Previous Rankings: 130-121 120-111 110-101 100-91 90-81
80.)
Wyoming (6-6, 109 WP, 37 LP)The dangers of going 6-6 without beating anyone of note. The Cowboys did rally to win their last four games of the season to salvage their season and end it on a high note. However, of those four opponents, only Air Force finished with more than three wins. With the Mountain West only getting a limited amount of bowl bids, they could probably blame former MWC foe BYU who made a bowl appearance as an independent at 6-6.
Best Win: Air Force
Worst Loss: Hawai'i
2017 Finish: 43
79.)
The Ragin' Cajuns definitely had their share of big opportunities. First they scored more than LSU and Texas A&M did against Alabama in a 63-14 loss. Then they won four of their last five games including a win over rival Louisiana Monroe to make the first ever Sun Belt Championship Game. They were defeated for the second time this season by Appalachian State, but got one more game in the Cure Bowl. They blew a lead to fellow Louisiana residents Tulane to finish with a .500 record.
Best Win: Arkansas State
Worst Loss: Coastal Carolina
2017 Finish: 92
78.)
Liberty (6-6, 94.8 WP, 70.8 LP)The strangest win profile for a six win team, as they knocked off Old Dominion, New Mexico, Troy, Idaho State, New Mexico State, and finally Norfolk State. They played a bizarre three overtime thriller against UMass that they lost 62-59. They also lost to New Mexico State earlier in the year as the two bottom tier independent schools scheduled each other for a rare home-and-home series.
Head coach Turner Gill is stepping aside to spend time with his ailing wife and was replaced with an odd choice. Liberty, a Christian university, elected to hire Hugh Freeze, who was previously fired by Ole Miss after he was caught making calls to an escort service on a university-issued phone. That was one of two scandals during his time at Ole Miss that led to a two-year bowl ban for the Rebels.
Best Win: Troy
Worst Loss: New Mexico State
2017 Finish: N/A
77.)
Louisiana Monroe (6-6, 84.7 WP, 79.5 LP)The Warhawks were just another 6-6 casualty of not enough bowls (don't worry they'll be three more next year) and had a chance to switch spots with rival Louisiana had they defeated the Ragin' Cajuns. ULM had a big win over Georgia Southern, but were stomped by Georgia State. This up and down roller coaster of a season had them on the outside looking in. This is the first time they have won six games since 2013 when they also went 6-6 and missed a bowl game.
Best Win: Georgia Southern
Worst Loss: Georgia State
2017 Finish: 105
76.)
The Redhawks won three straight and nearly had a chance to win the MAC East, but came up just short. They also came up just short as the MAC had too many teams for bowl spots. Another area they came up just short on was a bizarre two-point play that nearly had them knock off Army in double overtime. In the last three seasons, Miami has finished 6-6, 5-7, and 6-7.
Best Win: Ohio
Worst Loss: Western Michigan
2017 Finish: 91
75.)
The Panthers 2018 season finished the way it started. In the beginning, Pitt lost to Penn State by 45, lost to a two win North Carolina team, and a 31 point loss to UCF. They ended the season with three straight losses including a lopsided affair in the ACC Championship game against Clemson and a one point loss to Stanford in the Sun Bowl. This was a slight improvement over last years 5-7 campaign.
Best Win: Syracuse
Worst Loss: North Carolina
2017 Finish: 84
74.)
After two tough tasks in Michigan and Syracuse, the Broncos rattled off six straight wins and looked to be the favorites to win the MAC West. Then Jon Wassink got hurt and WMU dropped four in a row before knocking off Northern Illinois in the regular season finale. That got them to seven wins and bowl appearance in which they were obliterated in the second half by a BYU team that outscored the Broncos 42-8 in a 49-18 rout. They still managed to win the Michigan MAC Trophy, so there's that.
Best Win: Northern Illinois
Worst Loss: Ball State
2017 Finish: 76
73.)
Eastern Michigan nearly had an identical season this year as they did in 2017. Like last season, they knocked off a Big Ten opponent, although this year was a more impressive win over Rutgers. They were also involved in their fair share of close games. Unlike 2017, the Eagles won more of those games than they lost, going 5-1 down the stretch. They made it to a bowl appearance for the second time in three years after not having been to won since 1987.
They had a much better second half against the option attack of Georgia Southern, but the 2017 Eagles reared their ugly heads and missed a key fourth down stop to lose in the final seconds. In 2019 EMU has a shot to make it three straight wins over Big Ten schools when they head to Illinois.
Best Win: Purdue
Worst Loss: Western Michigan
2017 Finish: 95
72.)
Toledo (7-6, 99.6 WP, 59.5 LP)In their seven wins this season, the Rockets scored at least 45 points. They also watched a comeback fall short against Eastern Michigan to lose to the Eagles for the first time since 2007. It was the second team that made the trip to the Bahamas Bowl as Toledo watched FIU rally back and win 35-32. Quarterback Eli Peters and running back Bryant Koback return as key pieces to that explosive offense that should challenge for the MAC West title.
Best Win: Nevada
Worst Loss: Eastern Michigan
2017 Finish: 15
71.)
No team expected to be this low in the rankings after they jumped out to a Top 25 ranking by starting off 7-0. The Bulls then went on a schedule of five straight bowl teams that resulted in five straight losses. This landed them a spot in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at their home stadium. It was anything but a home field advantage as Marshall remained undefeated under Doc Holliday in bowl play.
Offensive Coordinator Sterlin Gilbert got the axe after USF fell off the map. Another disaster in Tampa could mean a short leash for Charlie Strong as the AAC looks to position itself as a Power 6 conference.
Best Win: Georgia Tech
Worst Loss: Tulane
2017 Finish: 10
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