Preseason Rank: 74
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Mountaineers racked up wins over Robert Morris (FCS), won the backyard brawl against Pitt, and knocked off Houston and Colorado in conference play. Those were the highlights for Rich Rodriguez in his return to Morgantown. The lowlights started with a stunning loss in Athens to Ohio in Week 2 and then they dropped their first five Big 12 contests. The season ended with an absolute dismantling by Texas Tech, 49-0.
Preseason Rank: 19
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: The Gamecocks went from a stellar 2024 season and brought back their starting QB for another strong run in 2025. They opened up at 3-2 with wins over Virginia Tech, SCST (FCS), and Kentucky, but were already 1-2 in the SEC at that point. They had five straight losses to end SEC play, but nearly upended Alabama and Texas A&M. Finally, a visit from Coastal Carolina snapped the losing streak, but they ended with a thud against Clemson to lose to their rivals.
Preseason Rank: 76
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: I thought for sure that Luke Fickell was going to be on the chopping block after this disastrous campaign, but the Badgers didn't feel like paying for that buyout. The good came with two wins to open the season against Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee State. They also picked up quality wins over Washington and Illinois in Big Ten play. The offense was nowhere to be seen against marquee opponents. They were outscored 202-45 by Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Oregon, Indiana, and worst of all, hated rival Minnesota.
Preseason Rank: 97
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Mountaineers had quite the journey in 2025. They opened the season at 4-2 with their only losses coming against Boise State and Southern Miss. Six of their next seven games were all decided by one score, with the Mountaineers only earning a win over Marshall in those six contests. Their lone blowout came at the hands of James Madison. The biggest blow came against Arkansas State in the final week which made the Red Wolves bowl eligible on a last second field goal. Despite going 5-7, the Mountaineers were allowed a chance to play in a bowl game after the need to fill three vacant spots. They even got a chance to avenge their earlier loss to rival Georgia Southern in the Birmingham Bowl.
Bowl Result: 29-10 loss to Georgia Southern
96. Mississippi State (5-8, 109.2, 38)
Preseason Rank: 106
Prediction: 3-9
Season Recap: The Bulldogs were in great position to start the season when they opened 4-0 including a win over Arizona State. That meant that they only needed two wins in the SEC to become bowl eligible. Unfortunately, they entered the season on a 16-game losing streak in conference play. They battled but fell short in overtime to Tennessee and Texas, while coming up just short to Florida. Finally, they broke through against fellow SEC failure Arkansas. With the streak over, it was time to start a new one and they did just that with three-straight losses. Like App State, they were gifted a chance at a bowl game and Jeff Lebby could even earn a chance to be doused in Duke's mayonnaise.
Bowl Result: 43-29 loss to Wake Forest
95. Rice (5-8, 104.4, 55.4)
Preseason Rank: 107
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: Like so many already on this list, the early season was promising for the Owls who jumped out to a 3-1 start. They snapped a three-game skid with a double overtime win over UConn and two weeks later they knocked off UAB to get to five wins. Unfortunately, they had to win one of two games against AAC top tier teams. Instead, North Texas and USF outscored the Owls 108-27 in those two games. They were the last of the teams to fill in the bowl vacancies and stayed close to home in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Bowl Result: 41-10 loss to Texas State
Preseason Rank: 55
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: Buffalo jumped out to a 4-3 start on the season including a 3-0 start in the MAC. All of those MAC wins were by a combined 11 points over Eastern Michigan, UMass, and Kent State, which should have raised alarms for how fragile this season would be. They could only muster one other win against Bowling Green, although they were close to overtaking Ohio, but lost 31-26 to avoid a bowl bid.
Preseason Rank: 124
Prediction: 3-9
Season Recap: Honestly, it was an improvement for the Owls, who were near the bottom of the rankings in 2024. New head coach KC Keeler had the offense humming against pushover foes UMass and Howard (FCS) racking up 99 points in his first two games. In one of my favorite stories of the year, Temple hosted Oklahoma and the Sooners didn't fly their band so the Owls rival, Villanova, brought its band to celebrate in Temple's misery. They would pick up wins over UTSA, Tulsa, and Charlotte to get within one of bowl eligibility. They came up a point short in both games against the service academies (Navy and Army). They desperately needed a win, but drew the AAC Championship game contestants (Tulane and North Texas) in their final two games to end their season.
Preseason Rank: 136
Prediction: 2-10
Season Recap: The worst team in 2024, they ended up firing Kenni Burns in the Spring, but not because of his performance. It turns out Burns was using the school credit card to rack up bills he wasn't intending to pay off. Mark Carney took over the program and faced a brutal schedule to start. A win over Mercer (who actually made the FCS playoffs) was the lone chance at victory as they faced Florida State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech over their next four games. Wins eventually did come as they knocked off UMass, Bowling Green, and most importantly Akron to win the Wagon Wheel back from their rival. As a going away present, Kent State knocked off Northern Illinois in its final MAC game. Carney was rewarded for his progress and had the interim tag removed to become the official head coach of the Golden Flashes.
Preseason Rank: 92
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Golden Knights opened to a 3-0 start that included a win over North Carolina, but it would be three straight losses before they found the win column against West Virginia. Another three game losing streak was ended by a near loss to Oklahoma State and their wave of shirtless fans. They needed to win the finale to become bowl-eligible and instead were laughed off the field 41-21 by BYU.
Preseason Rank: 118
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: Very rarely does the NCAA mention the academic performance of any team. They standards are honestly pretty low, so when somebody doesn't meet them it's an ugly stain on a program. The Zips just happened to be a team that failed to meet those standards and they were bowl-ineligible because of it. They started the season allowing 78 unanswered points to Wyoming and Nebraska. They spoiled the chances of just one team, Buffalo, from becoming bowl eligible. They season was such a letdown that they were the first team to finish a week early.
Preseason Rank: 32
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: The Baylor Bears were so close to not only being bowl eligible but also continuing to be one of the top Big 12 teams. Instead, they balanced a tightrope that saw them win one score games against SMU and Kansas State, but lose close contests to Arizona State, TCU, and finally a loss to Houston which officially ended their season. The Bears were offered a chance to play in a bowl as a 5-7 team but declined the offer.
Preseason Rank: 54
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Jayhawks seemed to be on their way to a bowl appearance after opening the season 4-2. Then they managed to lose back-to-back games 42-17 before knocking off Oklahoma State to get to five wins. The schedule began to stack up the odds for that bowl game and Arizona, Iowa State, and Utah all made sure the Jayhawks season was over.
Preseason Rank: 71
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: The Scarlet Knights rolled out a rather pedestrian performance in 2025. They nearly lost their opener to Ohio, knocked off their next two non-conference opponents to start 3-0. Then came the Big Ten schedule and they lost everything up until their unimpressive 27-24 win over Purdue. They were able to destroy Maryland and needed to win one of their final two games. Ohio State rolled 42-9, but Rutgers was oh so close to upending Penn State, but the Nittany Lions rallied to win 40-36. Rutgers was another team that declined a chance to play in a bowl despite the five-win season.
Preseason Rank: 86
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: The Seminoles began the season with a huge win over Alabama and knocked around two cupcake teams to jump out to 3-0. Then came a wild double-overtime loss to Virginia that exposed FSU. Miami, Pitt, and yet another wild loss at Stanford brought them suddenly to 3-4. They responded with a 35-point beatdown of Wake Forest and two weeks later knocked off Virginia Tech to get back to .500. They fell short against NCST but could still be bowl-eligible with a win over rival Florida in the final week. Instead, they were Gator bait and were throttled 40-21 to end their season.
Preseason Rank: 53
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: The Tigers had a rough schedule but were nearly able to reach bowl eligibility. The Tigers worst loss was by just 10 points to Georgia. They had one score losses to Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Still after a win over Mercer (FCS) they had a chance to get there. Their last chance was in the Iron Bowl, but the Tigers were once again on the wrong end of a one score game, a 27-20 loss to the Crimson Tide. Hugh Freeze was given the axe and USF head coach Alex Golesh was hired to take over the program.
Preseason Rank: 75
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: Honestly, for losing so many players to the transfer portal it was a miracle the Thundering Herd could even compete in 2025. They earned tough wins over Old Dominion and Texas State to get to 5-5. Needing a win, they had their first chance against Appalachian State, but they dropped a heartbreaker 26-24. The last chance came against Georgia Southern, but the Eagles outlasted Marshall 24-19.
Preseason Rank: 87
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: Mark Stoops may have been in trouble when the Wildcats narrowly escaped Toledo to begin the season. In fact, the only two wins they had in their first seven games were against MAC opponents. The nearly knocked off Texas in overtime and finally got an SEC win over Auburn. That led to another win over Florida and an easy win over Tennessee Tech (FCS) to get to the five-win mark. There was no drama in whether or not they would get to six wins as Vanderbilt and Louisville dropped 86 points on UK to its lowly 10. Stoops was fired after those beatdowns and Oregon Offensive Coordinator, Will Stein, will take over as the new head coach.
Preseason Rank: 59
Prediction: 10-2
Season Recap: It was a struggle early on for the Ragin' Cajuns as they fell into a 2-6 hole. The comeback started with a win over South Alabama, next they held on to knock off Texas State, then came a win over Arkansas State. They needed one more win against rival Louisiana Monroe and the Warhawks nearly ruined the rally, but a missed field goal allowed ULL to earn a bowl bid in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Bowl Result: 20-13 loss to Delaware
Preseason Rank: 98
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: It was an up and down season for the Chanticleers who were actually sitting at 6-3 to start the season. A close loss to Georgia Southern would actually lead to a series of beatdowns. First, South Carolina won 51-7, and then James Madison clinched their Sun Belt Championship spot with a 59-10 smackdown. That led to Tim Beck being fired and Missouri State's Ryan Beard hired in as the new head coach. Without Beck the Chanticleers were headed to the Independence Bowl and wound up with a four-game losing streak to end the season.
Bowl Result: 23-14 loss to Louisiana Tech
Preseason Rank: 111
Prediction: 3-9
Season Recap: The Aggies were fairly consistent in their strategy to win a game and lose a game. This pattern was nearly upended at the end of the season when they lost in double overtime to UNLV. They knocked off Fresno State to get to six wins and then had a chance to knock off Boise State to get New Mexico to their first ever Mountain West Championship. Instead, Utah State blew a late lead and lost its final Mountain West game, 25-24. They got a preview of their new life in the Pac 12 when they faced Washington State in Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.
Bowl Result: 34-21 loss to Washington State
Preseason Rank: 65
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: The Redhawks were one of the many beneficiaries of weird tiebreakers that caused many commotions throughout college football this season. After an 0-3 start, Miami rattled off five straight wins before losing the Battle of the Bricks with Ohio. That was followed by a loss to Toledo, which meant that Miami had lost to two of the teams ahead of them in the MAC standings. However, they didn't play Western Michigan, who also finished tied atop the conference, so a strength of opponents tiebreaker was used and that was bad news for anyone who had UMass on their schedule. Miami did not and that was good enough to win the tiebreaker and earn a trip to the MAC Championship. Dequan Finn announced he was leaving the program to prep for the NFL, so that left Miami without a QB for the final weeks. That was a bad matchup for their contest with Western Michigan, who cruised to a 23-13 victory. Their woes would continue when they headed out west for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.
Bowl Result: 18-3 loss to Fresno State.
Preseason Rank: 20
Prediction: 9-3
Season Recap: The Wildcats began the season ranked and headed off to Ireland for a showdown with Iowa State. They not only lost the game in a rain-soaked contest, QB Avery Johnson had to deal with headlines that his brother and father got into a physical altercation after the game. After surviving a scare with North Dakota (FCS) the following week, the Wildcats dropped two of their next three to drop from the rankings altogether. They ended up winning four of their final six contests including wins over rival Kansas and a win over Colorado to become bowl eligible. However, they announced that coach Chris Klieman was retiring and they would be without a coaching staff and declined to play in a bowl game.
Preseason Rank: 133
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: The Bears entered their first season in the FBS and it started with a 73-13 loss at USC. The found a couple wins over Marshall and Tennessee Martin (FCS) to get some early success. Things started rolling with a win over Middle Tennessee State that turned into a five-game winning streak before losing a heartbreaker to Kennesaw State. At seven wins they were bowl eligible, but because they are a first-year program they would need a waiver to play. They, alongside Delaware, were given a waiver and had the XBox Bowl created so they could play in the postseason against Arkansas State. They would have to do so without coach Ryan Beard who parlayed his success at Missouri State into becoming the new head coach at Coastal Carolina. They hired SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods to become the new head man in Springfield.
Bowl Result: 34-28 loss to Arkansas State
Preseason Rank: 108
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: Matt Drinkall had the Chips fired up in his first season with a chance to play for a MAC Championship. They did so with wins EMU, UMass, Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Kent State. In the last week they were in a must win with Toledo to stay in the closely contested MAC Championship race. Midweek MACtion proved unkind to CMU as it's dropped the finale to Toledo, 21-3. The earned a trip to Ford Field in the Game Above Bowl against Northwestern and hoped that this experience against a Power 4 school would go better than their games against Michigan and Pitt earlier in the season. Unfortunately, it did not.
Bowl Result: 34-7 loss to Northwestern
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