Final Rankings 110-101: Sparty Earns Michigan's Badge of Shame

 The season is beginning to wrap up and with bowl games getting canceled as fast as they get scheduled, the end could be getting closer a lot sooner. As for these teams, the end came towards the beginning of the season. The range of games played goes from 3 to 10, but no matter the sample size, winning was not simply in the cards for these schools.

110.Baylor (2-7, 81.5 WP, 55.4 LP)

COVID-Cancelations: 1

What Happened: Dave Aranda's first season was a dud as the Bears racked up a season-opening win against Kansas, but dropped 5 straight before edging Kansas State 32-31. Two blowout losses against the boys from the state of Oklahoma wrapped up 2020.

2019 Rank: 18 (11-3)

109. Illinois (2-6, 89 WP, 56 LP)

CC: 1

What Happened: The Fighting Illini had a chance to right the ship after three straight losses, they put together back-to-back wins against Rutgers and Nebraska. A cancellation against Ohio State ruined that momentum (and nearly the Buckeyes' chances to make the Big Ten Championship) and Illinois dropped their next two by a score of 63-31. That marked the end for Lovie Smith who was fired before the Penn State game in which the Nittany Lions rattled off 42 straight points. Former Wisconsin and Arkansas coach, Brett Bielema, will take over the program.

2019 Rank: 76 (6-7)

108.Washington State (1-3, 67 WP, 25.3 LP)

CC: 2

What Happened: Nick Rolovich has got to be kicking himself that he had to quarantine in Pullman, Wash., instead of Hawai'i where was previously coaching. The Cougars opened the season with a win over Oregon State and a loss to Oregon. They would only play one more game over the next 30 days, a loss to USC. In their finale, Wazzu had a 28-7 lead over Utah before allowing 38 unanswered points.

2019 Rank: 77 (6-7)

107.Colorado State (1-3, 47 WP, 74.7 LP)

CC: 3

What Happened: The Rams were an unlucky bunch as they had three games canceled from COVID related incidents on campus or with their opponents. Then Utah State protested their administration and refused to play the final game of the season, leaving CSU with just four games played in 8 tries. It was their first year under head coach Steve Adazzio.

2019 Rank: 106 (4-8)

106Cal (1-3, 29 WP, 119 LP)

CC: 3

What Happened: It was a rough year for scheduling. The Bears had three games canceled, including their final two of the season. That means that they went out with a bang as their season finale wound up being a 21-17 upset of the eventual PAC-12 Champion Oregon Ducks.

2019 Rank: 47 (8-5)

105. Oregon State (2-5, 64.5 WP, 79.6 LP)

CC: 0

What Happened: The Beavers were in nearly every game this season and that competitive grit helped them put back-to-back wins in the middle of the season. The biggest came against in-state rival Oregon as Oregon State won the (formerly known as) Civil War for the first time since 2016.

2019 Rank: 86 (5-7)

104. New Mexico (2-5, 55.5 WP, 55.6 LP)

 

CC: 1

What Happened: The Lobos were so close early on, but a win by Akron left New Mexico with the nation's longest losing streak. That didn't last long as they stunned Wyoming 17-16. Danny Gonzales followed up his first win with a victory against Fresno State in which the Lobos defense recorded 8 sacks.

2019 Rank: 124 (2-10)

103.Michigan State (2-5, 10.5 WP, 64.2 LP)

CC: 2

What Happened: If you told Mel Tucker that his first win would be against a ranked Michigan team and his next win would be a Top Ten victory over Northwestern, he would probably take that. Unfortunately, those were the big highlights as they dropped a head-scratcher to Rutgers and choked away a lead in their final game against Penn State.

2019 Rank: 59 (7-6)

102.Georgia Tech (3-7, 78.7 WP, 35 LP)

CC: 1

What Happened: The Yellow Jackets exposed both Louisville and Florida State early in the season and Geoff Collins' crew sat at 2-2 early on. Then they got waxed 73-7 by Clemson and dropped their next two before taking three weeks off. That rest paid off as they dropped Duke 56-33. The season ended on a sour note as they dropped their game with Pitt and Collins postgame grumpy handshake become the most newsworthy thing about this team in 2020.

2019 Rank: 116 (3-9)

101. Navy (3-7, 78.3 WP, 34.3 LP)

CC: 1

What Happened: It's hard to replace a weapon like Malcolm Perry, but the Midshipmen were lost without him. After a 3-2, the offense went into hibernation. They had no shot at the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy as they were outscored 55-7 by Air Force and Army. In their final three games, they scored a measly 13 points.

2019 Rank: 14 (11-2)