Bowl season is wrapping up and the college football season is coming to an end, but for these teams in the worst of the decent, the extended season came at the cost of finishing with a losing record. Other schools were ravaged by Covid-19 and were forced to opt-out of their bowl hopes.
Here are the losers and the canceled of bowl season:
84.
Old Dominion (6-7, 100.7 WP, 74.3 LP)
Last Year Rank: Did not play in 2020
Preseason Rank: 129
Prediction: 2-10
It was hard to gauge how the Monarchs would be under a coach that was hired at the end of the 2019 season but didn't get a chance to coach until this year because of Old Dominion canceling their season in 2020. My prediction actually looked on point as the Monarchs started the year 2-6, but won their final four to make a bowl appearance. They started the Myrtle Beach Bowl with a bang as they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. That was the highlight as Tulsa went on to outscore ODU 30-10 from that point on.
83. Missouri (6-7, 98.7 WP, 34.3 LP)
LYR: 62
PR: 48
Prediction: 9-3
I thought Missouri might have things figured out, but it turns out I mistook them for Arkansas. The Tigers secured their bowl spot with a two-point conversion in overtime to stun Florida. They would be the ones who were stunned as Army kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to knock off Mizzou 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
82. Hawai'i (6-7, 95.3 WP, 66.3 LP)
LYR: 53
PR: 74
Prediction: 7-6
The Rainbow Warriors got a big win over Fresno State and finished the year with two straight wins to become bowl eligible. They wouldn't have to travel very far as they got a spot in the Hawai'i Bowl against Memphis, but the Warriors were hit with a COVID outbreak and were forced to cancel. It was probably a good thing as 14 players, including Todd Graham's own son, have entered the transfer portal, with one player telling the San Francisco Gate that Graham has "killed our love and passion for football." As of now, Graham is still the head coach in Honolulu.
81. Florida (6-7, 91.8 WP, 43.5 LP)
LYR: 39
PR: 22
Prediction: 9-3
What a year for the Gators! Dan Mullen was fired thanks in part to losses to Kentucky, South Carolina, and Missouri. Florida also gave up a record 42 first-half points to Samford (FCS) at The Swamp and needed a win over Florida State to even become bowl eligible. Billy Napier will take over and he certainly saw a lot of work needs to be done when the Gators were lanced by UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.
80.
North Texas (6-7, 88.8 WP, 75.4 LP)
LYR: 81
PR: 104
Prediction: 3-9
A swing and a miss on this prediction as the Mean Green doubled their win total despite starting the year 1-6. It started with an overtime win over Rice before rattling wins off against Southern Miss, UTEP, FIU, and finally handing UTSA their first loss on the year. Surely a team this hot going into a bowl game with a mediocre MAC team in a made-up bowl game spells success, right? Well, the Miami Redhawks' defense came out in the Frisco Football Classic to hold North Texas to their lowest point total since Week 3 (14).
79. Louisville (6-7, 81.2 WP, 39.1 LP)
LYR: 88
PR: 85
Prediction: 5-7
I figured tougher sledding in the ACC for Louisville, but they were competitive throughout the season. They became bowl eligible with blowout wins over Syracuse and Duke to set up a meeting with Air Force in the First Responders Bowl. The Cardinals closed a big halftime deficit, but it was too little too late and Louisville fell 31-28 to the Falcons.
78. Virginia Tech (6-7, 80.5 WP, 65 LP)
LYR: 71
PR: 52
Prediction: 7-5
The Hokies entered the last week of the season needing a win and a new head coach after Justin Fuente was fired following a disappointing season. Fortunately, they've dominated Virginia this century and got their sixth win at the expense of their in-state rival. Maybe they should've stayed home and maybe new head coach Brent Pry is regretting going on national television during his team's game. Pry was talking to the ESPN commentators about the toughness and discipline of Va Tech football before Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua's brother, unloaded a 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive to give Maryland a 14-3 lead. The Terrapins played like the Hall of Fame legends beyond the outfield wall at Yankee Stadium, while the Hokies played like the 2003 Detroit Tigers in their 54-10 loss in the Pinstripe Bowl.
77. West Virginia (6-7, 76 WP, 38 LP)
LYR: 46
PR: 41
Prediction: 9-3
I predicted great things for the Mountaineers in 2021, but instead, they needed two wins in their final two games to become bowl eligible. They did, barely, against a disappointing Texas squad and then slid past an always horrendous Kansas team. They sleepwalked their way through the Guarantee Rate Bowl in one of the least exciting bowls of the 2021 season, an 18-6 loss to Minnesota that featured just three points in the second half.
76. Ball State (6-7, 72.3 WP, 53 WP)
LYR: 10
PR: 20
Prediction: 9-3
The Cardinals were a dominating force in 2020 and brought back a lot of key pieces, so they were destined for greatness right? Well, they needed a 20-3 win over Buffalo in the final week to become bowl eligible as they battled through a very competitive MAC West that sent every team to a bowl game, compared to just 2 from the MAC East. The Cardinals got a tough task on Christmas Day in Camellia Bowl against Georgia State, who was competitive with Auburn and upset Coastal Carolina. It turned out to be a lump of coal in their stockings as they were dropped 51-20.
75.
Auburn (6-7, 71.3 WP, 25.6 LP)
LYR: 56
PR: 34
Prediction: 8-4
The SEC can be a tough place to navigate, especially when you don't have a quarterback. Bo Nix, who is transferring to Oregon, was injured late in the season, which led to the Tigers dropping their last four contests heading into the bowl season. Despite that, they were still competitive in the Iron Bowl before losing to Alabama, 24-22, in four overtimes. They got a chance to play in their home state against a Top 25 team in Houston, but ultimately, the lack of strong quarterback play led to a 17-13 loss at the hands of the Cougars.
74. LSU (6-7, 70.2 WP, 29.1 LP)
LYR: 59
PR: 31
Prediction: 9-3
The season started with Ed Orgeron telling a UCLA fan that he had a "Sissy blue shirt," then Orgeron had to sit on the sideline knowing he was already fired before the season ended. Orgeron's season ended with two close losses to Alabama and Arkansas, a win over Louisiana Monroe (barely), and a stunner over Texas A&M to become bowl eligible. That moment gave us one more "Geaux Tigers!" from Orgeron in his backwoods swamp accent. That would've been a great note to finish on, but instead, they got blasted by Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, 42-20, and finished with a losing season. The Brian Kelly era will officially start in 2022 unless he's chased away for pretending to have a southern accent.
73. UNC (6-7, 69.5 WP, 59.7 LP)
LYR: 33
PR: 17
Prediction: 10-2
I drank the Kool-Aid of the prognosticators who believed that UNC was set to have a year in the ACC. Unfortunately, that team was in Winston Salem and not Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels didn't become bowl eligible until the second last week with a win over Wofford (FCS). While they did beat Wake Forest in a shootout, they did not have the same success against NCST and finished the regular season at 6-6. Mack Brown can at least thank the football gods for not getting doused in Duke's Mayo, but in order to do so, he had to watch South Carolina running backs throw 70-yard touchdowns in a 38-20 rout.
72. Kent State (7-7, 92.3 WP, 34.1 LP)
LYR: 24
PR: 66
Prediction: 8-4
The Golden Flashes needed an overtime win against Miami to claim the MAC East crown and earn their way to Detroit for a shot at their first MAC Championship since 1972. Instead, it was a repeat of the 2012 MAC Championship as they were knocked off by Northern Illinois. So they tried for their second bowl win ever, but they watched Craig Bohl get french fries dumped on his head to celebrate Wyoming's 52-38 win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
71. Boston College (6-6, 91.8 WP, 62.7 LP)
LYR: 57
PR: 54
Prediction: 6-6
The Eagles carved through their non-conference schedule that included a win over an SEC school (Missouri), but the ACC scheduled proved to be rough sailing. In fact, BC limped into the bowl season losing to Florida State and getting blown out by Wake Forest. They didn't get a chance to play in their bowl game, as COVID forced the Military Bowl to be canceled.
70.
Virginia (6-6, 82.8 WP, 39.3 LP)
LYR: 61
PR: 55
Prediction: 6-6
The Cavaliers were looking good and had a shot at the ACC title game, but dropped their final four games in horrific fashion. They played three ranked teams consecutively and lost to BYU, Notre Dame, and Pitt by a combined score of 142-90. Then came their shot to win against Virginia Tech for the second time in three years, but the Hokies won for the 17th time out of the last 18 matchups. Bronco Mendenhall surprised many when he resigned, so Clemson Offensive Coordinator, Tony Elliott takes the reigns.
69. Memphis (6-6, 77 WP, 63.3 LP)
LYR: 28
PR: 43
Prediction: 8-4
The Tigers started strong going 3-0 with a win over Mike Leach and Mississippi State, but they stumbled with three-straight losses to surprise bowl teams UTSA and Tulsa, and dumpster fire Temple. From there they traded wins and losses before finally winning their last game against Tulane to become bowl eligible. They got a nice trip to Hawai'i but never got a chance to play as the Rainbow Warriors were forced to cancel my Christmas Eve viewing plans, the Hawai'i Bowl.
68. Middle Tennessee State (7-6, 105 WP, 52.7 LP)
LYR: 99
PR: 105
Prediction: 6-6
Speaking of exotic locations, the Blue Raiders won two out of their final three contests to earn a trip to the Bahamas Bowl. It wasn't all sunshine, as MTST was 2-4 in the first half of their schedule, but finished the season strong. That should've been my indicator to take them and not Toledo, but like these season predictions (this one excluded), I was wrong right off the bat for bowl season.
67. UTEP (7-6, 104.3 WP, 57.8 LP)
LYR: 86
PR:112
Prediction: 4-8
The Miners got off to a fast start, shocking many by winning 5 games for the first time since 2015 and they did it in six weeks. Their 6-1 start got them to bowl eligibility, but went into bowl season going 1-4 in their final 5 games. They did put up a fight in the New Mexico Bowl in a match-up that heavily favored Fresno St, but eventually fell 31-24.
66. Marshall (7-6, 104 WP, 64.7 LP)
LYR: 31
PR: 46
Prediction: 10-2
The Thundering Herd's schedule proved tougher than imagined as they faced 7 teams that would go on to a bowl appearance. They got to bowl eligibility thanks to four-straight wins when they knocked off FIU, Old Dominion, FAU, and North Texas. Their bowl experience was not great as they essentially played a home game with Louisiana in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, a matchup the Ragin' Cajuns took home 36-21.
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