Final Rankings 100-76: The Teams That Were Just One Win Away

Eastern Michigan was one of many teams to fall short in 2024.

 Even though 82 teams make a bowl game, making one can still be difficult. In fact, 52 teams were left in the cold and with the addition of more teams in 2025, it's getting harder and harder. Most of the teams in this part of the final rankings weren't so lucky, but one team did get a second chance. Louisiana Tech finished 5-7 but had its season revived when Marshall announced that they would be pulling out of their bowl game due to an influx of players entering the transfer portal. The Bulldogs were the logical choice as they were the closest to the Independence Bowl giving them time to prepare.

The Jayhawks were derailed by Baylor.

Appalachian State had the toughest blow when its game against Liberty was canceled due to flooding from the slew of hurricanes this fall. That left them with just 11 games played and they finished at 5-6. Other teams simply collapsed like Eastern Michigan dropping six of their final seven games or Kansas beating three-straight ranked opponents and then losing to Baylor by 28 in the final game. However you slice it, these teams just didn't do enough in 2024 to earn the spotlight of a Tuesday afternoon bowl game somewhere in Alabama.

Here's a look at the teams that were close but no cigar.

The Bulldogs were an obstacle easily avoided in 2024.

100. Louisiana Tech (5-8, 105.4, 76.6)

Preseason Rank: 126

Prediction: 4-8

Best Player: WR-Tru Edwards (77 rec, 897 yards*, 6 TD) *3rd in CUSA

Bowl Game: Independence Bowl (27-6 loss to Army)

Recap: The Bulldogs received an extra shot to play despite a losing record. Their proximity to the Independence Bowl made them the obvious choice to replace Sun Belt Champs Marshall after most of their players entered the transfer portal causing them to drop out. La Tech was on the wrong side of many close games, losing 5 games by seven points or fewer including three in overtime. Their bowl appearance e

99. Eastern Michigan (5-7, 121.2, 73.7)

Preseason Rank: 110

Prediction: 5-7

Best Player: QB-Cole Snyder (240-402, 2,684 yards*, 15 TD, 9 INT, 4 Rush TD) *3rd in MAC

Recap: Only Eastern Michigan could put a winning non-conference record together and then look completely lost when it came to conference play. The Eagles sat just one win away when they inexplicably lost on the road to Akron. From then on things went downhill. They missed a two-point conversion to earn a rare win over Toledo, were blown out by Ohio and Buffalo, and fell short in the final game against Western Michigan to earn the right to stay home. 

98. Charlotte (5-7, 116.8, 37.3)

Preseason Rank: 121

Prediction: 2-10

Best Player: WR-O'Mega Blake (32 rec, 795 yards*, 9 TD) *5th in AAC

Recap: Biff Poggi was fired before the season even finished when the 49ers were manhandled by South Florida with two weeks left. The interim staff pulled off two wins over FAU and UAB to earn a third of the wins that Poggi amassed in his 22 games as head coach. Charlotte poached Ohio signal caller Tim Albin after the Bobcats won the MAC Championship.

97. Air Force (5-7, 107.8, 76)

Preseason Rank: 74

Prediction: 6-6

Best Player: RB-Dylan Carson (138 carries, 600 yards, 5 TD)

Recap: The Falcons got off to an incredibly slow start going 1-7 to begin the season and were sitting at 131 with four games left. However, Air Force went out with their heads high, earning wins over Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, and Nevada to close out the season on a four-game heater.

96. Hawaii (5-7, 103.6, 62.7)

Preseason Rank: 99

Prediction: 5-7

Best Player: QB-Brayden Schager (233-403, 2,591 yards*, 19TD, 13 INT)* 4th in MWC

Recap: The Rainbow Warriors were a few points short of making a bowl appearance with three losses by a total of 8 points, including a three-point loss to UCLA. Hawaii opted for spoiler at the end of the season, winning their final home game over New Mexico to keep the Lobos from going bowling.

The Warhawks dropped their last six games.

95. Louisiana Monroe (5-7, 100.8, 63.1)

Preseason Rank: 133

Prediction: 2-10

Best Player: RB-Ahmad Hardy (237 carries, 1,351 yards*, 13 TD) *Led Sun Belt

Recap: The Warhawks were sitting pretty at 5-1 and just needed one more win to go bowling. Unfortunately, ULM had the toughest part of their schedule back-loaded. The final six games were against five bowl teams and an SEC school (Auburn). Despite having the Sun Belt's leading rusher, the Warhawks lost all six of those games to wind up at home.

94. Michigan State (5-7, 98.2, 33.1)

Preseason Rank: 81

Prediction: 6-6

Best Player: WR-Nick Marsh (41 rec, 649 yards, 3 TD)

Recap: There were plenty of growing pains in Jonathan Smith's first season as Sparty's coach. The offense scored more than 20 points in just four games this season, with one of those coming against Prairie View A&M (FCS). The lack of offense saw them on the wrong side of one-score games with Michigan and Boston College to prevent the Spartans from going bowling.

93. New Mexico (5-7, 95.8, 87.4)

Preseason Rank:  118

Prediction: 2-10

Best Player: QB-Devon Dampier (226-390, 2,768 yards, 15 TD, 15 INT, 155 carries, 1,166 yards*, 19 TD) *3rd in MWC

Recap: Dampier along with running back Eli Sanders eclipsed the 1,000 yards mark and combined for 28 touchdowns on the ground. It was just too bad that the defense couldn't stop anybody. Lobos opponents scored at least 30 points in an alarming 10 games. The biggest insult came in week one when they lost to FCS powerhouse Montana State. In the last two weeks, they upset Washington State to force a must-win at Hawaii, but the Rainbow Warriors held off New Mexico. Then after just one season, head coach Bronco Mendenhall left to be the head coach at Utah State.

92. Wisconsin (5-7, 92.6, 37.1)

Preseason Rank: 38

Prediction: 7-5

Best Player: RB-Tawee Walker (190 carries, 864 yards, 10 TD)

Recap: The Badgers were sitting at 5-2, but like Louisiana Monroe, they faced a gauntlet of five straight bowl teams to end the season. Surprisingly, the closest they came to the elusive sixth win was against Oregon at Camp Randle, where the Ducks escaped 16-13.

91. Oregon State (5-7, 90.4, 61.1)

Preseason Rank: 60

Prediction: 4-8

Best Player: RB-Anthony Hankerson (232 carries, 1,082 yards, 15 TD)

Recap: The Beavers opened the season 4-1 and looked like they might get to a bowl game. Instead, they dropped six of their final seven games with all of their losses by at least 8 points. Their lone win came in the defacto Pac 12 Championship win over Washington State.

Will QB Cam Rising try to come back for his 20th season at Utah?

90. Utah (5-7, 88.8, 49)

Preseason Rank: 23

Prediction: 10-2

Best Player: RB-Micah Bernard (197 carries, 1,009 yards, 4 TD)

Recap: Injuries and bad luck plagued the Utes, who opened the season 4-0, but lost QB Cam Rising again. They had six games in which they lost by one score including a bizarre series of events that allowed BYU to snatch a win thanks to some controversial calls that saw Utah fans storm the field only to lose because of a penalty.

89. Auburn (5-7, 88, 45.9)

Preseason Rank: 45

Prediction: 9-3

Best Player: QB-Payton Thorne (199-317, 2,713 yards, 21 TD, 9 INT)

Recap: The Tigers were short on three games decided by one score that could've delivered a bowl bid. They nearly rallied with a win over ULM and then won a four-overtime thriller against Texas A&M to set up a must-win in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide rolled past the Tigers to keep them home. Jarquez Hunter was one of two players in the SEC to finish with over 1,000 yards rushing in the pass-happy conference

88. Cincinnati (5-7, 85, 49.4)

Preseason Rank: 100

Prediction: 3-9

Best Player: QB-Brendan Sorsby (249-389, 2,813 yards, 18 TD, 7 INT)

Recap: Like many teams on this list, the Bearcats couldn't; win the close games, going 1-4 in one-possession games. UC had a chance in the final weeks to make a bowl game but lost their final five contests to seal their fate. Corey Kiner ran for over 1,100 yards, which was sixth-best in the Big 12.

87. Old Dominion (5-7, 63.6, 67)

Preseason Rank: 113

Prediction: 3-9

Best Player: RB-Aaron Young (172 carries, 887 yards*,  8 TD) *5th in Sun Belt

Recap: The Monarchs had a bizarre season as they went 4-4 in one-score games. They bookended the season with wins over South Carolina and Arkansas State, but they lost three of their final four games, all by one score to keep them from going bowling.

86. UCLA (5-7, 60.8, 47.4)

Preseason Rank: 46

Prediction: 5-7

Best Player: LB: Carson Schwesinger (136 tackles*, 4 sacks, FF, 2 INT)* 3rd in NCAA

Recap: The Bruins' first year in the Big Ten was a trying one. They opened the season 1-5 before earning three-straight Big Ten wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa. Washington and USC put them out of their misery to seal the losing season, but they did finish with a win over Fresno State to close out the season.

The Cavaliers finished losing six of their final seven.

85. Virginia (5-7, 58, 48.9)

Preseason Rank: 91

Prediction: 6-6

Best Player: WR-Malachi Fields (55 rec, 808 yards, 5 TD)

Recap: The Cavaliers were riding high at 4-1 to begin the season, but conference play was a disaster. It didn't help that their final nine games were against teams that ended up making a bowl game. Only two contests in the final seven games were decided by one score, including their lone win over Pitt.

84. Kansas (5-7, 56, 55.3)

Preseason Rank: 23

Prediction: 10-2

Best Player: RB-Devin Neal (219 yards, 1,266 yards*, 16 TD) *5th in Big 12

Recap: The Jayhawks were sitting at 2-6 with the hardest part of their schedule staring at them. All they did was collect wins over ranked opponents BYU, Colorado, and Iowa State. All they had to do was defeat Baylor and they could go bowling. Instead, the Bears plucked Kansas 45-17 for a deflating end to the season.

83. Appalachian State (5-6, 70.4, 66)

Preseason Rank: 40

Prediction: 10-2

Best Player: QB-Joey Aguilar (218-390, 3,003 yards*, 23 TD, 14 INT) *Led the Sun Belt

Recap: The Mountaineers had their season shortened by the devastating hurricanes that passed through Appalachia in the fall. That canceled their home game against Liberty forcing App State to play just 11 games. It was an up-and-down season, but the Mountaineers still had a chance to earn a shot at a bowl game. That hope was lost when Georgia Southern knocked them off and Shawn Clark was fired at the end of the season. 

82. Western Michigan (6-7, 107.8, 69)

Preseason Rank: 106

Prediction: 5-7

Best Player: RB-Jaden Nixon (143 carries, 919 yards*, 12 TD) *5th in MAC

Bowl Game: Salute to Veterans (23-16 loss to South Alabama)

Recap: The Broncos had an up-and-down season as they were able to beat Buffalo, but lost to Central Michigan, forcing them into a must-win against their lesser rival from Ypsilanti. Fortunately, the former Normalites were in a tailspin and Western prevented Eastern from winning the Michigan MAC trophy. Their bowl game was close, but it was essentially a home game for South Alabama with the game in Mobile. While they lost, they didn't do what EMU did when they played the Jaguars last year and tried to fight the whole team after the game.

81.  North Texas (6-7, 107.8, 57.9)

Preseason Rank: 112 

Prediction: 4-8

Best Player: QB-Chandler Morris (322-510, 3,774 yards*, 31 TD, 12 INT)* Led AAC

Bowl Game: First Responders (30-28 loss to Texas State)

Recap: The Mean Green started the season 5-1 thanks to strong play from their QB. Then they dropped six straight before finally knocking off Temple to secure a bowl bid. After leading the conference in passing, Morris opted to enter the transfer portal for the second time. That gave college football one of the best bowl stories for the First Responders Bowl against Texas State. Drew Mestemaker was starting at QB for the first time since he was a Freshman in high school and all he did was throw for 393 yards, two touchdowns, and a 70-yard TD run that cut the lead to two. His second interception of the game would seal the win for Texas State in a valiant effort that coach Eric Morris could not have forseen.

There will be a new sheriff in Chapel Hill in 2025.

80.  North Carolina (6-7, 97.7, 46.4)

Preseason Rank:  34

Prediction: 9-3

Best Player: RB- Omarion Hampton (281 carries, 1,660 yards*, 17 total TD)* Led ACC

Bowl Game: Fenway (27-14 loss to UConn)

Recap: After a 3-0 start, the second stint for Mack Brown saw the wheels begin to fall off when they were dismantled by James Madison who scored 70 points against the Tar Heels! That began four straight losses before wins over Virginia, Florida State, and Wake Forest earned them a bowl spot. However, UNC lost its final two games including a tough loss to NCST in what turned out to be Brown's final game as the Tar Heels coach. They turned to NFL veteran Bill Belichick as their new head coach thanks to his ability to talk to college-aged individuals who hang around his fiancee. He opted not to show up for the dismantling of UNC at the hands of the UConn Huskies at Fenway Park.

79. Coastal Carolina (6-7, 97.5, 63.4)

Preseason Rank: 95

Prediction: 5-7

Best Player: LB-Clev Lubin (43 tackles, 9.5 sacks*, 3 FF, FR) *3rd in Sun Belt

Bowl Game: Myrtle Beach (44-15 loss to UTSA)

Recap: The Chanticleers got four wins in their first five contests, but struggled in the second half of the season. They earned a 48-27 win over Georgia State to earn another home game by way of the Myrtle Beach Bowl. There they suffered one of the worst defeats of the bowl season, with an embarrassing 29-point loss to UTSA.

78. Oklahoma (6-7, 92.3, 32.9)

Preseason Rank: 15 

Prediction: 8-4

Best Player: QB-Jackson Arnold (154-246, 1,421 yards, 12 TD, 3 INT)

Bowl Game: Armed Forces (21-20 loss to Navy)

Recap: The first year in the SEC was unforgiving to the Sooners but they did score one of the biggest upsets in conference play. The Sooners made Jalen Milroe look fooling, a blueprint likely used by the Wolverines, to stun Alabama to earn their sixth win of the season. They trailed for much of the Armed Forces Bowl but scored in the final minute with a chance to tie the game. Brent Venables opted for the win and went for two, but the Midshipmen held to win 21-20. Venables will likely find himself on the hot seat going into the 2025 season.

77. West Virginia (6-7, 92.2, 26.1)

Preseason Rank: 29

Prediction: 8-4

Best Player: RB-Jahiem White (149 carries, 845 yards, 8 Total TD)

Bowl Game: Frisco (42-37 loss to Memphis)

Recap: It seemed like the Mountaineers were alternating wins and losses in 2024, but defeated UCF to earn their sixth win of the season. That wasn't enough to save Neal Brown's job as he was fired and replaced by a familiar face in Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez. West Virginia had one of the more bizarre endings in the bowl season. The Mountaineers threw an interception in the final minute, but it appeared that the defender fumbled the return and it was recovered by West Virginia for a second chance at victory. Instead, replay review ruled that the defender was sliding and therefore down before he fumbled to end the season in controversy and a Memphis win.

Cal earned a trip to a bowl game after beating rival Stanford.

76. Cal (6-7, 90.8, 43)

Preseason Rank: 67

Prediction: 6-6

Best Player: RB-Jaivian Tomas (100 carries, 626 yards, 7 TD)

Bowl Game: LA (24-13 loss to UNLV)

Recap: After a 3-0 start, the Bears became the kings of bad luck dropping four straight by a combined nine points. Eventually, they got some good luck when Fernando Mendoza threw his third touchdown of the game with 3 minutes left to rally past Stanford in their first rivalry game as members of the ACC. The Bears earned a trip to the LA Bowl to take on Mountain West runner-up and were no match for the Rebels who cruised to a 24-13 victory.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting: Rivalry Week Gets Wild and the Top 25 is All Shook Up

All Hell broke loose once Michigan tried to dot the O with its flag.

     Saturday's college football matchups featured more post-game body blows than the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight as many teams followed the same plant your flag, group melee experience that was almost too commonplace this weekend. Only Texas' Steve Sarkisian was in the right mind to prevent his bozos from starting a ruckus in the first meeting between the Longhorns and Texas A&M since 2011. 

    Rivalry week was here and made its mark right away when Georgia survived eight overtimes against Georgia Tech to set the tone on Friday. Michigan stunned many by bringing Ohio State down to their level of play and was more proficient in the kicking game to skate past the Buckeyes 13-10. Of course, the Buckeyes showed more fight in the postgame, which was so intense that Columbus police began to use pepper spray to disburse the crowd. From then on the scuffles kept coming. Auburn and Alabama, North Carolina-NCST, Missouri-Arkansas, and Florida-Florida State all found extra beef in their rivalry games. 

Still not sure what was happening at the end of the Arizona/Arizona State game.

    Lost in the shuffle of all the pushing and shoving were the conference championship implications at stake. With Ohio State's loss to Michigan, Penn State waltzed into the Big Ten Championship against Oregon. Clemson was the beneficiary of Miami blowing a 21-point lead to former OSU QB Kyle McCord and Syracuse to set up a Tigers and SMU matchup in the ACC Championship. The Big 12 Championship was the last to be sorted out as Arizona State went from being picked last in the preseason poll to earning a trip to play Iowa State, who kept Coach Prime and the Buffaloes out thanks to BYU beating Houston (yeah, it was a mess to sort out). Georgia awaited the winner of Texas and Texas A&M and the Longhorns came out victorious to play in their first SEC Championship.

Ashton Jeanty is hoping for a Heisman moment in the Mountain West Championship.

    The Mountain West Championship could decide who gets the Group of 5 entry in the College Football Playoffs as Boise State will take on UNLV. Army at 10-1 has an outside shot as they take on Tulane in the AAC Championship. It's a rematch of the Battle of the Bricks in the MAC Championship as Ohio takes on Miami, while Marshall and Louisiana lock up in the Sun Belt Championship. Finally, Western Kentucky kicked a last-second field goal to play Jacksonville State in back-to-back weeks for the CUSA Championship.

    Kent State finished the season as the only winless team, going 0-12 to claim the uncoveted 134th spot in this year's Pool Poll. Florida State (2-10) was the surprise entrant in the final Bottom 10, joined by fellow Power 4 members Purdue (1-11) and Mississippi State (2-10).

    While the playoffs still need to be sorted, 82 teams qualified for a bowl bid, which is the exact amount needed. Here's a breakdown of each conference's representation for the bowl season:

AAC (8/14): Army, Memphis, Tulane, Navy, ECU, UTSA, USF, and North Texas

ACC (13/17): SMU, Miami, Syracuse, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Virginia Tech, NCST, Cal, and UNC

Big 12 (9/16): Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Baylor, TCU, and West Virginia

Big Ten (12/18): Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers, Minnesota, USC, Washington, and Nebraska

CUSA: (4/10): Sam Houston State, Liberty, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State

Independents (2/3): Notre Dame and UConn

MAC (7/12): Ohio, Miami, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Bowling Green, and Western Michigan

MWC: (5/12): Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State, San Jose State, and Fresno State

PAC-12 (1/2): Washington State

SEC (13/16): Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Arkansas

Sun Belt (8/14): Louisiana, Marshall, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Texas State, Arkansas State, South Alabama, and Coastal Carolina

Now here's a look at this week's final regular season Pool Poll:

Oregon is the antithesis of Kent State.

1. Oregon (12-0, 64.5 WA, 0 LA)

Last Week Rank: 1

Last Week: 49-21 thumping of Washington.

Up Next: Big Ten Championship vs Penn State (11-1, 4)

2. Notre Dame (11-1, 61.2, 76)

LWR: 2

LW: 49-35 win over USC

Up Next: College Football Playoffs

3. Texas (11-1, 61.7, 27)

LWR: 3

LW: 17-7 win over Texas A&M

Up Next: SEC Championship vs Georgia (10-2, 11)

4. Penn State (11-1, 71.2, 19)

LWR: 4

LW: 44-7 win over Maryland

Up Next: Big Ten Championship vs Oregon (12-0, 1)

The Mustangs are in the ACC Championship in their first season.

5. SMU (11-1, 72.9, 84)

LWR: 7

LW: 38-6 win over Cal

Up Next: ACC Championship vs Clemson (9-3, 22)

6. Indiana (11-1, 78.2, 9)

LWR: 6

LW: 66-0 win over Purdue

Up Next: College Football Playoffs

7. Boise State (11-1, 85, 5)

LWR: 9

LW: 34-18 win over Oregon State

Up Next: Mountain West Championship vs UNLV (10-2, 17)

8. Army (10-1, 104.4, 5)

LWR: 10

LW: 29-24 win over UTSA

Up Next: AAC Championship vs Tulane (9-3, 27)

9. Arizona State (10-2, 65.6, 56.5)

LWR: 11

LW: 49-7 win over Arizona

Up Next: Big 12 Championship vs Iowa State (10-2, 13)

Could this be Ryan Day's last Game?

10. Ohio State (10-2, 68.9, 30.5)

LWR: 5

LW: 13-10 loss to Michigan

Up Next: College Football Playoffs

11. Georgia (10-2, 69, 11)

LWR: 13

LW: 44-42 (8OT) win over Georgia Tech

Up Next: SEC Championship vs Texas (11-1, 3)

12. Miami (10-2, 75, 41.5)

LWR: 8

LW: 42-38 loss to Syracuse

Up Next: Playoffs/Bowl Game

13. Iowa State (10-2, 78, 79.5)

LWR: 16

LW: 29-21 win over Kansas State

Up Next: Big 12 Championship vs Arizona State (10-2, 9)

14. BYU (10-2, 79.6, 59.5)

LWR: 14

LWR: win over Houston

Up Next: Bowl Game

The Vols are hoping to sneak into the playoffs despite no SEC Championship appearance.

15. Tennessee (10-2, 79.9, 47)

LWR: 15

LW: 36-23 win over Vanderbilt

Up Next: Playoffs/Bowl Game

16. Memphis (10-2, 92, 75)

LWR: 20

LW: 34-24 win over Tulane

Up Next: Bowl Game

17. UNLV (10-2, 95.3, 37)

LWR: 18

LW: 38-14 win over Nevada

Up Next: Mountain West Championship Boise State (11-1, 7)

18. Louisiana (10-2, 96.6, 95.5)

LWR: 19

LW: 37-23 win over Louisiana Monroe

Up Next: Sun Belt Championship vs Marshall (9-3, 26)

19. Alabama (9-3, 55.1, 63)

LWR: 22

LW: 28-14 win over Auburn

Up Next: Playoffs/Bowl Game

Unlike the Buckeyes, Kyle McCord got a win on Saturday.

20. Syracuse (9-3, 55.6, 57.7)

LWR: 23

LW: 42-38 win over Miami

Up Next: Bowl Game

21. South Carolina (9-3, 60.4, 51)

LWR: 24

LW: 17-14 win over Clemson

Up Next: Bowl Game

22. Clemson (9-3, 71, 22)

LWR: 12

LW: 14-17 loss to South Carolina

Up Next: ACC Championship vs SMU (11-1, 5)

23. Colorado (9-3, 73, 55.3)

LWR: 25

LW: 52-0 win over Oklahoma State

Up Next: Bowl Game

24. Illinois (9-3, 78.2, 20.7)

LWR: 27

LW: 38-28 win over Northwestern

Up Next: Bowl Game

Jaxson Dart passed Eli Manning on the all-time passing yards list at Ole Miss.

25. Ole Miss (9-3, 83.7, 60.3)

LWR: 28

LW: 26-14 win over Mississippi State

Up Next: Bowl Game

Dropped Out: Liberty and Tulane

Waiting List: Marshall, Tulane, Duke, Missouri, Ohio, Sam Houston State, Navy, Liberty, Louisville, Texas Tech, LSU, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Washington State

Bottom 10:

Kenni Burns and the Golden Flashes are Anti-Champions!

125. UTEP (3-9)

126. Middle Tennessee State (3-9)

127. Nevada (3-10)

128. Kennesaw State (2-10)

129. Florida State (2-10)

130. Mississippi State (2-10)

131. UMass (2-10)

132. Purdue (1-11)

133. Southern Miss (1-11)

134. Kent State (0-12)

Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel: Final Rankings 134-101

 12 teams will be fighting for a chance to win a National Championship, another 70 will try at a shot for a bowl game victory, but the other 52 will spend time watching everything from the comfort of their own homes. When it comes to the Pool Poll, being ranked in the triple digits is the ultimate sign of a season gone horribly wrong. It's the negative to the Top 50s positive power index ranking for conference members. This list is full of the worst of the worst in the MAC, Conference USA, Mountain West, and Sun Belt, but it also features Florida State for the first time ever. Thirteen teams on this list have already fired their coaches and there could be more by the time the season is over.

The crown jewel belongs this year to Kent State as the only team in the FBS to finish with zero wins, something that hasn't happened since 2020 when 9 teams went winless in the COVID-altered season and since Akron did it in a full season in 2019. The Golden Flashes played in just two games decided by one possession and allowed over 500 points while scoring just 167. Unlike Kent State, Purdue and Southern Miss were able to overpower their FCS opponent to earn their only wins of the year.

Here's a look at those who struggled to get anything going in 2024:

Kent State's worst loss of the season was a 71-0 drubbing at Tennessee.

134. Kent State (0-12, 0 WA, 73.5 LA)

Preseason Rank: 129

Prediction: 3-9

Best Player: Josh Smith-P (83 punts*, 61 yard long, 26 inside the 20) *led FBS

Season Recap: They allowed more than 40 points in seven different games. They scored more than 30 twice. Flush and forget.

133. Southern Miss (1-11, 136, 70.1)

PR: 119

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Dylan Lawrence-S (41 tackles, 2 INT, 1TD)

Recap: The Golden Eagles fired Will Hall and it still didn't help Southern Miss from becoming a bottom feeder in the Sun Belt. Their lone win came in Week 2 when they defeated Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) 35-10. All of their losses came by at least 10 points with the most egregious coming in a 58-3 loss to Texas State.

132. Purdue (1-11, 136, 46.9)

PR: 92

Prediction: 6-6

BP: Dillon Thieneman-DB (106 tackles*, Sack, 6 Pass Deflections) *4th in Big Ten

Recap: I thought the Ryan Walters era might be in for a rebound season, but the new Big Ten turned out to be too tough and now he's fired. Who knew that they would get blown out 66-0 by rival Indiana? The season started with a 49-0 win over Indiana State (FCS) and then saw 11 straight losses including 7 where they scored just 10 points or fewer. They did take Northwestern and Illinois to overtime and were within seven of Michigan State, but alas dropped all of those contests.

131. UMass (2-10, 136, 71.1)

PR: 131

Prediction: 2-10

BP: Jakobie Keeney-James-WR (50 Rec, 839 yards, 6TD)

Recap: The Minutemen will head into the MAC next season, but went 0-5 against their future conference opponents. UMass ended up firing Don Brown as their only two wins came against Wagner and Central Connecticut State, both FCS teams. That's not to say they weren't competitive. They had three one-possession losses to bowl-bound teams, including overtime losses to Miami (OH) and Liberty. They even held leads against Georgia and Mississippi State briefly. In their final game, they had fellow Independent UConn on the ropes, but couldn't contain the Huskies. Now we'll see who they hire to lead their second stint of MACtion.

Is Jeff Lebby in the hot seat?

130. Mississippi State (2-10, 129.5, 46.1)

PR: 79

Prediction: 6-6

BP: Isaac Smith and Stone Blanton-Def (Were the 1st and 2nd leading tacklers in SEC with 127 and 124 respectively, with Smith finishing 5th in all of the FBS).

Recap: Things probably weren't going to go well when Toledo came in and dropped 41 in Week 3 to raise the MACtion flag in Starkville. That was after a win over Eastern Kentucky (FCS) in Week 1. Their Week 2 loss to Arizona State looked bad then but it is totally understandable as the Sun Devils head to the Big 12 Championship. Their other win came over UMass, so they won't have one of the longer losing streaks heading into 2025. While only one loss was by seven points or fewer, they made Georgia, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss work a little harder to earn their victories.

129. Florida State (2-10, 76.5, 39.2)

PR: 8

Prediction: 11-1

BP: Ja'Khi Douglas-WR (32 Rec, 519 yards, 4TD)

Recap: The season started out in the worst way possible as the Seminoles traveled to Ireland just so they could lose to Georgia Tech. Then it was Boston College and the final insult was a loss to Mike Norvell's former employer, Memphis. They seemed to rebound with a win over Cal, however, it was a facade as the Noles dropped the next 5, most in a lopsided fashion. Fortunately, they had Charleston Southern (FCS) scheduled to break up the losing but were beaten 31-11 by Florida and then fought the Gators after the game for trying to plant their flag at midfield. The dropoff from 2023 was the worst of any team. 

128. Kennesaw State (2-10, 60, 84.2)

PR: 134

Prediction: 2-10

BP: Davis Bryson-QB (143-261, 1,459 yards, 6TD, 10 INT, 293 yards rushing, 4TD)

Recap: The Owls didn't go winless in their first campaign, so that was solid but Brian Bohannon still didn't last through the season. That's because they didn't win until Week 7, including a loss to Tennessee-Martin (FCS). Surprisingly, their first win came against an undefeated Liberty team. They almost followed that up with a win in double-overtime against UTEP, but came up short, and then again in overtime against Sam Houston State. That breakthrough finally came in the second to last week with a one-point win over FIU. The final game was not as promising as La Tech trounced all their goodwill by shutting out the Owls 33-0.

127. Nevada (3-10, 81.7, 67.2)

PR: 124

Prediction: 3-10

BP: Jaden Smith-WR (62 rec, 849 yards*, 7TD) *5th in MWC

Recap: The Wolfpack got off to a decent start at 2-3 with wins over Troy and Eastern Washington (FCS). Then they bumped up to 3-4 with a win over Oregon State but that would be the last time they would see the win column. Nevada rattled off six straight losses with three of them coming by single digits, including a 38-14 loss in the battle for the Fremont Cannon against UNLV.

126. Middle Tennessee State (3-9, 133, 70.7)

PR: 120

Prediction: 3-9

BP: Nicholas Vattiato-QB (269-418, 3,092 yards*, 16TD, 10 INT) *Led CUSA 

Recap: The Derek Mason era in Murfreesboro got off to a sketchy start with a near loss to Tennessee Tech (FCS) to open the season and then came five straight losses by at least 17 points. The losing stopped in one of the weirder scores of the season when they knocked off Kennesaw State 14-5. Two weeks later they snuck past UTEP, but it was back to losing by multi-scores in the final three games.

The Miners won all the hardware in the Battle of I-10 to end the season.

125. UTEP (3-9, 118, 74.6)

PR: 122

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Maurice Westmoreland-DE (45 tackles, 7.5 sacks*, FF) *Led CUSA

Recap: Things were rough for the Miners this fall as they started the season 0-6 including an overtime loss to Southern Utah (FCS). They finally got in the win column thanks to a victory over FIU. They sandwiched wins at the end of the season against Kennesaw State and New Mexico State around a 56-0 beatdown by Tennessee.

124. New Mexico State (3-9, 117, 79.8)

PR: 96

Prediction: 6-6

BP:  Seth McGowan-RB (1,000 total yards, 823 yards rushing*, 6 total TD) *4th in CUSA

Recap: The Aggies were lost without their star QB Diego Pavia, who took his talents to Vanderbilt this fall. The offensive struggles were apparent as they scored 14 points or fewer in 5 of the 12 contests. They got in the win column right away with a win over Southeast Missouri State (FCS), but followed that with five straight losses. The streak was finally snapped with a double-overtime win over La Tech then came three more losses before finally defeating Middle Tennesse State in the second to last week.

123. UAB (3-9, 115.3, 66)

PR: 107

Prediction: 7-5

BP: Desmond Little-Edge (40 tackles, 6 sacks*, FF) *3rd in AAC

Recap: The Blazers showed some promise in 2023 despite their 4-8 record, but 2024 was a major step back in Trent Dilfer's second season as head coach. UAB got their customary win over an FCS school before dropping the next six games, including a 71-20 loss to Tulane. In fact, the defense allowed at least 30 points in seven games this season. The Blazers picked up wins over Tulsa and Rice and nearly picked up a win over Charlotte in the final game. In what was a rough weekend for kickers, Jonah Delange missed a 27-yard field goal in the final seconds to drop the game 29-27.

122. San Diego State (3-9, 113.7, 63)

PR: 111

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Marquez Cooper-RB (293 carries, 1,274 yards*, 14 total TD) *2nd in MWC

Recap: The Sean Lewis era was off to an ok start with wins over Texas A&M Corpus Christi (FCS), Hawaii, and Wyoming, as well as a 1-point loss to Central Michigan to put the Aztecs at 3-3. From there it was all downhill as San Diego State dropped its final six games of the season with three straight losses by at least 11 points.

121. Ball State (3-9, 111, 59.1)

PR: 117

Prediction: 2-10

BP: Kadin Semonza-QB (275-426, 2,900 yards*, 25 TD, 10 INT) *Led MAC

Recap: The Cardinals were a handful of plays from becoming bowl eligible. They earned wins over Missouri State (FCS), Kent State, and Northern Illinois, though all of those wins were by one possession. Despite having the top passing attack in the MAC, Ball State found itself on the wrong side of four one-possession games and even hung around with Vanderbilt on the road. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they ended the season with four straight losses and Mike Neu was relieved as the head coach.

Stan Drayton was fired after three seasons.

120. Temple (3-9, 110, 58)

PR: 130

Prediction: 1-11

BP: Tyquan King-LB (111 tackles*, 3 sacks, FF) *Led AAC

Recap: The Owls sprinkled their wins throughout the season losing their first three, beating Utah State, losing two, beating Tulsa, losing another two before beating Florida Atlantic in overtime, and finally dropping their last two. The offense was the real issue as Temple scored more than 20 points just three times and still lost two of those games.

119. Tulsa (3-9, 108.3, 83.9)

PR: 116

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Kamdyn Benjamin-WR (70 rec, 820 yards* 6TD) *3rd in AAC

Recap: The Golden Hurricane opened the season 2-2 with wins over Northwestern State (FCS) and La Tech, but after that they would get only a shocking upset of UTSA 46-45. Tulsa's defense was a liability all season as they dropped six games by at least 32 points, including a 63-16 loss to Florida Atlantic to end the season. The losing was just too much for Kevin Wilson to keep his job.

118. Florida Atlantic (3-9, 108, 95)

PR: 114

Prediction: 6-6

BP: CJ Campbell Jr.-RB (1,310 total yards, 14 TD)

Recap: The Owls have had terrible luck trying to get big-name coaches to turn things around int he post-Lane Kiffin era. Tom Herman became the latest big wig to the axe after a disappointing season in Boca Raton. They started the year off 2-3 with wins over FIU and Wagner (FCS), but then lost six straight games. Their final game was a bizarre 63-16 thumping of Tulsa.

117. Oklahoma State (3-9, 106, 45.1)

PR: 17

Prediction: 10-2

BP: Ollie Gordon-RB (190 carries, 844 yards, 14 Total TD)

Recap: The Cowboys were riding high with three-straight wins to begin the year including a double-overtime thriller over Arkansas. Then they appeared to do a Freaky Friday with Arizona State and the Cowboys wound up finishing dead last in the Big 12 after losing their final nine games of the season. Three of those losses were by one possession unlike their final game which was a 52-0 annihilation at the hands of Coach Prime and Coloroado.

116. Wyoming (3-9, 82.3, 73.9)

PR: 69

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Wrook Brown-DB (48 tackles, 6 PD, 3 INT, TD)

Recap: Things were pretty rough for Jay Sawvell in year one as the head coach at Wyoming. A week five win over Air Force was the lone win in the first two-thirds of the season as the Cowboys were 1-7, including a loss to Idaho (FCS). Things seemed to click in the last four weeks with wins over New Mexico and Washington State. They also pushed Boise State to the limit as the Broncos snuck past the Pokes 17-13.

Georgia State pulled off a huge upset over Vanderbilt.

115. Georgia State (3-9, 70.7, 73.2)

PR: 98

Prediction: 3-9

BP: Ted Hurst-WR (56 rec, 961 yards*, 9 TD) *3rd in Sun Belt

Recap: The Panthers had a good start to the season going 2-1 with a win over a Power 5 school in Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, their next win wouldn't come until the penultimate week against Texas State.

114. Stanford (3-9, 58.7, 64.9)

PR: 105

Prediction: 2-10

BP: Emmet Kenney-K (32/32 XP, 14-17 FGM, 2 Game-Winning Field Goals)

Recap: Things looked like they might work in the ACC for Stanford as they opened 2-1 including a walk-off field goal to beat Syracuse. Then came six straight losses, with 5 of them coming by at least 24 points. Then came time for Kenney to shine again as his leg helped stun No. 19 Louisville after a botched Hail Mary attempt by the Cardinals. The Cardinal couldn't close out their final two games, losing by three in both games to San Jose State and Cal.

113. Utah State (4-8, 118.5, 55.9)

PR: 97

Prediction: 4-8

BP: Rahsul Faison-RB (198 carries, 1,109 yards*, 8TD) *4th in MWC

Recap: The Aggies fired coach Blake Anderson before the season started with accusations of Anderson violating Title IX. While Anderson was suing for wrongful termination, Nate Dreiling was auditioning for a job. He won his opener against Robert Morris (FCS), but then dropped the next five contests. They found some mojo in the next four weeks, defeating Wyoming, Hawaii, and San Diego State to get to four wins, but couldn't get past rival Colorado State in the final game. 

112. FIU (4-8, 110.8, 89.4)

PR: 115

Prediction: 3-9

BP: Eric Rivers-WR (62 rec, 1,172 yards*, 12 TD) *4th in NCAA

Recap: The Panthers were a few bounces away from becoming bowl-eligible. FIU lost six of their eight games by one possession, although they were to some pretty bad teams. All four of their wins came against teams that are not going to a bowl, but they also lost to Monmouth (FCS) and gave Kennesaw State just their second FBS win in their school's history.

111. Central Michigan (4-8, 104.5, 69)

PR: 104

Prediction: 7-5

BP: Marion Lukes-RB (161 carries, 788 yards, 6 Total TD)

Recap: Central Michigan opened the season at 3-2 and it looked like bowl eligibility was going to be theirs. Then their comeback against Ohio fell short and they blew a double-digit lead to Eastern Michigan (a game I enjoyed in person) and then were handed three straight blowouts to eliminate them from bowl contention. They did get a win over rival Western but lost Jim McElwain's final game 24-16 to Northern Illinois. McElwain announced he was retiring, though there is speculation that it was because the NCAA is going to be investigating him for his role in allowing maligned Michigan assistant Connor Stallions on the sideline during their game against Michigan State.

Gus Malzahn stepped down as head coach.

110. UCF (4-8, 100.8, 52.9)

PR: 50

Prediction: 6-6

BP: RJ Harvey-RB (232 carries, 1,577 yards*, 25 total TD) *Led Big 12

Recap: The Gus Malzahn era is over in Orlando after the Knights opened the season 3-0, but dropped eight of their final nine games. Malzahn announced that he was stepping down after the season ended and will now be the offensive coordinator up the road at Florida State. RJ Harvey was a beast this year for the Knights scoring 22 times on the ground which was tied for fourth in the nation.

109. Troy (4-8, 94, 73.9)

PR: 66

Prediction: 5-7

BP: Devonte Ross-WR (76, 1,043 yards*, 11 TD) *2nd in Sun Belt

Recap: The Trojans had a nightmare start to the season going 1-7 under new head coach Gerad Parker. Troy was able to right the ship at the end of the season with three wins in the final four games, including a 52-20 win over Southern Miss to end the season. The offense featured two of the best players in the Sun Belt with Ross leading the way among receivers and Damien Taylor running for over 1,000 yards, which was also the second-best in the league.

108. Akron (4-8, 92.3, 69)

PR: 132

Prediction: 2-10

BP: Ben Finley-QB (212-387, 2,604 yards*, 16 TD, 9 INT) *5th in MAC

Recap: The Zips entered the weekend before Halloween at a scary 1-6, but because MAC conference play is one of the many causes of my sports depression, Akron was able to rally and knock Eastern Michigan off its bowl-bound course. That gave them some confidence down the road as they dismantled their hapless rival Kent State and stunned Toledo in overtime to finish the season on a two-game win streak.

107. Northwestern (4-8, 91.5, 45.1)

PR: 72

Prediction: 6-6

BP: Mac Uihlein-LB (84 tackles, 2 sacks, FF)

Recap: The Wildcats played this season at the intimate 15,000-seat Martin Stadium as Ryan Field is under construction. Two of their games came at Wrigley Field, but it was almost better when no one was watching how bad they played. Northwestern started 2-1 and then managed to get to a 3-3 record after a win over Maryland. After that, the offensive woes were massive as their lone win came in overtime against a miserable Purdue team. They scored less than 7 points in four games, including the rare 5 points against Washington.

106. Wake Forest (4-8, 89.3, 53.5)

PR: 89

Prediction: 5-7

BP: Nick Andersen-DB (122 tackles*, 2 INT, FF, FR) *Led ACC

Recap: The Demon Deacons were close but no cigar this season with four losses by 7 points or fewer. Their schedule wasn't particularly kind as they faced 9 teams that eventually made bowl games going 2-7 in those matchups with wins over UConn and NCST.

The Terps were coasting until the wheels fell off.

105. Maryland (4-8, 88.8, 46.9)

PR: 55

Prediction: 7-5

BP: Billy Edwards Jr.-QB (273-420, 2,881 yards*, 15 TD, 9 INT) *3rd in Big Ten

Recap: The Terrapins began the season 4-3 with wins over Virginia, UConn, Villanova (FCS), and a thriller over USC. Then came five straight losses by at least 14 points to bring their season to a halt.

104. Arizona (4-8, 88.5, 43.4)

PR: 16

Prediction: 9-3

BP: Tetairoa McMillan-WR (84 rec, 1,319 yards*, 8TD) *Led Big 12

Recap: After a 3-1 start and some impressive offensive numbers, the luck ran out for the Wildcats who stumbled to just a win over Houston in the final eight games of the season. Noah Fifita was fifth in the Big 12 in passing yards, nearly eclipsing 3,000 yards, but he did have 12 Int to his 18 TD.

103. Rice (4-8, 85.3, 83.9)

PR: 94

Prediction: 4-8

BP: EJ Warner-QB (272-439, 2,710 yards*, 17 TD, 13 INT) *5th in AAC

Recap: Not even the arrival of transfer QB and son of Kurt Warner, EJ Warner, could save Mike Bloomgren's job after a 2-6 start to the season. After Bloomgren was relieved of his duties, the Owls pulled a stunning upset over Navy and added another win in the final game over South Florida.

102. Kentucky (4-8, 85, 46.4)

PR: 43

Prediction: 7-5

BP: Dane Key-WR (47 rec, 715 yards, 2 TD)

Recap: The Wildcats looked poised for another strong season after nearly upsetting Georgia and then pulling off the upset against Ole Miss to start 3-2 on the season. From there on out it was a complete disaster with their only win coming against Murray State (FCS) and their other six games ending in double-digit losses.

101. Houston (4-8, 65.5, 55.6)

PR: 83

Prediction: 3-9

BP: AJ Haulcy-DB (74 tackles, 5 INT*, 7 PD) *Tied for first in Big 12

Recap: It was a Jekyll and Hyde (mostly Hyde) season in Willie Fritz's first season at Houston. The Cougars earned victories over TCU, Kansas State, Utah, and Rice, and nearly beat Oklahoma. However, they had six games in which they scored 12 points or fewer including back to back scoreless outings against Iowa State and Cincinnati.

Saturday Spells Disaster for Many Top 25 Teams Leaving Oregon as the Lone Undefeated Team

The Buckeyes continue their path for a rematch with Oregon.

    Seven Top 25 were handed brutal late-season losses and a handful of other teams were pressed until the final minutes. Indiana and Army both lost their marquee matchups, leaving Oregon as the lone undefeated team in college football. The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish join a cluster of 10-1 teams as the playoff race heats up. The SEC had shockwaves sent through it as two 5-5 teams upset playoff foes. First Ole Miss choked in a loss to Florida and then Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions, including a pick-six, as they were dropped 24-3 by Oklahoma.

Coach Prime and the Buffs were derailed by Kansas.

    Colorado became the third straight-ranked opponent to lose to Kansas, while BYU ran out of extra chances in a wild loss to Arizona State. In that game, the Sun Devils' fans ran on the field, but a review showed that there was still one second remaining, forcing them off the field and giving BYU a last shot at a Hail Mary, that came up just short. The wildest upset came when Auburn kicked a field goal to tie the game and then defeated Texas A&M 43-41 in four overtimes.

The Nittany Lions clung to victory on Saturday.

    There were several close calls as Iowa State was saved by a missed field goal by Utah, Penn State scored late and played keep away to hold on 26-25 against Minnesota, and Boise State was bottled up against Wyoming, but did enough to win 17-13.

All this drama leads into perhaps the greatest week in sports, Rivalry Week. Although now bowl-eligible Michigan is likely no match for Ohio State in next week's Game, there are still plenty of hot tickets going into the final week. 17 teams are vying to become bowl-eligible with Minnesota-Wisconsin, Eastern Michigan-Western Michigan, Virginia-Virginia Tech, and UNC-NCST all in must-win games that could send their rival sitting at home this winter.

Let's take a look at some of those matchups and this week's shuffled Top 25:

The Ducks are looking to finish as the only undefeated team in the country.

1. Oregon (11-0, 64.7 WA, 0 LA)

Last Week Rank: 1

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Washington (6-5, 62)

Rivalry: Washington leads the series 63-48-5, including wins in the last 3 games.

2. Notre Dame (10-1, 61.4, 76)

LWR: 5

LW: The Irish demolished Army at Yankee Stadium to hand them their first loss of the season.

Up Next: USC (6-5, 59)

Rivalry: Notre Dame leads the series 34-30-3

3. Texas (10-1, 65, 27)

LWR: 4

LW: The Longhorns struggled early but were able to put away Kentucky 31-14.

Up Next: Texas A&M (8-3, 29)

Rivalry: Texas leads the series 76-37-5, have not played since 2011.

4. Penn State (10-1, 68.3, 19)

LWR: 6

LW: The Nittany Lions trailed late but were able to rally and hold off the Golden Gophers 26-25.

Up Next: Maryland (4-7, 100)

The Game will decide the Buckeyes' fate in the Big Ten Championship.

5. Ohio State (10-1, 68.9, 3)

LWR: 9

LW: The Buckeyes fell behind 7-0 and then rattled off 31 straight points in their 38-15 win over previously undefeated Indiana.

Up Next: Michigan (6-5, 58)

Rivalry: Michigan leads the series 61-51-6, Wolverines have won the last 3 meetings

6. Indiana (10-1, 72.8, 9)

LWR: 2

LW: Lost 38-15 to Ohio State.

Up Next: Purdue (1-10, 132)

Rivalry: Old Oaken Bucket, Purdue leads series 77-42-6, Boilermakers have won last 3 meetings

7. SMU (10-1, 73.4, 84)

LWR: 8

LW: The Mustangs rolled to a 33-7 win over Virginia to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship in their first year.

Up Next: Cal (6-5,68)

8. Miami (10-1, 75, 60)

LWR: 7

LW: The Hurricanes crushed Wake Forest and have a chance to make it to the ACC title game and possibly win the ACC for the first time ever.

Up Next: Syracuse (8-3, 23)

9. Boise State (10-1, 84.9, 5)

LWR: 11

LW: The Broncos struggled mightily to get past 2-8 Wyoming, 17-13.

Up Next: Oregon State (5-6, 86)

Notre Dame leapt over Army in the Pool Poll.

10. Army (9-1, 107.8, 5)

LWR: 3

LW: The Black Knights defense was no match for Notre Dame in a 49-14 loss.

Up Next: UTSA (6-5,74)

11. Arizona State (9-2, 61.9, 56.5)

LWR: 18

LW: The Sun Devils continue to prove their last-place finish prediction wrong as they knocked off BYU 28-23 for a chance to maybe play in the Big 12 Championship.

Up Next: Arizona (4-7, 99)

Rivalry: Duel in the Desert- Wildcats lead the series 51-44-1 and have won the last two meetings.

12. Clemson (9-2, 71, 21)

LWR: 15

LW: The Tigers took the week off and played The Citadel (FCS).

Up Next: South Carolina (8-3, 24)

Rivalry: Palmetto Bowl- The Tigers lead the series 73-43-4 and won the last meeting.

13. Georgia (9-2, 72.1, 11)

LWR: 16

LW: They briefly trailed UMass, but then reality set in and they won 59-21.

Up Next: Georgia Tech (7-4, 42)

Rivalry: Clean, Old Fashioned Hate-The Bulldogs lead the series 71-41-5 including the last 6 wins.

14. BYU (9-2, 77.8, 59.5)

LWR: 10

LW: The Cougars carriage finally turned into a pumpkin and their late game heroics fell short 28-23.

Up Next: Houston (4-7, 96)

The SEC is wide open and the Volunteers are hoping for chaos.

15. Tennessee (9-2, 82, 47)

LWR: 19

LW: The Volunteers bullied UTEP 59-0.

Up Next: Vanderbilt (6-5, 61)

Rivalry: Tennessee controls the series 78-32-5 including the last 5 meetings.

16. Iowa State (9-2, 83.8, 79.5)

LWR: 23

LW: The Cyclones got a late field goal and then Utah missed their own late-game field goal to give Iowa State a 31-28 victory.

Up Next: Kansas State (8-3, 26)

17. Tulane (9-2, 87.4, 25.5)

LWR: 12

LW: The Green Wave rested for the AAC showdown with the Tigers.

Up Next: Memphis (9-2, 20)

18. UNLV (9-2, 92.1, 37)

LWR: 25

LW: The Rebels defeated San Jose State 27-16 on Friday.

Up Next: Nevada (3-9, 124)

Rivalry: Fremont Cannon- Nevada leads the series 29-20, but UNLV has won the last two.

19. Louisiana (9-2, 97.2, 95.5)

LWR: 26

LW: The Ragin' Cajuns crushed Troy 51-30.

Up Next: Louisiana Monroe (5-6, 91)

Rivalry: Battle on the Bayou- Louisiana leads the series 32-26.

Memphis and Tulane meet again for AAC supremacy.

20. Memphis (9-2, 100.3, 75)

LWR: 13

LW: Bye

Up Next: Tulane (9-2, 17)

21. Liberty (8-2, 101, 101)

LWR: 28

LW: The Flames blew by Western Kentucky 38-21.

Up Next: Sam Houston State (8-3, 37)

22. Alabama (8-3, 51.5, 63)

LWR: 14

LW: The Crimson Tide folded 24-3 to the Sooners.

Up Next: Auburn (5-6, 84)

Rivalry: The Iron Bowl-Tide lead the series 50-37-1 and have won the last 4 meetings.

23. Syracuse (8-3, 61.5, 57.7)

LWR: 30

LW: The Orange held on to beat UConn 31-24.

Up Next: Miami (10-1, 8)

24. South Carolina (8-3, 66.5, 51)

LWR: 29

LW: The Gamecocks rested before the Palmetto Bowl with an easy win over Wofford (FCS).

Up Next: Clemson (9-2, 12)

The Buffs were not ready for Kansas.

25. Colorado (8-3, 67.9, 55.3)

LWR: 17

LW: The Buffaloes were stunned 37-21.

Up Next: Oklahoma State (3-8, 114)

Dropped Out: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Washington State, and James Madison

Waiting List: Kansas State, Illinois, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Washington State, Duke, Ohio, Marshall, James Madison, Missouri, Sam Houston State, Western Kentucky, Navy, and Louisville

Bottom 10:

Kennesaw State was one of four teams in the Bottom 10 to earn a victory this week.

125. Kennesaw State (2-9, last hope against La Tech)

126. Florida State (2-9, Florida)

127. Florida Atlantic (2-9, Tulsa)

128. Wyoming (2-9, Washington State)

129. UTEP (2-9, New Mexico State)

130. Mississippi State (2-9, Ole Miss)

131. UMass (2-9, UConn)

132. Purdue (1-10, Indiana)

133. Southern Miss (1-10, Troy)

134. Kent State (0-11, Buffalo)

Wild Night in College Football Sees Oregon Escape and BYU Fall

Somehow a team I like less than the Cubs played at Wrigley Field this Saturday.

    Saturday didn't have many games of note on the schedule but that was the perfect recipe for wild finishes and upsets. Clemson held a 17-3 lead, allowed Pitt to take the lead, then scored on a 50-yard touchdown in the final minute to win 24-20. Texas had to fight off Arkansas in a contest that looked better when Texas scooped up a fumble and scored with no time left to win 20-10.

The Gators were swarming in the LSU backfield all night.

    Then the 3:30 kickoffs came and there was plenty of excitement. Louisville was stunned after a failed Hail Mary attempt gave Stanford the ball with 10 seconds left. Two costly penalties put the Cardinal in range to kick the game-winning field goal to stun Louisville. LSU was too busy fighting each other to stop Florida from stealing an upset and South Carolina snuck past Missouri in one of two games featuring ranked opponents. The other was a decisive win for Georgia over Tennessee, 31-17. Arizona State proved they should've been ranked for its matchup with Kansas State as they upset the Wildcats 24-14. SMU escaped their upset bid from Boston College to wrap up the mid-afternoon contests.

The Jayhawks played spoiler late Saturday night.

    For the night games, Oregon struggled mightily against Wisconsin but its defense did enough to win 16-13. BYU and Washington State were not so lucky. Wazzu watched in stunned silence as New Mexico rallied to win 38-35 while BYU couldn't complete another comeback, falling 17-13 to Kansas.

    The most entertaining games actually had little importance in the grand scheme of things, but they involved Conference USA's best teams and two of the worst teams in college football. Both times, the hapless opponents, UMass and Kennesaw State, watched their chances to upset fall by the wayside. The Minutemen missed a game-winning field goal and their extra point in overtime to lose 35-34 to Liberty. Meanwhile, the Owls were looking for just their second win in their time in the FBS but lost 23-17 to Sam Houston State, who are just in their second season of FBS play.

    Next week boasts two Top 10 matchups in the realm of this week's Pool Poll as Indiana travels to Ohio State while Notre Dame takes on Army at Yankee Stadium. BYU and Arizona State will also face off in a battle of ranked teams. Midweek MACtion will also see the top two teams square off on Wednesday when Ohio takes on Toledo. Meanwhile, it's the annual week off for the SEC as they'll face teams like UMass (129), The Citadel (136), UTEP (125), and Wofford (136). Good news for Florida State (1-9) as they look for win number two against Charleston Southern (FCS). 

Here's a look at the Top 25:

Oregon gets a week to recover from their poor showing in Madison.

1. Oregon (11-0, 64.7 WA, 0 LA)

Last Week Rank: 1

Last Week: 16-13 win over Wisconsin

Up Next: Washington (11/30)

2. Indiana (10-0, 72.8, 0)

LWR: 2

LW: Bye

Up Next: Ohio State (9-1, 9)

3. Army (9-0, 107.8, 0)

LWR: 3

LW: Bye

Up Next: Notre Dame (9-1, 5)

4. Texas (9-1, 61.8, 27)

LWR: 6

LW: 20-10 win over Arkansas

Up Next: Kentucky (4-6, 94)

The Irish have just kept winning after their stunning loss to NIU.

5. Notre Dame (9-1, 67.9, 76)

LWR: 8

LW: 35-14 win over Virginia

Up Next: Army (9-0, 3)

6. Penn State (9-1, 70.2, 19)

LWR: 7

LW: 49-10 win over Purdue

Up Next: Minnesota (6-4, 51)

7. Miami (9-1, 72.6, 60)

LWR: 5

LW: Bye

Up Next: Wake Forest (4-6, 97)

8. SMU (9-1, 74.1, 84)

LWR: 11

LW: 38-28 win over Boston College

Up Next: Virginia (5-5, 67)

9. Ohio State (9-1, 76.3, 3)

LWR: 9 

LW: 31-7 win over Northwestern

Up Next: Indiana (10-0, 2)

There were no late-game heroics in Provo this weekend.

10. BYU (9-1, 77.8, 101)

LWR: 3

LW: 13-17 loss to Kansas

Up Next: Arizona State (8-2, 18)

11. Boise State (9-1, 80.6, 5)

LWR: 13

LW: 42-21 win over San Jose State

Up Next: Wyoming (2-8, 124)

12. Tulane (9-2, 87.4, 25.5)

LWR: 16

LW: 35-0 win over Navy

Up Next: Memphis (9-2, 11/28)

13. Memphis (9-2, 100.3, 75)

LWR: 17

LW: 53-18 win over UAB

Up Next: Tulane (9-2, 11/28)

14. Alabama (8-2, 51.5, 52)

LWR: 18

LW: 52-7 win over Mercer (FCS)

Up Next: Oklahoma (5-5, 85)

Cade Klubnik saved Clemson's season with this run.

15. Clemson (8-2, 62.9, 21)

LWR: 20

LW: 24-20 win over Pitt

Up Next: The Citadel (FCS, 136)

16. Georgia (8-2, 65, 11)

LWR: 22

LW: 31-17 win over Tennessee

Up Next: UMass (2-8, 129)

17. Colorado (8-2, 67.9, 37.5)

LWR: 19

LW: 49-24 win over Utah

Up Next: Kansas (4-6, 91)

18. Arizona State (8-2, 68.4, 56.5)

LWR: 24

LW: 24-14 win over Kansas State

Up Next: BYU (9-1, 10)

19. Tennessee (8-2, 76.6, 47)

LWR: 10

LW: 17-31 loss to Georgia

Up Next: UTEP (2-8, 125)

The Rebels had a chance to watch the Florida upset of LSU, to help get them prepared.

20. Ole Miss (8-2, 77.9, 54.5)

LWR: 15

LW: Bye

Up Next: Florida (5-5, 72)

21. Texas A&M (8-2, 80, 36.5)

LWR: 23

LW: 38-3 win over New Mexico State

Up Next: Auburn (4-6, 102)

22. Washington State (8-2, 82.1, 83.5)

LWR: 12

LW: 35-38 loss to New Mexico

Up Next: Oregon State (4-6, 103)

23. Iowa State (8-2, 82.6, 79.5)

LWR: 25

LW: 34-17 win over Cincinnati

Up Next: Utah (4-6, 93)

24. James Madison (8-2, 91.3, 56)

LWR: 30

LW: 35-32 win over Old Dominion

Up Next: Appalachian State (4-5, 89)

The Rebels are doing their best to make the Mountain West Championship.

25. UNLV (8-2, 96, 37)

LWR: 28

LW: 41-20 win over San Diego State

Up Next: San Jose State (6-4, 61)

Dropped Out: Louisiana, Kansas State

Watch List: Louisiana, Sam Houston State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Kansas State, Illinois, Pitt, Missouri, Duke, Marshall, WKU, Ohio, Toledo, and Navy

Kennesaw State had victory snatched away in overtime.

Bottom 10:

125. UTEP (2-8)

126. New Mexico State (2-8)

127. UAB (2-8)

128. Mississippi State (2-8)

129. UMass (2-8)

130. Kennesaw State (1-9)

131. Florida State (1-9)

132. Purdue (1-9)

133. Southern Miss (1-9)

134. Kent State (0-10)