 in ACC
North Carolina was the lowest rate Power-Five unbeaten for a reason. How on earth do you lose to Virginia and Georgia Tech? An inexcusable loss nearly drops the Tar Heels from 12 to out of the top 25.
29. UCLA Bruins | 19.1724 points
6-2 | 3-2 in PAC-12
Freshman quarterback Dante Moore is in the process of figuring it out in the toughest conference in the country. I anticipate this program having a bit more success in 2024, but they’re still pretty easily going to find their way to a higher profile bowl game this season.
30. Duke Blue Devils | 18.8599 points
5-2 | 2-1 in ACC
Mike Elko is a damn good football coach, and he has a real shot at winning 10 games this season, but a lot of the remaining success of this team depends on the health of quarterback Riley Leonard. While he tried to tough it out in the loss at Florida State, he was very clearly still banged up. If they can get him back healthy, I see them winning both of their remaining big ACC matchups against Louisville and North Carolina, both of which are on the road.
31. Texas A&M Aggies | 18.7221 points
5-3 | 3-2 in SEC
This season looks a lot different right now if A&M had Conner Weigman under center against Alabama and Tennessee, but then again, probably not. At least the defense that they paid Jimbo nearly 100 million dollars to recruit is starting to turn a corner.
32. Miami Hurricanes | 18.68677 points
6-2 | 2-2 in ACC
Miami just might be the best team ranked within the 30s, but they undoubtedly have the biggest “freak it” gene. Despite fielding a better team than in recent years, their 0-2 start in ACC play including that Georgia Tech loss certainly isn’t inspiring anyone to believe again. They were able to get that turned around with a comeback win over Clemson in double overtime, passing along the freak-it gene back to its original owner, Dabo Swinney.
33. Arizona Wildcats | 18.58418 points
5-3 | 3-2 in PAC-12
This might be the biggest surprise thus far. Arizona was ranked 77th overall just five weeks ago after an ugly loss to Mississippi State. Since then, the ‘Cats are 3-2 with losses by a total of nine points to Washington and at USC. In their last game, they put it on Washington State, 44-6 in a game where they looked like a vastly superior team. There seemed to be a potential QB controversy brewing as Noah Fifita had played tremendous football in the absence of Jayden De Laura with De Laura due back soon. They rolled with Fifita and upset Oregon State. This has become a good team, trending upward for weeks now.
34. Wisconsin Badgers | 18.77024 points
5-3 | 3-2 in Big Ten
Wisconsin has this extremely funny tendency to not feed Braelon Allen and throw the ball 50 times despite Tanner Mordecai having just three passing touchdowns this season. A better coached offense has this team at one loss right now.
35. Iowa Hawkeyes | 18.46206 points
6-2 | 3-2 in Big Ten
There has never been a more Kirk Ferentz football team than the 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes. A brand of football so ugly, a cist grows on your eye every time you watch them, Iowa’s defense ranks within the top 25 in success rate against and is sixth in the country in yards per play allowed. As you can see above, their net rankings are nowhere close to those marks, so let’s take a look at the offense. Iowa’s offense ranks 124th in yards per play and 133rd — dead last in all of FBS — in success rate. This finally bit them this past week as they totaled just 127 yards against a Minnesota team that struggles to move the ball themselves. This offense is just horrid.
Deacon Hill took over at quarterback for an injured and struggling Cade McNamara, and he’s completing 37.8% of his passes — yes, really — for 4.4 yards per attempt. There are currently 176 qualified running backs averaging at least 4.4 yards per carry in college football right now. Truly unfathomable stuff.
36. Troy Trojans | 18.18356 points
6-2 | 3-1 in Sun Belt
Troy’s lone two losses belong to a healthy Kansas State team and James Madison. Outside of those two games, Troy is winning their games against FBS opponents by an average of 19.3 points and have given up just 10 points over their last three games while not allowing a single opponent to reach 300 total yards.
37. SMU Mustangs | 18.15834 points
6-2 | 4-0 in American
SMU quietly continues to go about business in a top heavy conference despite losing Tanner Mordecai to the portal. The Mustangs have a favorable draw, avoiding Tulane this season, and they are in the midst of games where they won’t play just a single opponent within the top 100 until they see Memphis on November 18. With a defense that ranks in the top 15 in success rate against, expect them to continue this good start into a good season.
38. South Alabama Jaguars | 18.03369 points
4-4 | 2-2 in Sun Belt
It took a minute for South Alabama to round into form this season, and after dropping two in a row to Central Michigan and James Madison, the Jaguars have scored 55 points in each of their last two games and have allowed just 10. Their blowout win at Oklahoma State continues to strengthen by the week as well.
39. Maryland Terrapins | 17.9714 points
5-3 | 2-3 in Big Ten
If only Maryland were in a more favorable conference that didn’t guarantee them three losses every season…the downward spiral continues.
40. Clemson Tigers | 17.74057 points
4-4 | 2-4 in ACC
Clemson somehow had weaseled its way back into the top 25 after a close win over Wake Forest at home, but they immediately blew it against Miami, losing to a reeling Canes team in OT. Clemson is now 0-3 versus teams in the top 30 with three FBS wins over teams outside the top 75. I do not believe in this team or Dabo Swinney whatsoever, but the string will be out the rest of the way with home games against Notre Dame and North Carolina.
41. Florida Gators | 17.70569 points
5-3 | 3-2 in SEC
This is a hilarious football team punching well above its weight belt record-wise that you absolutely shouldn’t put stock into.
42. Iowa State Cyclones | 17.42081 points
5-3 | 4-1 in Big XII
Early returns were not good with losses to Iowa and Ohio, but since then, the Cyclones are 4-1 with their lone loss being Oklahoma.
43. Memphis Tigers | 17.3994 points
5-2 | 2-1 in American
Memphis has lost a couple of tight games to Missouri and Tulane, but they have a great chance of meeting SMU on November 18 with a berth in the AAC Title Game against Tulane on the line.
44. Kentucky Wildcats | 17.28955 points
5-2 | 2-2 in SEC
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: after a hot start to the season, Kentucky fizzled out in October behind poor quarterback play.
45. Toledo Rockets | 17.08922 points
7-1 | 4-0 in MAC
Toledo is pound for pound the best team in the MAC, and they just proved that against a very tough Miami (OH) defense. Toledo’s outstanding ground attack will be their bread and butter en route to a MAC Title Game berth.
46. Minnesota Golden Gophers | 17.08451 points
5-3 | 3-2 in Big Ten
PJ Fleck, your clock is ticking, and a bailout call against Iowa doesn’t change that.
47. TCU Horned Frogs | 17.05591 points
4-4 | 2-3 in Big XII
TCU’s season is currently bookended by total meltdowns, one against Colorado in week one and most recently Kansas State. This team is a far cry from its CFP runner-up 2022 season, but we expected that.
48. UTSA Roadrunners | 16.94836 points
5-3 | 4-0 in American
Though 5-3, UTSA is 5-1 with Frank Harris under center. Harris makes an enormous difference for this team, and the Roadrunners haven’t lost since he returned from injury. With the way the schedule falls for this team, they’ll have just one road game and no matchups against top 100 teams until they head to Tulane for the season finale where a berth to the AAC Title Game will likely be on the line.
49. Miami (OH) RedHawks | 16.8281 points
7-2 | 4-1 in MAC
Chuck Martin and the RedHawks may have dropped a big inter-division game to a very good Toledo team, but they’re in control of their own destiny for a rematch in the MAC Title Game after a season defining win over Ohio.
50. West Virginia Mountaineers | 16.74449 points
5-3 | 3-2 in Big XII
After a 4-1 start, West Virginia has now dropped two straight conference games. Coming off a heartbreaking loss at Houston on a Hail Mary, WVU returned home in hopes to get back on track against Oklahoma State. It felt like a real crossroads game, and it played out as expected, and the Mountaineers likely need a win to save their season, and more so for Neal Brown to save his job.
51. Georgia State Panthers | 17.1591 points
6-2 | 3-2 in Sun Belt
Georgia State has already surpassed its win total from last season as this team just keeps scoring a lot of points (30.9 per game) and winning. With a gauntlet ahead, they’ve successfully completed round one of it by defeating Louisiana on the road, 20-17. Up next, they hit the road for a good Georgia Southern team before returning home for James Madison and App State. Then they hit the road to take on LSU.
52. Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 16.42327
6-2 | 3-2 in Big Ten
+0.7 NET yds. per play (40th) | -0.4 NET success rate (73rd)
Having a six win Big Ten team this low almost feels like a mathematical error. However, it is not. Yes, Rutgers has a good defense. No, Rutgers is not a top 50 team, for now at least. The average opponent rank of their five FBS wins is a even 100. Rutgers gets a nice re-welcoming to the top half of the Big Ten after their bye as they host Ohio State before heading to Iowa and Penn State and finishing the season with Maryland. All top 35 teams. I don’t doubt, however, that they can steal a win here and get to seven wins.
53. Wyoming Cowboys | 16.38222 points
5-3 | 2-2 in MWC
Wyoming boasts a tremendous résumé with wins over Texas Tech and Fresno State, but they’ve fallen victim to a couple tough losses to Air Force and Boise State, flattening what seemed to be a potential nine-win season for the Cowboys.
54. Nebraska Cornhuskers | 16.34827 points
5-3 | 3-2 in Big Ten
In year one, Matt Rhule already understands what it takes to be a part of Big Ten West football. Nebraska does not do much well on offense. Nebraska has a solid defense (15th in yards per play allowed, 19.3 points per game allowed). They’re the run of the mill, middle of the pack B1G West squad that, with a better QB, could have pushed for the division.
55. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns | 16.33116 points
5-3 | 2-2 in Sun Belt
Louisiana can score points in bunches and leads the Sun Belt in yards per play, but their defense makes for a lot of close games. With a major win over South Alabama, the Ragin’ Cajuns have vaulted themselves from fringe top 75 to comfortably within the top 60.
56. BYU Cougars | 16.26927 points
5-3 | 2-3 in Big XII
I continue to be befuddled by this BYU team. No one else in the top 60 ranks in triple digits in both NET yards per play and success rate except BYU. Their win over Arkansas is proving more as Arkansas being bad, and when they’ve lost, it’s not particularly been close. They’re averaging nearly 100 yards less per game than what they give up (301 to 396), but their defense has created multiple turnovers in all but one game this season, including five in their most recent win over Texas Tech.
57. NC State Wolfpack | 16.23261 points
5-3 | 2-2 in ACC
All things considered, if NC State didn’t have any kind of a defense, this team would be in a really bad way. Their quarterbacking from Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong has been really poor, and MJ Morris hasn’t been any better. On the season, NC State ranks 109th in yards per play and 74th in success rate offensively. It’s a really bad unit that does nothing well. They’ve eclipsed 30 points twice, and neither have come against a power five team.
58. Ohio Bobcats | 16.11893 points
6-3 | 3-2 in MAC
Ohio boasts the best defense in the MAC, but it’s their offense that’s struggled and lost the game against Northern Illinois last week and followed it up with a stinker against Miami-OH. If they can find any semblance of their 2022 offense, they’ll claw back in this race, but that’s not even remotely been seen this season.
59. UNLV Rebels | 16.19453 points
5-2 | 2-1 in Mountain West
UNLV might have the most fun offense to watch in college football. Their ground attack is the triple option with an air attack, and they are putting up major points this season, leading the Mountain West in points per game. However, their defense has followed in Barry Odom’s footsteps from Arkansas and can’t stop a soul and relies heavily on winning the turnover battle. It makes for fun games, and the offense is more than formidable ever since they went to Jayden Maiava at quarterback. UNLV at Air Force towards the season’s end is must watch.
60. Washington State Cougars | 15.95522 points
4-4 | 1-4 in PAC-12
Washington State is bearing the brunt of the depth of the PAC-12 right now, and they’re in free fall right now. Luckily for them, Stanford, California, and Colorado consecutively before heading to Spokane, but after losing the way they did to Arizona State, none of that is close to a given. They’re running out of time to figure it out, and this team really needs Cam Ward to find it again ASAP.
61. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 15.94417 points
7-2 | 5-1 in Conference USA
There are four definitive tiers to the newly realigned C-USA. It’s Liberty all by itself at the peak and no one is close. LA Tech, MTSU, UTEP, FIU, and Sam Houston make up the fourth tier. New Mexico State and Western Kentucky on a down year are tier three which means freshly minted FBS Jacksonville State sits on its little lonesome in tier two. Though they can’t reach bowl eligibility because of incredibly stupid NCAA rules we touched on earlier with James Madison, but Rich Rodriguez has this offense humming, and the defense has also played pretty well. In year one, Jax State has toppled C-USA top tier mainstay Western Kentucky. A pretty good start to this FBS thing.
62. UCF Golden Knights | 15.93635 points
3-5 | 0-5 in Big XII
It’s been all downhill since blowing the lead to Baylor, and though they got John Rhys Plumlee back and nearly upset Oklahoma, UCF needs a strong finish against the bulk of the middle of the Big XII standings to make a bowl game.
63. Auburn Tigers | 15.76032 points
4-4 | 1-4 in SEC
This is not a good offense, and the struggle to find a quarterback rolls on for Auburn. Auburn hasn’t had a quarterback put up 25 total touchdowns or more since Nick Marshall in 2014.
64. Texas Tech Red Raiders | 15.76032 points
3-5 | 2-3 in Big XII
Texas Tech’s struggles this year are very easy to simplify: Joey McGuire bet on the wrong horse. Tyler Shough has proven not only to be worse than Tech transfer and now-Houston quarterback Donovan Smith, but his leg injury has sidelined him for the season. His backup, Behren Morton looked capable, but an injured shoulder thrust Jake Strong into the fire, and the freshman has certainly struggled. Tech has now lost back to back games by double digits, and with TCU, Kansas, UCF, and Texas looming, the fight for bowl eligibility is a very palpable.
65. Georgia Southern Eagles | 15.72464 points
6-2 | 3-1 in Sun Belt
I am very much not a Davis Brin guy, but I’ll give the guy credit: he just slings it. That being said, I think this team should run the ball more. They do it very well with their two main backs, Jalen White and OJ Arnold. They’ve been feeding White more lately, and they’ve reaped the benefits, beating a very good Georgia State team.
66. Houston Cougars | 15.71927 points
3-5 | 1-4 in Big XII
As the years go by, it’s become increasingly harder to take Dana Holgorsen seriously as a football coach. That being said, entertaining games are usually found when Houston’s offense and Swiss cheese defense take the field, including a Hail Mary win over WVU. The Cougs’ fight for bowl eligibility plunges on with some very winnable games over the final month of the season.
67. Boise State Broncos | 15.70271 points
4-4 | 3-1 in Mountain West
As it turns out, playing the Dirk Koetter un-retire card is a one time thing, and this team was never really that good to begin with. Then they beat the brakes off of a very good Wyoming team, and it feels too little too late unless they win out. Andy Avalos is drowning in his own pool of mediocrity at a program with about as much pride in its football as any in the country. Prior to Andy Avalos taking over, Boise State had lost four games in consecutive seasons only once; when they joined the FBS ranks. Avalos has now lost at least four games in all three seasons. Yes, the Mountain West has improved, but there’s no question that Avalos has to go at the end of the season.
68. Virginia Tech Hokies | 15.55143 points
4-4 | 3-1 in ACC
While not the worst team in the state of Virginia, the days of the Hokies being the best are over. While they already improved on their 3-8 record last season, their odds of reaching their first bowl game under Brent Pry are very low.
69. Illinois Fighting Illini | 15.51259 points
3-5 | 1-4 in Big Ten
Illinois lost their quarterback, running back who rushed for over 1600 yards, and a secondary that saw its best player get taken in the top five in the NFL Draft for the first time in 27 years. Naturally, a rough season was in order, and that’s exactly what it’s been. They’ve been plucky, winning games they shouldn’t (Maryland), but they’re inconsistent on offense, leading to avoidable losses (Purdue). They blew a big lead against Wisconsin that would have salvaged a rebuilding season, and now the fight for bowl eligibility is on.
70. California Golden Bears | 15.50676 points
3-5 | 1-4 in PAC-12
This season is a step in the right direction for Cal under compared to last season. That being said, getting bowl eligible in this conference is easier said than done. With USC, Oregon, Washington State, Stanford, and UCLA remaining, Cal will have to pick off three of these teams to get to their first bowl game in five seasons.
71. Mississippi State Bulldogs | 15.4634 points
4-4 | 1-4 in SEC
A nice little two game winning streak prior to the loss at Auburn made bowl aspirations in year one under Zach Arnett much more plausible than they seemed just three weeks ago. Seeing Will Rogers with a normal amount of passing attempts and yards is very strange, and even more strange is seeing a Mississippi State team run the ball somewhat efficiently.
72. Appalachian State Mountaineers | 15.29144 points
4-4 | 2-2 in Sun Belt
Shawn Clark inherited one of the best run programs in college football history. As co-offensive coordinator/assistant head coach and offensive line coach from 2016-2019, App State won 10, 9, 11, and 13 games. Since taking over as head coach, App State had its first season under nine wins since its first season at the FBS level in 2014, and they’re well on their way to another one. The Sun Belt has gotten stronger, but this just might be the most prestigious Group-of-Five job out there. If he can’t turn it around soon, it might be time to move on.
73. Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 15.24506 points
4-4 | 1-4 in ACC
Gone is Sam Hartman and so is any semblance of Wake’s offense. From 38 touchdown passes and 3701 yards to a substantially less prolific passing attack, the Deacons were at least able to mask their poor ground attack with Hartman’s arm, but that’s not the case this season. What has been a pleasant surprise is a Wake defense ranking within the top 50 in success rate against.
74. Syracuse Orange | 15.08573 points
4-4 | 0-4 in ACC
Syracuse has thrown its hat in the ring for most injured FBS team in the nation, and they just might win that competition. While 4-4, the three FBS wins have come against Western Michigan, Purdue, and Army, and when this banged up team has played its conference games, they’ve been boat raced four times in a row.
75. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 15.04169 points
5-3 | 3-2 in Sun Belt
It felt like the start of the downfall for Coastal until late. After a 2-3 start with just a singular FBS win, the Chanticleers have rattled off three straight wins against the middle of the Sun Belt. At the end of the day, however, I still don’t see Tim Beck as the one who will lead this program back to Jamey Chadwell levels. CCU is among the better jobs in the G5 right now, and if they squander this, they’re going to disappear back to that school on the beach soon.
76. Texas State Bobcats | 15.01658 points
5-3 | 2-2 in Sun Belt
A 5-3 team in a good G5 conference with a top 50 net yards per play and success rate being this low seems odd, but fair is fair, and Texas State’s win quality isn’t the best. While beating Baylor at the time was a huge deal — and still is…beating an in-state Power-Five team is a HUGE deal — Baylor’s poor season has dragged down Texas State’s resume. That being said, Texas State is potentially going to make its first ever bowl game in GJ Kinne’s first season as head coach. What he has done with Auburn transfer QB TJ Finley has been beyond impressive in an offense averaging just shy of 40 points and 500 yards a game. An incredible turnaround, and this is year one at a small program in Texas. This could easily spark a run for this budding program.
77. Colorado Buffaloes | 15.00595 points
4-4 | 1-4 in PAC-12
Colorado is not this low because I’m a hater, I promise. I like a lot about this program and its trajectory, but hoo boy, this defense. They are 110th in yards allowed per play at 6.1, and they’re allowing 475 total yards of offense a game. They gave up 523 total yards of offense in their collapse against Stanford, a team that had averaged 343 yards per game going into that game. On top of that, they can’t run the ball. Shedeur is awesome, Travis Hunter is doing unexplainably cool things on both sides of the ball, but the substance to the style is pretty mediocre. With Oregon State, Arizona, Wazzu, and Utah left, plucking two wins out of that to make a bowl should be fun.
78. Marshall Thundering Herd | 14.89676 points
4-4 | 1-3 in Sun Belt
After a 4-0 start, the Herd have dropped four straight in games. The Sun Belt tends to eat a solid team alive every season, and it just might be Marshall this year.
79. San Jose State Aztecs | 14.8033 points
4-5 | 3-2 in Mountain West
After starting 1-5, San Jose State feasted on the bottom tier of the Mountain West to get themselves back to a respectable 4-5 and has a potential shot at going bowling.
80. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 14.81598 points
4-4 | 3-2 in ACC
The odds of Georgia Tech making a bowl game were very slim with UNC, Clemson, Syracuse, and Georgia among their remaining games, but they upset Carolina, so nothing is out of the question now. Still a ways to go, but a decent enough first step.
81. Pittsburgh Panthers | 14.78858 points
2-6 | 1-3 in ACC
The Phil Jurkovec experience was a psyop into just how much torture a football fan can take before they refuse to watch the sport, and even with him benched, this team is still bad, and Pat Narduzzi should be tried for war crimes.
82. Arkansas Razorbacks | 14.78761 points
2-6 | 0-5 in SEC
Speaking of coaching hack jobs, here’s 2023 Arkansas. It’s unfathomable that this offense is as bad as it is, but such is life under Dan Enos. The Razorbacks went from averaging 470 yards of offense with KJ Jefferson looking like a very good quarterback when healthy over the past two seasons and Rocket Sanders looking like an NFL running back to Jefferson having his worst passing season to date and Sanders being rendered totally ineffective when healthy. Thankfully, Sam Pittman, who is also fighting for his job, canned Enos, but the damage is beyond done.
83. Baylor Bears | 14.71717 points
3-5 | 2-3 in Big XII
My expectations were low, but…this is just a bad football team in all phases. They’re allowing nearly 400 yards per game, middle of the pack in yards per play on offense, and if it weren’t for an insane comeback against UCF, this team would be 2-6 with wins few and far between remaining on the schedule.
84. Cincinnati Bearcats | 14.43008 points
2-6 | 0-5 in Big XII
Remember when Mike Renner said Emory Jones was a first round pick? Those were the days.
85. Purdue Boilermakers | 14.39282 points
2-6 | 1-4 in Big Ten
Under first year head coach Ryan Walters, a roster depleted by transfers, graduation, and the NFL Draft was bound to struggle out of the blocks. It’s all about patience here. This is a very weak, thin roster, but the defense both in scheme and execution has shown signs of improvement week to week.
86. Old Dominion Monarchs | 14.39197 points
4-4 | 3-2 in Sun Belt
I certainly wasn’t ready to have Old Dominion outside of the 100s coming into the season, so to see them at 85 had me doing a double take. The assumed doormat of the Sun Belt has actually beaten teams many thought could contend for it, like Louisiana and App State.
87. Florida Atlantic Owls | 14.21548 points
4-4 | 3-1 in American
The beauty of the American this season is how top heavy it is. The contingent rest of it is fighting amongst each other for what will likely amount to three bowl teams, and Florida Atlantic is in a place to potentially be one of them. They will face just one team inside of 100 (Tulane) the rest of the season.
88. South Carolina Gamecocks | 14.18611 points
2-6 | 1-5 in SEC
This team is so bad. There’s no two ways to put it. At least with Vanderbilt, they’re playing up to about their expectations, but this was an eight win team last season. It goes to show that Spencer Rattler was far from the reason why, and when your best players transfer out, it speaks volumes about not just your program, but mostly your coach. For reference, go look at Marshawn Lloyd’s production at USC and Jaheim Bell’s usage at Florida State.
89. Northern Illinois Huskies | 14.10026 points
4-4 | 3-1 in MAC
A team poised to sit well inside the 100s of this ranking, a switch flipped for NIU, and they’ve rattled off three very impressive conference victories in a row, demolishing Akron, beating Ohio — who is ranked much higher — by 10, and beating an always tough Eastern Michigan team. Their defense has allowed just 40 points in their last three games while the offense is slowly but surely finding its identity. This is an NIU team poised to make it back to a bowl game.
90. Boston College Eagles | 14.09536 points
5-3 | 3-2 in ACC
A very fun, creative offense that masks a lot of the team’s overall talent deficiency. Thomas Castellanos serves as the team’s dual threat quarterback and all-around fun as hell player. There’s a real outside shot this team can sneak into a bowl game after all as they’ll need to win just one of their final four games against Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Pitt, or Miami.
91. Northwestern Wildcats | 14.08866 points
4-4 | 2-3 in Big Ten
Three more games than anyone expected them to win!
92. New Mexico State Aggies | 14.04145 points
6-3 | 4-1 in Conference USA
The Aggies have a great QB in Diego Pavia, leading a fun offense that will likely find itself in a bowl game at the end of the season. The defense has been a bright spot as well as they’ve not allowed more than 24 points since week three at Liberty. I expect this team to continue to climb higher in the top 100, and what Jerry Kill has done to get this team one win away from bowl eligibility in each of his first two seasons after New Mexico State had been to just one bowl game since 1960 prior to his arrival is truly a tremendous feat. He deserves all of this success.
93. Utah State Aggies | 13.89543 points
3-5 | 1-3 in Mountain West
The next two teams on here have more favorable metrics on here than their rankings suggest, at least offensively. Up first is Utah State. They are scoring 35 points per game with 451 average total yards of offense. Jalen Royals leads all MWC receivers in touchdown receptions with 10, but the team’s defense is where they are losing games. The Aggies are allowing 34 points per game and over 400 yards of offense per game, and it’s even worse in conference play.
94. Michigan State Spartans | 13.66244 points
2-6 | 0-5 in Big Ten
As a Big Ten program just a handful of years removed from its most successful seasons, how, as a man, can you let yourself be ranked below current state Northwestern? A whole lot of issues plague this program that I simply don’t have the space to get into here.
95. Arizona State Sun Devils | 13.61429 points
2-6 | 1-4 in PAC-12
It’s a rough go of it in year one for Kenny Dillingham as their non-conference schedule served them up two losses (OK State, Fresno State), and conference play has just followed suit. Jaden Rashada is missing time due to an undisclosed injury, and I highly doubt we see the freshman again this season.
96. Navy Midshipmen | 13.57493 points
3-4 | 2-2 in American
Year one under new coach Brian Newberry poses many of the same problems in recent years for the Midshipmen: struggles to score and talent deficiency. This team doesn’t have a Keenan Reynolds or Malcolm Perry, but freshman Braxton Woodson could be a lot of fun in the future.
97. North Texas Mean Green | 13.57277 points
3-5 | 1-3 in American
Very similar to Utah State, this is a team that can score at will and gets scored on at will, and they continue to lose close games to good teams because of it.
98. Virginia Cavaliers | 13.31794 points
2-5 | 1-2 in ACC
-1.5 NET yds. per play (122nd) | -3.7% NET success rate (96th)
It probably would have been in the best interest of both program and player if Brennan Armstrong stuck around.
99. Rice Owls | 13.22045 points
4-4 | 2-2 in American
How is a team with such solid margins this far down? At the end of the day you gotta play the games, and you just can’t be losing to multiple bottom 30 teams in USF and UConn. The blowout win over Tulsa was a right step forward from one of America’s most inconsistent teams, but a close loss to Tulane falls right in line with this season for Rice.
100. Eastern Michigan Eagles | 12.92538 points
4-5 | 2-3 in MAC
I think we may have underestimated the struggles for this team moving on from Taylor Powell at quarterback. Austin Smith is averaging over 2.0 fewer adjusted yards per attempt with a QBR nearly 30 points lower. This has completely affected the offense in its entirety as Samson Evans may not come close to his 1100 yard 2022 campaign, but the difference for this team has been its defense. They’re allowing just 17.5 points per game in MAC play.
101. UAB Blazers | 12.86812 points
2-6 | 1-3 in American
Among the better offenses in the country per success rate (48.7% - 15th), the defense is a complete 180 (49.7% - 130th). Combine that with Trent Dilfer’s antics, and this makes for a pretty…interesting team!
102. Bowling Green Falcons | 12.84943 points
4-4 | 2-2 in MAC
If the offense wasn’t turning the ball over twice per game on average, this could be a team with a couple more wins under its belt. They lost by only 10 points to Liberty in week one despite five interceptions. The flip side is their defense has turned opponents over 20 times on the season, keeping them in games their offense tries to play them out of.
103. Buffalo Bulls | 12.79779 points
3-5 | 3-1 in MAC
Buffalo has turned around an 0-4 start (and 130th ranking heading into week five) into a 3-1 start in conference play. They’re beating up on teams in the cellar of all of the FBS, but stringing together wins with such a bad start is never an easy feat.
104. Western Michigan Broncos | 12.54385 points
3-6 | 2-3 in MAC
Not quite the worst team in the MAC, but there is a lot of competition down there. A big win over EMU at least can let WMU try to finish their season strong.
105. Vanderbilt Commodores | 12.50929 points
2-7 | 0-5 in SEC
+0.2 NET yds. per game (57th) | -6.4 NET success rate (122nd)
Coming in with the bronze trophy for worst power conference school, it has been a pretty bad year for Vandy. They lost two of their three non-conference games, including UNLV on the road, and they’ve yet to play a single digit conference game, losing three games by exactly 17.
106. Colorado State Rams | 12.49163 points
3-5 | 1-3 in Mountain West
Another G5 team in the long line of high scoring offense, bad defense. This team is also incapable of having a normal one ever as they’ve fully embraced this Mike Leach type of offense where they refuse to run the ball at all, mostly because they can’t. There are 222 running backs with more rushing yards in the FBS before you get to Vann Schield, CSU’s leading rusher. They turn the ball over a lot (13 interceptions in 7 games) but force a lot of turnovers as well (16 total).
107. San Diego State Aztecs | 12.42147 points
3-5 | 1-3 in Mountain West
Bad offense, defense that can’t make up for it. This is easily Brady Hoke’s worst team at SDSU in year four, and that’s a pretty damning year to be struggling after going 12-2 in year two.
108. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 12.31114 points
4-4 | 2-2 in Conference USA
A very disappointing season for Tyson Helton. Helton was returning both Austin Reed and Malachi Corley from a very high powered offense on last year’s nine-win team, but they’ve been well below their 2022 standard despite an incredibly weak C-USA.
109. Central Michigan Chippewas | 12.28808 points
4-4 | 2-2 in MAC
The good: they’ve matched their win total from last season.
The bad: Three of their remaining four games are against the top teams in the MAC (NIU, Ohio, Toledo).
110. Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 12.07909 points
3-5 | 1-3 in American
Kevin Wilson is doing a solid job at Tulsa in year one after the team moved on from Philip Montgomery. Despite not having the higher scoring offense Tulsa has in year’s past, the Hurricane have three very winnable games to get to bowl eligibility (Charlotte, North Texas, @ECU).
111. Indiana Hoosiers | 11.94709 points
2-6 | 0-5 in Big Ten
We’ve arrived to the silver medalist for worst Power-Five school in the rankings. The Indiana Hoosiers are really bad. They can’t throw the ball, running the ball is equally as hard for them, and their lone win over an FBS team this season was a two point win against Akron.
Fire Tom Allen. It’s long past time.
112. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
11.8811 points | 2-6 | 1-3 in C-USA
A normally solid lower level G5 team is not having its best season after having to replace QB Chase Cunningham and a plethora of other pieces on both sides of the ball. Coach Rick Stockstill has had this team in nine bowl games in the past fifteen seasons, and at 2-5, they’re at high risk for missing one this season.
113. Army Black Knights | 11.81165 points | 2-6
Army clocks in as the worst of the military schools thus far, and they get Air Force to kick off November. They finally scored their first points since the first week of October, but a loss to UMass is just something you can’t do.
114. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 11.76721 points
3-6 | 2-3 in Conference USA
A team picked to finish in the middle of the pack in Conference USA currently sits there now. Boise State transfer QB Hank Bachmeier continues to play well when given opportunities while Jack Turner continues to struggle. Perhaps the Bulldogs give Bachmeier more looks as LA Tech rolls into its toughest stretch of the season ahead.
115. Stanford Cardinal | 11.48336 points
2-6 | 1-5 in PAC-12
At long last, the gold medal winner for worst power conference school in the nation goes to Stanford. A team so bad, they dropped a game to FCS Sacramento State yet somehow took down Colorado, this team ranks dead last in net success rate, just barely edging out Nevada. One day, the old glory of Stanford will return.
116. East Carolina Pirates | 11.1616 points
1-7 | 0-4 in Conference USA
How far removed is ECU from Holton Ahlers? From 28 TDs to five interceptions last season from Ahlers, the Pirates have gotten three passing touchdowns from quarterbacks Alex Flinn and Mason Garcia, and eight interceptions. This offense ranks 130th in points predicted per play success rate, and while their defense has been pretty good (top 25 in success rate against), they just can’t overcome the continued short fields and bad situations the offense puts them in weekly.
117. Charlotte 49ers | 10.81856 points
2-6 | 1-3 in Conference USA
This might be the worst offense in all of the FCS. The only reason they didn’t leap ECU after the win is because they were ranked 125th coming into that game. This is a substantial leap up for them.
118. South Florida Bulls | 10.68036 points
4-4 | 2-2 in American
Alex Golesh has taken his Heupel-esque talents to South Florida and has quadrupled their win total from their 1-win 2022. South Florida has as many conference wins this season as they had the past three, and while they’ve come out flat in two games they were picked to win (UAB, FAU), it’s overall been a positive year one.
119. Arkansas State | 10.66254 points
4-4 | 2-2 in Sun Belt
The good news is this might be Butch Jones’ best team at Arkansas State. The bad news would be that bar isn’t hard to reach, and they still likely miss a bowl game.
120. Ball State Cardinals | 10.46621 points
2-6 | 1-3 in MAC
We’re getting ever closer to the bottom of the MAC as Ball State clocks in at 120. Ball State has struggled to find any consistency from quarterback outside of the fact they’ve all been bad, and their 16.1 points per game are currently an all-time low under Mike Neu.
121. Sam Houston State Bearkats | 10.34527 points
0-8 | 0-5 in Conference USA
Another year one FBS team, Sam Houston State has had a tough adjustment to begin their next chapter as a program. To their credit, the defense is fantastic as they sit in the top 50 in success rate against. This past week in an overtime loss to UTEP was the first time they cracked 30 points this season, and five of their games have been decided by 10 points or less. If head coach KC Keeler can get some offense to match what his defense has done for years, this could be a budding program.
122. FIU Golden Panthers | 10.32528 points
4-5 | 1-5 in Conference USA
After starting 3-1, FIU quickly found the top dogs of C-USA, and have won just one game since. They’ve eclipsed 20 points just three times all season.
123. UConn Huskies | 10.32059 points | 1-7
The ebbs and flows at a job like this are likened to a roller coaster, but this is a pretty big drop-off from a bowl berth last season.
124. New Mexico Lobos | 10.19833 points
3-5 | 1-3 in Mountain West
New Mexico is scoring 29.1 points per game, which is more than their past two season totals combined, but the defense has taken a step back in the turnover creating department.
125. UTEP Miners | 10.15539 points
3-6 | 2-3 in Conference USA
This offense is offensive to my eyes. Gavin Hardison has a ridiculous arm, but he got injured as this team struggles to get anything consistently going. They did pick up their first FBS win of the season at FIU and just took down Sam Houston in overtime, but a tough stretch now remains for the Miners.
126. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks | 9.85252 points
2-6 | 0-5 in Sun Belt
We have officially reached the baddest of the bad as all remaining teams have accumulated single digit points. It’s hard to work your way out of the bottom of the Sun Belt solely due to the conference’s depth, and Terry Bowden and ULM are learning that the hard way. They’ve had a pair of one-point losses to App State and Texas State, but every other conference game has been pretty swiftly over by halftime.
127. Southern Miss Golden Eagles | 9.70046 points
1-7 | 0-5 in Sun Belt
We’ve reached the bottom of the Sun Belt as Southern Miss holds Frank Gore Jr.’s successful college career hostage.
128. Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors | 9.10688 points
2-6 | 0-3 in Mountain West
Hawai’i is in year two under their legendary Timmy Chang, and it’s just a hard time to be a rebuilding program in the Mountain West. They sit at 0-3 in conference play, and they haven’t seen Air Force or Wyoming yet. Set your sicko alarms to 4 PM EST on November 4th as Hawai’i and Nevada square off to see who the worst of the worst in the MWC is.
129. Kent State Golden Flashes | 8.98143 points
1-7 | 0-4 in MAC
Kent State is averaging 12.5 points per game under first year coach Kenni Burns. They will not be seeing a bowl game once again. MACtion begins on Halloween with a scary cool game between the Golden Flashes and Akron.
130. Akron Zips | 8.20388 points
1-7 | 0-4 in MAC
We have finally reached the basement of the MAC. I really thought this team had a shot at getting bowl eligible, too.
131. Nevada Wolfpack | 8.1935 points
2-6 | 2-2 in Mountain West
This is pretty easily the worst college team I’ve sat down and watched this season. Just all around bad.
132. Temple Owls | 7.75842 points
2-6 | 0-4 in American
We have arrived to our penultimate entrant in the 133: the Temple Owls. Stan Drayton has had a tough go of it in Philadelphia’s university. The Matt Rhule era has long since passed, and this program has fallen on extremely tough times.
133. UMass Minutemen | 7.54447 points | 2-7
At long last, we have arrived to the worst team in the country: UMass. It’s of little surprise, they’ve been this bad for a long time. Only twice has this program ever won 6+ games at the FBS level: 1899 and 1901. They’ve never seen a bowl game, and with Don Brown at the helm, that streak probably never ends, but hey, beating Army is good start!