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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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