Pool Poll Final Rankings 50-26: Nine Wins, Two Coaches That Were Too Close with Staff, and Two Conference Champs Represent Those Who Just Missed the Top 25

 

Michigan cheating scandal took on a new definition in 2025.

    In the penultimate rankings for the 2025, it's safe to say that all the teams here could label their seasons as a success. Hawaii, New Mexico, and San Diego State were all in the Mountain West race after tough 2024 campaigns, ultimately losing to the usual suspect, Boise State. Jacksonville State, UConn, ECU, and USF all finished with some of the best seasons in school history, while Kirk Ferentz still worked his magic to win nine games as the longest tenured coach in college football.

    For all the highs, there were some lows. Matt Campbell was swept away from Iowa State causing the Cyclones to skip a bowl game as they had no coaching staff. Mora left UConn for Colorado State and Alex Golesh moved from USF to Auburn. Jake Dickert might have regretted his decision to go to Wake Forest as his season ended with a tub full of mayonnaise dumped on his family. Two other schools fired their coaches for damaging the reputation of the university. 

    First, Sherrone Moore was fresh off a loss to Ohio State when news came out about an affair with a staff member that led to an altercation in early December that landed him in jail. Around the same time, Ohio's Brian Smith had been placed on leave. It was then revealed that Smith was involved with a relationship with a student although, unlike Moore, Smith was in the process of separation from his wife. Still the admin in Athens found his behavior unbecoming to the university and fired him before the Bobcats bowl game.

    Here's a look at the full list of those who were good, but not good enough to make the final cut.

Arizona State beat Texas Tech before it was cool.

50. Arizona State (8-5, 63.6, 51.6)

Preseason Rank: 7

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Sun Devils jumped out to a 4-1 record and experienced the low of getting blown out by Utah, then coming back and stunning Texas Tech. They were still alive in the Big 12 race despite a loss to Houston, but their instate rival stood in the way. Those hopes were dashed by the Wildcats and then they spent their time between the final game and the Sun Bowl worrying if coach Kenny Dillingham would be hired away. He wasn't and instead was on the sidelines for one of the between bowl games of the year against ACC Champs, Duke.

Bowl Result: 42-39 loss to Duke

49. Boise State (9-5, 88.2, 52, *MWC Champs)

Preseason Rank: 12

Prediction: 10-2

Season Recap: The Broncos felt pretty good that their only losses were to USF and Notre Dame and that they throttled UNLV to take charge of the Mountain West. Then back-to-back losses to Fresno State and San Diego State meant they were all but out of it, especially when they trailed late in the final game to Utah State. Instead, the Broncos broke the hearts of all those trying to make a Mountain West title game. There they once again dismantled UNLV in their building to win their final Mountain West title. The future Pac 12 team met up with a former Pac 12 team, Washington, for the L.A. Bowl.

Bowl Result: 38-10 loss to Washington

48. Jacksonville State (9-5, 86.9, 80.4) 

Preseason Rank: 82

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Gamecocks were feeling pretty good at 7-3 until a midweek slipup against FIU put them in a must win situation heading into the final week. They rallied back in that game to knock off WKU to prevent the Hilltoppers from going to the CUSA Championship. They instead met up with Kennesaw State, who the Gamecocks had defeated just weeks before. This time it was the Owls with the late magic to steal the CUSA title. They settled for a matchup of runner ups in the 68 Ventures Bowl with Sun Belt runner up, Troy. Cam Cook skipped the bowl game, but still led the NCAA in rushing with 1,659 yards on 295 carries and added 16 TDs.

Bowl Result: 17-13 win over Troy

47. Duke (9-5, 60.2, 18.4, *ACC Champs) 

Preseason Rank: 33

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Blue Devils made a lot of people upset as they potentially cost Miami a spot in the National Championship. That's because Duke found ways to win when they needed it most. Of their five losses, three of them were to non-conference opponents Illinois, Tulane, and UConn. Their losses in ACC play came against Virginia and Georgia Tech, but their six wins put them at the top of the conference standings. Using an overly complicated tiebreaker, the ACC selected Virginia and Duke to play in the ACC title game. Having already lost to the Cavaliers by 17, the Blue Devils sought revenge and did so in overtime to win their first ACC title since 1962. They met up with Arizona State in the Sun Bowl after they were not selected as a playoff team despite winning their conference. QB Darian Mensah said he's coming back next year after finishing second in the NCAA in passing yards with 3,973 yards, 34 TDs, and just 6 INT in 500 attempts.

Bowl Result: 42-39 win over ASU

46. Iowa State (8-4, 68.6, 54.5) 

Preseason Rank: 14

Prediction: 9-3

Season Recap: Iowa State's season started in Ireland and ended in hiring Jimmy Rogers (Washington State) as their new head coach. They jumped out to a 5-0 start that included a win over rival Iowa. Then Cincinnati, Colorado, BYU, and Arizona State dropped four straight losses on the Cyclones to tank their Big 12 bid. Iowa State ended on a three-game win streak, but Matt Campbell was being whisked away to Penn State and without a coach, they opted to skip their bowl game.

Bowl Result: Declined to play

Jason Candle looks to continue the recent success at UConn.

45. UConn (9-4, 104.3, 78.5) 

Preseason Rank: 45

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Huskies put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they did so from 2007-2010. UConn went 2-1 against ACC teams in 2025 but also had weird overtime losses to Rice and Delaware. Still, it was enough to earn a trip to the Fenway Bowl against Army and have Jim Mora Jr. swept away by Colorado State. The Huskies were not only missing Mora but leading receiver Skyler Bell, who finished third in the NCAA with 1,278 yards and added 13 TDs.

Bowl Result: 41-16 loss to Army.

44. East Carolina (9-4, 101.8, 49) 

Preseason Rank: 81

Prediction: 6-6

Season Recap: The Pirates had sort of an unassuming season. They lost all three big games to NCST, BYU, and Tulane, and met UTSA when the offense was full throttle. Still, they earned a win over Memphis and everyone else on their AAC schedule to need a miracle make the title game. Despite a 42-3 win over Florida Atlantic in the final game, they didn't get the help they needed and settled for an appearance in the Go Bowling Military Bowl against Pitt.

Bowl Result: 23-17 win over Pitt

43. New Mexico (9-4, 98.2, 65.8) 

Preseason Rank: 109

Prediction: 3-9

Season Recap: This seemed like the year for the Lobos to finally make a Mountain West title game. They were respectable against Michigan and even blew out UCLA by 25. Then a couple losses in back-to-back weeks, plagued the Lobos whole rest of the season. They did their best to hang around, knocking off UNLV and then in double overtime they defeated San Diego State. Unfortunately, Boise State rallied to win its game and a computer tiebreaker awarded the Broncos and Rebels a shot at the Mountain West title. New Mexico would settle for a trip to the Rate Bowl and a chance to finish with a winning record against the Big Ten.

Bowl Result: 20-17 (OT) loss to Minnesota

42. Hawaii (9-4, 97.1, 69) 

Preseason Rank: 100

Prediction: 4-8

Season Recap: Timmy Chang brought the Rainbow Warriors back to his glory days. It started with a win over Stanford in Week 1, but they stumbled, going 2-2 in their next four. They were in the Mountain West race util the second to last week when they were pummeled by UNLV. Still, they earned a chance at a bowl bid and stayed home for a showdown in the Hawaii Bowl against Cal.

Bowl Result: 35-31 win over Cal

41. Georgia Tech (9-4, 97, 34.8) 

Preseason Rank: 46

Prediction: 7-5

Season Recap: The Yellow Jackets rumbled out to an 8-0 start that included wins over Colorado, Clemson, Duke, and Wake Forest. The ACC looked to be all theirs, but a loss to NCST rattled them so badly that they almost lost to lowly Boston College. Then Pitt officially knocked them out of the race and Georgia made sure that any chance at a playoff berth was null and void. As a consolation, they got to play BYU in the greatest bowl game known to man, the Pop Tarts Bowl. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see what the mascots tasted like.

Bowl Result: 25-21 loss to BYU

Jake Dickert's first season ended in a splash.

40. Wake Forest (9-4, 95.4, 44.8) 

Preseason Rank: 91

Prediction: 5-7

Season Recap: The early season 10-9 victory over Kennesaw State looked like a bad omen, until the Owls won 10 games this season. They were tested throughout the year going 4-1 in one score games. They beat Virginia one week and lost to Florida State by 35 the next. A loss to Duke in the final week gave the Blue Devils a spot in the ACC Championship while the Demon Deacons settled for the Duke's Mayo Bowl. They drew a 5-7 Mississippi State team, but looked to bath in the tangy taste of victory over an SEC team.

Bowl Result: 43-29 win over Mississippi State

39.  Arizona (9-4, 95.2, 23.3)

Preseason Rank: 95

Prediction: 5-7

Season Recap: The Wildcats pounced out to a 4-1 record which matched their previous season's win total. A rough patch saw them lose three out of four games to knock them out of the Big 12 conversation, but that didn't stop them from playing spoiler. Colorado, Kansas, Cincinnati, Baylor, and most importantly, Arizona State all felt the wrath of the Wildcats who ended the regular season on a hot streak. That earned them a trip to the Holiday Bowl where they were cooled down by SMU.

Bowl Result: 24-19 loss to SMU

38. Ohio (9-4, 95, 67.8) 

Preseason Rank: 48

Prediction: 6-6

Season Recap: It was an interesting season for the Bobcats who lost by three at Rutgers, beat West Virginia in Athens, and at one point had scored the most points against Ohio State (9). The MAC should've been cake, but if you thought that, then you've never watched MAC football before. An inexplicable loss to Ball State was a major blow and they needed to rally past Eastern Michigan and Miami. Western Michigan dealt what would be the death nail as the Bobcats lost out to Miami in a tiebreaker despite beating the Redhawks head-to-head. Brian Smith was fired and that left John Hauser in charge for the Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats played well under Hauser and that lifted the interim tag off of him and he was named as the new head coach.

Bowl Result: 17-10 win over UNLV

37. San Diego State (9-4, 92.9, 40.8)

Preseason Rank: 121

Prediction: 4-8

Season Recap: The Aztecs season played out like so many of the other Mountain West teams this season. They had a big win over a power conference (34-0 over Cal) and then struggled against future Mountain West team Northern Illinois (6-3). At 7-1, they looked to be in control of the Mountain West, but then a blowout loss to Hawaii had them staggering and a double overtime loss to New Mexico finished them off. They earned a trip to the New Mexico Bowl to take on North Texas and provided the highest scoring bowl game of the season.

Bowl Result: 49-47 loss to North Texas

36. WKU (9-4, 92.3, 65.8) 

Preseason Rank: 79

Prediction: 9-3

Season Recap:  The Hilltoppers jumped out to an 8-2 record and had control of CUSA. They gave LSU all they had in a 13-10 loss but were still in control. That is until they were stunned late by Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State took care Liberty to eliminate WKU from the championship game. They were then sent to the New Orleans Bowl to take on Southern Miss who had suffered a similar fate in the Sun Belt.

Bowl Result: 27-16 win over Southern Miss

Fresno State dismantled Miami in its bowl game.

35.  Fresno State (9-4, 87.9, 73.8)

Preseason Rank: 85

Prediction: 7-5

Season Recap: Another Mountain West team trapped in the middle of a conference title shot. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-1 record, but a rough October doomed them. Losses to Colorado State and San Diego State were slightly offset by a win over Boise State. They were officially knocked out in Week 11 when Utah State romped to a 28-17 victory. A 27-point win over San Jose State closed out the season and sent them to the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl against Miami (OH). 

Bowl Result: 18-3 win over Miami (OH)

34. Iowa (9-4, 87.9, 73.8) 

Preseason Rank: 35

Prediction: 7-5

Season Recap: It is truly amazing the consistency that Kirk Ferentz has year to year. He lost to Iowa State, battled Indiana to its toughest regular season matchup, and then dropped back-to-back losses by a total of seven points. Good but not good enough to challenge for a Big Ten title. They also had three victories by at least 37 points and then added a 24-point win over Nebraska in the final week. The Hawkeyes drew their fifth straight SEC opponent for a bowl game and snapped their losing streak to give Ferentz his 10th career bowl win (10-11). That was good enough to earn him a tie with former Purdue coach Joe Tiller for most in Big Ten history.

Bowl Result: 34-27 win over Vanderbilt

33. SMU (9-4, 84.3, 41.3) 

Preseason Rank: 8

Prediction: 9-3

Season Recap: Three of the Mustangs four losses were by a combined total of seven points. They were lucky enough to hold on for an overtime win against Miami and knocked off Clemson. All they needed was to beat Cal and they would earn a trip to the ACC Championship for the second time in as many years. Instead, the Bears and their interim coach stunned the Mustangs. SMU then shuffled off to the Holiday Bowl to take on Arizona.

Bowl Result: 24-19 win over Arizona

32. Illinois (9-4, 84, 44.5) 

Preseason Rank: 13

Prediction: 9-3

Season Recap: Illinois scored 52 (WIU/FCS), 45 (Duke), and 38 (WMU) in its first three games and looked to have a repeat of last season. Then came Indiana who welcomed them to Big Ten play with a 53-point beatdown. The Illini licked their wounds and beat USC late and rolled past Purdue. They failed their next test in an 18-point loss to the Buckeyes and then a 17-point loss to Washington. Back on the horse with wins over Rutgers and Maryland, but then they were smacked around by Wisconsin. They did beat rival Northwestern in the season finale to earn a trip to the Music City Bowl. Once again, it was last second heroics to stun the Volunteers.

Bowl Result: 30-28 win over Tennessee

31. Michigan (9-4, 76.6, 22.8) 

Preseason Rank: 26

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap:  Michigan paid a whole bunch of money for a freshman QB to be used inconsistently. Every major test (Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, and Texas) were all failures. Michigan didn't even look competitive in any of those losses. Their wins came against Nebraska and Northwestern who they beat by a combined 5 points, and their best win was against Washington. The Sherrone Moore incident was an embarrassment for the university, and you think he would've learned from Mel Tucker's situation up the road at Michigan State. Injuries were a big issue on offense, and they will likely get wrecked by the transfer portal. However, they might have failed up as Utah's Kyle Whittingham was hired by Michigan after 20 years as the Utes head coach.

Bowl Result: 41-27 loss to Texas

USF finished with more SEC wins than Arkansas after they stunned Florida.

30. USF (9-4, 75.3, 28.5)

Preseason Rank: 68

Prediction: 6-6

Season Recap: The Bulls had two of the more impressive wins to start the season. First, a satisfying 27-point win over Boise State and then a last second field goal to knock off Florida at the Swamp. Could they strike three times? Miami made that answer a resounding no, as the Hurricanes blew past the Bulls 49-21. They looked to be in control of the AAC and even had a shot at the playoffs, but a three-point loss put a dent in those dreams and Navy officially sent them off course. They scored 100 points in their final two games of the season to earn a shot at a 10-win season. They'd have to do so without Alex Golesh who left for Auburn. USF then went out and hired Brian Hartline away from Ohio State to take the reins in Tampa. The Bulls were no match in the Cure Bowl after an exodus of players.

Bowl Result: 24-10 loss to Old Dominion

29. Louisville (9-4, 73.7, 55.8) 

Preseason Rank: 21

Prediction: 9-3

Season Recap: The Cardinals were trend busters in 2025. First, they were the only team to knock off James Madison in the regular season. Then they smashed Pudge the cat's dreams of an upset. They nearly knocked off Virginia but did knock off Miami. However, the wheels came completely off when they were stunned on the road at Cal in overtime, then lost by one to Clemson, and were blown out by SMU. They took all their frustration out on rival Kentucky, 41-0, to earn a trip to the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo.

Bowl Result: 27-22 win over Toledo

28. Washington (9-4, 72.2, 43.5) 

Preseason Rank: 49

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Huskies weren't able to navigate the tougher parts of their Big Ten schedule but took care of most of the games they should've won. Their losses were to Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and most surprisingly Wisconsin. They swapped that Wisconsin loss for a win against Illinois. Still, they finished the season strong with an impressive win in the final iteration of the L.A. Bowl.

Bowl Result: 38-10 win over Boise State

27. TCU (9-4, 71.9, 33.8) 

Preseason Rank: 31

Prediction: 8-4

Season Recap: The Horned Frogs welcomed Bill Belichick to the NCAA with a 34-point beatdown. They went 6-2 and had a shot at the Big 12 championship spot until a 3-point loss to Iowa State knocked them out of contention and a 31-point loss to BYU made it extra dead. Still, they rattled off back-to-back wins to close out the season and drew a tough USC team in the Texas Bowl, and the Trojans that love playing in Texas.

Bowl Result: 30-27(2OT) win over USC

USC was much improved in year two in the Big Ten.

26. USC (9-4, 59.8, 33.8) 

Preseason Rank: 41

Prediction: 7-5

Season Recap: Jayden Maiava was fourth in the NCAA in total yards with 3,711 and 24 TDs but even those weren't enough to get the Trojans close enough to a Big Ten title shot. They jumped out to a 4-0 start before a late loss to Illinois ended their perfect season. They followed that by throttling Michigan but then immediately lost that momentum against Notre Dame. Confidence was once again derailed after three straight wins by Oregon this time to officially eliminate the Trojans from playoff talks. They beat UCLA and then went to the Alamo Bowl to face TCU. Entering the game, USC was 22-4-1 against teams from the state of Texas, but sloppy tackling didn't improve that record.

Bowl Result: 30-27 (2OT) loss to TCU