Those Who Were Close But No Cigar in 2022: Final Rankings 90-81

We've finally reached the point where some teams that were good enough to make a bowl game, just weren't good enough to win. Then there are the powerhouses that were one win short of making a bowl game. Either way, it's the last round of teams that finished with losing records before their bowl games. Several of these teams began the season in the Top 25 but found 2022 to be a miserable experience. Here's the list.

90. Arizona (5-7, 84.8 WP, 33.4 LP)

Preseason Rank and Prediction: 2-10 (107)

LYR: 127

Recap: The Wildcats were much improved from 2022 in year 2 under Jedd Fisch and found success in the Pac-12. The big win came over UCLA to keep their bowl hopes alive and dash the playoff hopes of the Bruins. They were unable to cash in against Washington State which ended their dreams of going bowling, but they did stick it to in-state rival Arizona State in the final game.

89. Auburn (5-7, 83.6, 22.4)

PR: 5-7 (48)

LYR: 75

Recap: I was surprised that they brought back Bryan Harsin after a tumultuous and disappointing 2021. Then after a 3-5 start and a loss to Arkansas, Harsin was fired despite the university having to pay $15 million to their disappointing hire. Former running back Cadillac Williams took over as the interim coach and seemed to give them a spark as they took Ole Miss to overtime in his first game. The Tigers won their next two games and needed to win the Iron Bowl to become bowl eligible. It wasn't meant to be and Auburn announced that Liberty head coach and former Ole Miss leader, Hugh Freeze, would be the new head coach.

88. West Virginia (5-7, 72.6, 51.7)

PR: 5-7 (70)

LYR: 77

Recap: Neal Brown is on the hot seat and continued to struggle to find a quarterback that will stay more than one year. The Mountaineers' downfall came when they dropped four of their final six games. West Virginia will now have to compete with four new schools and could drop farther down in the Big 12 rankings.

87. Michigan State (5-7, 70, 34.3)

PR: 8-4 (16)

LYR: 13

Recap: Sparty was a downright failure this season as Mel Tucker's squad got off to a woeful start in the Big Ten that put them at 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the conference. That lone win came in double overtime against an equally struggling Wisconsin team. They seemed to maybe rally back to get bowl eligible with back-to-back wins, including an upset against Illinois. Then the unthinkable happened when the Spartans dropped a double overtime contest against Indiana and were completely eliminated when Penn State dismantled them to end their season.

86. Georgia Tech (5-7, 66.4, 52.6)

PR: 4-8 (98)

LYR: 108

Recap: The Geoff Collins era ended earlier than he would've liked, but things weren't going well in his time with the Yellow Jackets. After his dismissal, Georgia Tech won back-to-back games against Pitt and Duke to get back to a chance at bowl eligibility. A win over Virginia Tech and an upset of North Carolina meant that the Jackets needed to win their final game. Unfortunately, it was against the reigning National Champs and the Bulldogs continued the dominance of their in-state rival to end the rally. Brent Key had the interim tag dropped after his impressive job to instantly make the Ramblin' Wrecks competitive.

85. Texas A&M (5-7, 64, 50.7)

PR: 11-1 (10)

LYR: 38

Recap: 11-1? What was I thinking? The hype for Texas A&M was dead on arrival as they were controlled by Appalachian State in Week 2 which was a precursor of things to come. A narrow escape from a bad Miami team and a win over Arkansas were about the last good things for Jimbo Fisher's crew. The Aggies dropped six-straight SEC contests and barely won a rain-soaked match UMass to get to snap the streak. Then in the last week, the Aggies gave their best performance to stun the LSU Tigers and end their playoff hopes. Fisher brought in another top-notch recruiting class, but will he be able to get what he should out of the talent he brings in.

84. Miami, OH (6-7, 110.8, 66.6)

PR: 8-4 (76)

LYR: 63

Recap: Despite losing quarterback Brett Gabbert at the beginning of the year, the Redhawks needed a win in their final game of the year to become bowl eligible. They found themselves down early against Ball State but wound up beating the Cardinals and snatched their spot in the Bahamas Bowl against UAB. This was the fourth bowl appearance under Chuck Martin and they were evenly matched with the Blazers. Trailing 24-20 the Redhawks had the ball with a chance to win but in a play reminiscent of Kevin Dyson in the Super Bowl, Reynard Ellis tackled Jalen Walker at the 2-yard line to end the rally.

83. UConn (6-7, 95.8, 47.3)

PR: 2-10 (130)

LYR: 129

Recap: No one expected Jim Mora to turn around the Huskies as fast as he did, but in just 12 games, he had them back to relevancy. It started as expected at 1-4, but a stunning win over Fresno State gave the Huskies hope. Then they couldn't lose as they notched wins over Boston College and Liberty to become bowl eligible. Even a tough loss against Army couldn't end their surprise season. They did start a week early and ended before Thanksgiving, so perhaps that rust lead to a slow start in their bowl game against Marshall. They spotted the Thundering Herd a 28-point lead and couldn't overcome the slow start 28-14. As an independent, the Huskies can build off this momentum and maybe finish with a winning record for the first time since 2010.

82. Utah State (6-7, 95.3, 55.1)

PR: 8-4 (45)

LYR: 18

Recap: It was a backslide for the Aggies in 2022, but they still found some success. It looked bleak early on as they struggled to a 1-4 start. Then they did something no one really did, score points against Air Force to get the ball rolling. The Aggies won five of their next six games to become bowl eligible and even had a chance to sneak into the Mountain West title game, but were routed by Boise State. In their bowl game, they were sloppy and had no answer for Memphis as the Tigers cruised to a 38-10 win in the First Responders Bowl.

81. Louisiana (6-7, 90.2, 61.4)

PR: 10-2 (29)

LYR: 2

Recap: A disappointing year for the Cajuns as they missed out on the Sun Belt Championship for the first time since it was brought to life in 2018. Their wins came in spurts opening 2-0 and then losing two, winning two more, before losing three of four. This set up a must-win against Texas State and they obliterated the Bobcats so badly that they fired their coach. They hooked up with Houston in their bowl game but fell apart in the second half and dropped a close one, 23-16. Michael Desormeaux hopes to find more consistency in 2023.