I consider teams in the Top 50 to be some of the best in the country, but these teams were on the short end just enough times that they are on the outside looking in at the coveted spots. Only two coaches in this section will be replaced. Interim Tim Skipper will not return to coach Fresno State while ECU fired Mike Houston and went from bottom feeder to bowl game winner under new full-time head coach Blake Harrell. Only four teams in this section finished with a losing record and all of them at least made a bowl game.
This is bizarrely where many a team that played spoilers throughout the season reside. Of course, Northern Illinois scored the biggest upset of the year with their shocking victory over Notre Dame in Week 2. Vanderbilt's win over Alabama likely was a major factor in keeping the Crimson Tide out of the playoffs. Finally, Georgia Tech and Boston College were the first to expose what would be a long season for Florida State's disastrous two-win season.
The Pitt Panthers are in the exact middle of the road for the rankings and have one of the weirdest seasons. They began the year 7-0 but ended on a six-game losing skid, including a six overtime loss in their bowl game. Here's the rest of the list:
75. Fresno State (6-7, 90 WA, 62.7 LA)
Preseason Rank: 42
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: QB Mikey Keene (277-393, 2,892 yards*, 18 TD, 11 INT) *2nd in MWC
Bowl Game: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (L 28-20, 2OT, Northern Illinois)
Recap: It was a strange start to the season as Jeff Tedford resigned again for health reasons and thrust Tim Skipper into the head coaching role. The season was actually off to a good start as the Bulldogs at 6-1. Then came a head-scratching loss to Hawaii and another bad blow to Air Force. They dropped the season finale to UCLA and lost a double-overtime thriller that they should've won in regulation to future Mountain West opponent Northern Illinois in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Fresno State will turn to former FCS Champion Matt Entz who won two titles at North Dakota State. He served as the defensive coordinator for USC in 2024. He won't have his star QB, as Keene announced that he was transferring to Michigan.
74. NCST (6-7, 87.3, 56.1)
Preseason Rank: 20
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: QB CJ Bailey (196-302, 2,413 yards, 17 TD, 10 INT, 5 Rush TD)
Bowl Game: GoBowling Military Bowl (L 26-21 ECU)
Recap: The Wolfpack had an up-and-down season that could've gone differently with a play or two. They went 3-4 in games decided by seven points or less including their bowl loss to ECU. The end of that game was marred by a massive fight that left a referee bloodied by the fracas. Perhaps they were mad that the loss made them finish 2-3 against teams from North Carolina.
73. Washington (6-7, 79.2, 23.9)
Preseason Rank: 25
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: QB Will Rogers (220-311, 2,458 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT)
Bowl Game: Sun Bowl (L 35-34 Louisville)
Recap: If you thought Michigan had a disappointing finish after the National Championship then what would you call what happened to Washington? The Jedd Fisch/Big Ten era wasn't what the Huskies had hoped for. They did earn revenge against Washtenaw County defeating Eastern Michigan and Michigan in Seattle to start the season. But they also lost the Apple Cup to Washington State and needed a win over UCLA in the second-to-last game. In the Sun Bowl, they rallied late and then decided to go for two, but missed and lost by one to Louisville. Receivers Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston were the only other duo outside Smith and Egbuka to finish in the top ten in the Big Ten.
72. Virginia Tech (6-7, 66.3, 54.7)
Preseason Rank: 35
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: DL Antwaun Powell-Ryland (43 tackles, 16 sacks*, 3 FF) *3rd in Nation
Bowl Game: Duke's Mayo Bowl (L 24-10 Minnesota)
Recap: The Hokies had no clutch gene as they lost all five one-score games they played. In one of those games they lost to Duke, then they went on to lose the Duke's Mayo Bowl to Minnesota. At least Brent Pry didn't have to get doused in mayonnaise.
71. San Jose State (7-6, 106.6, 51.2)
Preseason Rank: 102
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: WR Nick Nash (104 rec, 1,382 yards*, 16 TD) *2nd in Nation
Bowl Game: Hawaii Bowl (L 41-39, 5 OT, USF)
Recap: Ken Niumatalolo was coaching somewhere that wasn't Navy for the first time in 20 years and found success in San Jose. They picked up seven wins thanks to a high-powered offense that relied on a strong passing game, a departure from the triple option Niumatalolo ran at Navy. They even earned a win over Stanford at the end of the season to book a trip to the Hawaii bowl where Niumatalolo is from. Things looked good on Christmas Eve, but it turned out to be coal in the stockings when USF rallied to win a wild 5 overtime thriller. That was a record for the most overtimes in a bowl game, but it would be broken just two days later.
70. Bowling Green (7-6, 103.9, 58.5)
Preseason Rank: 70
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (117 rec, 1,555 yards* 10 TD) *Led Nation
Bowl Game: 68 Ventures Bowl (L 38-31 Arkansas State)
Recap: The Falcons looked like they were going to have a wasted season full of close calls as they were within one score of Penn State and Texas A&M, but then followed those tough losses with a loss to Old Dominion to begin 2-4. MACtion was kind to them as they won five straight before losing to Miami in the final week. They played another close game in their bowl loss to Arkansas State in the 68 Ventures Bowl. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is projected to be selected in the first few rounds after his Consensus All-American performance that earned him a trip to the Senior Bowl.
69. UTSA (7-6, 93.4, 63.8)
Preseason Rank: 65
Prediction: 10-2
Best Player: QB Owen McCown (294-467, 3,424 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT)
Bowl Game: Myrtle Beach Bowl (W 44-15 Coastal Carolina)
Recap: 2024 will be remembered as a wild season, but some strange things occur thanks to the passage of time. Owen McCown is the son of former NFL QB Josh McCown and lost a game to Rice, who QB by Kurt Warner's son EJ. It makes one feel old. That loss had them going 1-3 in one-score games but that one win prevented Memphis from going to the AAC Championship. That win also allowed them to become bowl eligible and earn a road trip to Myrtle Beach. That was a defacto home game for Coastal Carolina, but the Roadrunners felt right at home in the end zone winning 44-15. Zah Frazier was tied for second in the FBS with 6 interceptions.
68. USF (7-6, 91.7, 59)
Preseason Rank: 64
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: QB Bryce Archie (172-290, 1,914 yards, 9 TD, 10 INT, 2 Rush TD)
Bowl Game: Hawaii Bowl (W 41-39, 5 OT, San Jose State)
Recap: The Bulls used back-to-back offensive explosions at the end of the season to earn bowl eligibility. In fact, USF had five games in which they scored at least 40 points (winning all five). Then came a trip to the Hawaii Bowl where the offense lay dormant for the first three quarters before coming alive in the fourth and outlasting San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes.
67. Pitt (7-6, 87.7, 45)
Preseason Rank: 90
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: DB Donovan McMillon (115 tackles*, INT, FF) *3rd in ACC
Bowl Game: Game Above Sports Bowl (L 48-46, 6OT, Toledo)
Recap: It was a tail of two halves as the cardiac Pitt Panthers saw their carriage turn into a pumpkin. Pitt started the year 7-0, but the wheels fell off and they were 0-5 after that point heading into their bowls game. They blew several chances to put away the Rockets, but Toledo prevailed inn six overtimes, a bowl-game record.
66. Arkansas (7-6, 85.7, 25.7)
Preseason Rank: 73
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: QB Taylen Green (230-381, 3,154 yards*, 15 TD, 9 INT, 602 rush yards, 8 TD) *5th in SEC
Bowl Game: Liberty Bowl (W 39-26 Texas Tech)
Recap: Perhaps one of the wildest stats of the season came from Andrew Armstrong who led the SEC in receiving yards with 1,140, but only had one touchdown. The Razorbacks stumbled down the stretch going 2-4 and limping into the bowl season. The break in between games turned out to be exactly what they needed as Arkansas roared past Texas 39-26 in the Liberty Bowl.
65. South Alabama (7-6, 82.7, 71.5)
Preseason Rank: 82
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: WR Jamaal Pritchett (91 rec, 1,127 yards*, 9 TD) *Led FBS
Bowl Game: Salute to Veterans Bowl (W 23-16 Western Michigan)
Recap: The Jaguars were rich in offense with Gio Lopez throwing for over 2,500 yards and 18 TDs, with Pritchett serving as his top receiver. Fluff Bothwell and Kentrel Bullock ran for 832 and 831 yards respectively while adding 20 TD. The high point came against Northwestern State (FCS) when they dropped 87 on the Demons. It wasn't quite that much, but USA did just enough to get past Western Michigan 23-16 in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.
64. Rutgers (7-6, 82.7, 63.5)
Preseason Rank: 71
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: RB Kyle Monangai (256 carries, 1,279 yards*, 14 total TD) *2nd in Big Ten
Bowl Game: Rate Bowl (L 44-41 Kansas State)
Recap: It was an up-and-down season for the Scarlet Knights as they opened the season 4-0 before losing their next four games. They three of their final four games including a crushing 41-14 win over Michigan State to end the season. They played a very competitive game in the Rate Bowl against Kansas State but blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to lose 44-41 to the Wildcats.
63. Nebraska (7-6, 81.1, 48.7)
Preseason Rank: 51
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: QB Dylan Raiola (275-410, 2,819 yards, 13 TD, 11 INT)
Bowl Game: Pinstripe Bowl (W 20-15 Boston College)
Recap: The Cornhuskers and their Patrick Mahomes doppelganger at QB were off to a hot 5-1 start including a win over Colorado. Then came a gauntlet of losses to Indiana, Ohio State, UCLA, and USC before finally defeating Wisconsin to become bowl-eligible. They lost a heartbreaker to Iowa in the final game of the season but were able to hold off Boston College to win the Pinstripe Bowl and finish with a winning record.
62. Vanderbilt (7-6, 71.7, 39.2)
Preseason Rank: 109
Prediction: 3-9
Best Player: QB Diego Pavia (177-298, 2,293 yards, 20 TD, 4 INT, 193 carries, 800 yards*, 8TD) *6th in SEC
Bowl Game: Birmingham Bowl (W 35-27 Georgia Tech)
Recap: Diego Pavia continued to grow the legend he built at New Mexico State thanks to some big upsets early on in the season. They beat Virginia Tech in overtime but then lost to Georgia State. They suffered a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Missouri but came out the next game and knocked off Alabama. They also nearly upset Texas, but luckily, they got a sixth win against Auburn to become bowl-eligible. That turned out to be a blessing with three straight losses against eventual bowl-bound teams. In their bowl, the Commodores jumped out early and kept the Yellow Jackets at bay to win the Birmingham Bowl. That victory secured their first winning season since James Franklin led the team to nine wins in 2013.
61. USC (7-6, 62.1, 50)
Preseason Rank: 30
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: RB Woody Marks (198 carries, 1,133 yards, 9 TD) *4th in Big Ten
Bowl Game: Las Vegas Bowl (W 35-31 Texas A&M)
Recap: The move to the Big Ten proved to be a rough one for the Trojans. The schedule was filled with eight bowl teams and included trips out East that were unsuccessful including a loss at Michigan and a one-point loss to Maryland. Things started out well when they upset LSU and they managed to beat their innercity rival UCLA to clinch a bowl bid and keep the Bruins from going bowling. In the Las Vegas Bowl, they surprised many by earning their second win against an SEC team with their win against Texas A&M.
60. Georgia Tech (7-6, 59.7, 37.7)
Preseason Rank: 36
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: QB Haynes King (196-269, 2,114 yards, 14 TD, 2 INT, 125 carries, 587 yards, 11 TD)
Bowl Game: Birmingham Bowl (L 35-27 Vanderbilt)
Recap: The Yellow Jackets were a case of what-if, as they showed signs of being one of the best teams in the ACC and then struggled other weeks. Against bowl-eligible teams they went 4-5 that included a win over Miami, but also an 8 overtime loss to Georgia. That up-and-down play continued in their bowl game as they dug an early hole against Vanderbilt and lost 35-27.
59. Boston College (7-6, 47.4, 50.8)
Preseason Rank: 54
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: DE Donovan Ezeiruaku (80 tackles, 16.5 sacks*, 3 FF) *2nd in Nation
Bowl Game: Pinstripe Bowl (L 20-15 Nebraska)
Recap: The Eagles flew out to a fast start at 4-1, but poor QB play from Thomas Castellanos led to three-straight losses and in the midst of a fourth he was pulled from the game. Grayson James took over and led BC to an upset win over Syracuse to snap the streak, but then they lost the following week to SMU. They needed to win one of their final two games and ended up winning both to feel good heading into the bowl season. A sloppy, rainy, game in the Bronx proved to favor Nebraska as the Cornhuskers took the Pinstripe Bowl 20-15.
58. WKU (8-6, 88.3, 44.2)
Preseason Rank: 61
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: QB Caden Veltkamp (258-389, 3,108 yards* 25 TD, 10 INT) *Led CUSA
Bowl Game: Boca Raton Bowl (L 27-17 James Madison)
Recap: The Hilltoppers had a very strange season, to say the least. It began with a 63-0 blowout at the hands of Alabama and had big wins over Toledo and Jacksonville State with the latter setting up a rematch in the CUSA Championship. The Gamecocks exacted an act of brutal revenge dominating WKU 52-17 to win the CUSA Championship. The Hilltoppers earned a trip to the Boca Raton Bowl and ended up on the wrong end of things as they lost to James Madison.
57. Colorado State (8-5, 109.6, 54)
Preseason Rank: 88
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (230-380, 2,796 yards*, 14 TD, 9 INT) *3rd in MWC
Bowl Game: Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (L 43-17 Miami, OH)
Recap: The Rams made their way over the hump to go from just missing a bowl game, to earning a trip to Arizona and adding a three-win improvement. They beat the teams they were supposed to beat but struggled against the teams above .500, going 1-4. The last defeat was a disappointing finish to their season as they were dismantled by the Miami Redhawks in their bowl game.
56. Arkansas State (8-5, 108, 55.8)
Preseason Rank: 101
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: QB Jaylen Raynor (259-420, 2,783 yards*, 16 TD, 10 INT, 3 Rush TD) *4th in Sun Belt
Bowl Game: 68 Ventures Bowl (W 38-31 Bowling Green)
Recap: Arkansas State finished with their first winning season since 2019. They did so by beating the teams below .500 on their schedule and even played a competitive game in Ann Arbor, losing 28-18 to the Wolverines. Still, their struggles against bowl-bound teams (1-4) left some worry when they head to Alabama for the 68 Ventures Bowl. There they held off Harold Fannin and the Bowling Green offense to secure the victory.
55. ECU (8-5, 103.3, 55.6)
Preseason Rank: 130
Prediction: 3-9
Best Player: RB Rahjai Harris (206 carries, 1,166 yards*, 11 TD) *5th in AAC
Bowl Game: GoBowling Military Bowl (W 26-21 NCST)
Recap: No decision will look better for any team than ECU's decision to fire Mike Houston in the middle of the season. The Pirates came alive under interim Blake Harrell, who had the interim tag removed after winning four of their five final games to make a bowl game. They drew an in-state foe and despite the ugly sight of the brawl that finished the game, ECU held their own to win a close game and end their season which started so poorly, on a high note.
54. Toledo (8-5, 95, 76.2)
Preseason Rank: 48
Prediction: 10-2
Best Player: WR Jerjuan Newton (72 rec, 1,033 yards*, 11 TD) *3rd in MAC
Bowl Game: Game Above Sports Bowl (W 48-46, 6 OT, Pitt)
Recap: The Rockets offense was led by Tucker Gleason who nearly had a pair of 1,000 yards receivers in Newton and Junior Vandeross III (957 yards). They even went out and beat an SEC team on the road, albeit it was Mississippi State. They earned wins over Miami and Northern Illinois to set up a chance to go to another MAC Championship, but then things fell apart. They were wrecked by their rival, Bowling Green, and lost a key game to Ohio. Finally, they were stunned by Akron in the final game of the season as the Zips scored an overtime win after several missed field goals by the Rockets. Still, they felt good traveling up 75 to play in Detroit against an ACC opponent they've had some success. It turned out to be a wild game as they set a bowl game record with six overtimes that eventually saw Toledo hold off the Pitt Panthers 48-46.
53. Northern Illinois (8-5, 90.9, 80.6)
Preseason Rank: 76
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: RB Gavin Williams (139 yards, 749 yards, 5 total TD)
Bowl Game: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (W 28-20, 2OT, Fresno State)
Recap: There was no bigger upset in all of college football in 2024 than the stunning defeat of the Fighting Irish by the Huskies. In true MAC fashion, they followed that up with an overtime loss to Buffalo. In fact, NIU finished smack in the middle of the MAC at 4-4 for a disappointing end to the regular season. They ended on a high note with a double overtime win in a wild Famous Idaho Potato Bowl over Fresno State. They'll become familiar with California teams as they announced that they would be leaving the MAC for the Mountain West starting in 2026.
52. Texas State (8-5, 89.1, 53.2)
Preseason Rank: 44
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: QB Jordan McCloud (273-390, 3,227 yards*, 30 TD, 13 INT, 7 Rush TD) *Led Sun Belt
Bowl Game: First Responders Bowl (W 30-28 North Texas)
Recap: The Bobcats were an offensive power scoring 30 points in 10 of their 13 games this season. A couple of rough weeks kept them out of the Sun Belt Championship, but they returned to a familiar place in the First Responders Bowl. They held off a late rally by North Texas to become back-to-back champs of that particular bowl to improve their bowl record to 2-0.
51. Iowa (8-5, 85.8, 51)
Preseason Rank: 27
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: RB Kaleb Johnson (240 carries, 1,537 yards*, 21 TD*, 2 Rec TD) *Led Big Ten
Bowl Game: Music City Bowl (L 27-24 Missouri)
Recap: Life, death, taxes, and a middle-of-the-road Iowa team making a bowl game. There was one slight wrinkle to this constant as the Iowa Hawkeyes actually scored some points in 2024. In six games, they scored more than 30 points and had 40 in four of those games. They still struggled to beat Iowa State and scored just seven against Ohio State, but they earned a last-second victory over Nebraska to end the regular season. Iowa also gave Missouri a run for their money in the Music City Bowl, but were one of only a few examples this season of a Big Ten losing to an SEC school in 2024.
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