The weirdest section of these rankings is easily this group. Half of this group is made up of schools from the PAC-12 and ACC, but this group also features some great wins over top schools. Tragedy also affected the outcome for the Virginia Cavaliers who canceled their last two games after three teammates were murdered.
The two PAC-12 schools on this list will have a new face on the sidelines, with Arizona State looking to Oregon's Kenny Dillingham to rebuild a program that is also under NCAA investigation. Here's a full look at the second chunk of the final rankings.
120. Northern Illinois (3-9, 98.3 WP, 87.2 LP)
Prediction and Preseason Rank: 9-3 (55)
Last Year Rank: 41
Recap: Just look at that schedule. There wasn't that much that was different for the Huskies and they laid an egg. Unfortunately, they shellacked EMU in a game that I spent my hard-earned money on. After that game, NIU went 1-4 including a 32-point loss to Akron to end the season.
119. Stanford (3-9, 96.7, 45.3)
Prediction: 5-7 (86)
LYR: 106
Recap: This team beat Notre Dame in South Bend and then followed that game with a win over Arizona State to get to 3-4 and potentially get back on track. Instead, they lost 5 straight to end the season, which caused longtime coach David Shaw to announce his resignation. Shaw was a steady hand after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, which tells you how long he's had been getting it done in Palo Alto.
118. Charlotte (3-9, 95.7, 83.3)
Prediction: 4-8 (108)
LYR: 94
Recap: Will Healy didn't get to finish the season, but to their credit, the 49ers did. Charlotte closed out the year winning two of their final four games to bump them up from the bottom of these rankings. The biggest loss though came against FCS William and Mary, which sealed Healy's fate. Michigan assistant Biff Poggi will take the 49ers into the AAC era.
117. Louisiana Tech (3-9, 94.7, 72.7)
Prediction: 5-7 (115)
LYR: 113
Recap: The Bulldogs' season was derailed by back-to-back overtime losses which set them up for a 1-6 finish including a loss to Charlotte. Sonny Cumbie will hope to get things turned around in year two.
116. Arizona State (3-9, 94.3, 53.6)
Prediction: 4-8 (46)
LYR: 46
Recap: There were reports that coaches were giving other teams their game plans because they wanted Herm Edwards fired. That wish came true when EMU traveled to Tempe and then beat the Sun Devils with a backup quarterback and some smashmouth football. Despite losing their final four games, they did have a big win over a ranked Washington which cost the Huskies a shot at the PAC-12 title.
115. Boston College (3-9, 72, 43.2)
Prediction: 8-4 (50)
LYR: 71
Recap: The Eagles played on razor-thin margins in a handful of games They lost by one to Rutgers to open the season but got one-point victories over NCST and Louisville. They also lost six games by 10 points or more, including a 13-3 loss to UConn. Jeff Hafley is on the hot seat and it will be even harder with his quarterback entering the transfer portal.
114. Old Dominion (3-9, 65.3, 68.8)
Prediction: 4-8 (102)
LYR: 84
Recap: The Monarchs had one strange year as they knocked off Virginia Tech for the second in four years and nearly upset Virginia. They were successful in dismantling Sun Belt Division Champs, Coastal Carolina, but followed that game up with six-straight losses. Who knows what 2023 will bring for this group?
113. Virginia Tech (3-8, 92, 79.3)
Prediction: 6-6 (7-3)
LYR: 78
Recap: The loss to Old Dominion looked like a road bump, but the Hokies won their next two games easily. Then came six straight losses, two of which were by one point in consecutive weeks. It looked like it would be seven straight, but this time they were on the winning end of a one-point game against Liberty. Their final game was canceled as they were scheduled to play Virginia in their annual rivalry.
112. Virginia (3-7, 89.3, 45.9)
Prediction: 9-3 (42)
LYR: 70
Recap: New head coach Tony Elliott was given a tough hand in 2022. On the field, the Cavaliers got off to a 3-4 start with wins against ODU, Georgia Tech, and Richmond (FCS), but then they lost their last three games before canceling their final two. It was the right thing to do and hopefully, they can find strength from this moment and heal in 2023.
111. FIU (4-8, 125.3, 82.9)
Prediction: 2-10 (128)
LYR: 130
Recap: Anything was guaranteed to be an improvement from last year's last-place finish. The Panthers were actually in range for a bowl game at 4-4 after wins against Bryant, New Mexico State, Charlotte, and La Tech. However, they were throttled 177-55 in their final four games to finish down here instead. That shouldn't be a surprise as they suffered the worst defeat by any team at the FBS level when they lost 73-0 to Western Kentucky.
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