Penn State and Clemson met for the first time since 1988 in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This section of the rankings is a mixed bag of emotions for the teams residing in them. Delaware entered the year with low expectations by experts in its first season in the FCS and instead they ended up winning a bowl game. Troy, FIU, Southern Miss, and Louisiana Tech all entered the season ranked in the 100s and all finished with a winning record. Then there are the heavy hitters as seven teams (Penn State, Clemson, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, Memphis, and Army) began the season in the Top 25 and ended up going 1-5 in bowl games with Penn State claiming the lone win over Clemson.
These disappointing seasons cost James Franklin his job at Penn State, Brian Kelly was fired by LSU, and Cal dumped Justin Wilcox one game before the season finished. Washington State, Toledo, Southern Miss, and Memphis also joined the job search after their coaches bolted for better opportunities.
Here's a look at where everyone lined up and how the seven vacancies were filled.
The Eagles bested Appalachian State twice in one season.
75. Georgia Southern (7-6, 109.7 WA, 64.8 LA)
Preseason Rank: 58
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: It was a tale of two halves as the Eagles began the season 2-4 and flipped the switch in the second half to go 4-2 down the stretch. They did so with a win over rival Appalachian State and then defeated Marshall in the final game to become bowl eligible. Their opponent was in limbo and the last to be selected after the turmoil that was bowl selection season. They wound up drawing their hated rivals for a second time and crushed them to a satisfying pulp.
Bowl Result: 29-10 win over App State
74. FIU (7-6, 106.6, 56.8)
Preseason Rank: 127
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: The Panthers seemed to have their season slipping away at 3-5, but the offense found a second gear. First, they dropped 56 on lowly Middle Tennessee State and then survived an overtime scare with Liberty to get to .500. They pulled off an upset of Jacksonville State to become bowl eligible and then dropped 56 once more, this time on Sam Houston State. They would need all that offense in the First Responders Bowl, but that was not the case.
Bowl Result: 57-20 loss to UTSA
73. Washington State (7-6, 104.6, 35.3)
Preseason Rank: 62
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: It was the final year of the Pac-2 as the Cougars will get new conference foes to play besides Oregon State. Wazzu was a strange team this season. In the opener, they struggled to beat Idaho (FCS), but then hung around only losing by three at Ole Miss. They followed that up with a two-point loss at Virginia, and they nearly knocked off James Madison on the road, falling four points short. They were able to collect wins over bowl bound teams San Diego State, Toledo, and Louisiana Tech to need just one win to become bowl eligible themselves. They needed to avenge their loss to the Beavers just four weeks earlier and that they did with a convincing 32-8 victory. They earned a trip against the Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in a preview of a Pac-12 matchup next season. They will also play that game in 2026 with a new head coach after Jimmy Rogers was swept away by Iowa State. In return, they hired Missouri OC Kirby Moore to run the show in Pullman.
Bowl Result: 34-21 win over Utah State
72. Texas State (7-6, 104.4, 82.8)
Preseason Rank: 70
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: The Bobcats looked like world beaters as they averaged 43 points in their first three wins of the season. Then came a series of one score losses in four of their next five games to drop to 3-6. The offense pulled it together in the final three games, scoring 41, 31, and 49 to become bowl eligible. They continued that overwhelming attack on Rice in the Armed Forces Bowl. Offensively, they were led by receiver Beau Sparks, who had 1,200 yards receiving (fifth best in the NCAA). Sparks began the season with a 4TD game against Eastern Michigan and finished with a touchdown catch in five of his final seven games, all on just 84 receptions.
Bowl Result: 41-10 win over Rice
71. Northwestern (7-6, 103.6, 33.7)
Preseason Rank: 99
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: After a 1-2 start that looked like another rough year for Northwestern, they managed to rattle off four straight wins over UCLA, ULM, Penn State, and Purdue. That was fortunate because they had their final five games against bowl eligible teams and needed to win just one. They were competitive with Nebraska, Michigan, and Illinois, but it was Minnesota that proved to be the weakest link and allowed them to reach postseason status. The Wildcats then ventured to Detroit to face off with CMU in the Game Above Bowl.
Bowl Result: 34-7 win over CMU
Cade Klubnik bookended his senior season with losses.
70. Clemson (7-6, 101.9, 50.7)
Preseason Rank: 11
Prediction: 9-3
Season Recap: The first of the majorly disappointed teams on this list. The season opened with a loss to LSU, reasonable enough, but Georgia Tech, and Syracuse had set the Tigers back to a 1-3 start. A couple conference wins got them back in the sloppy ACC race, but back-to-back losses to SMU and heartbreaker with Duke all but knocked them out of the race. Still, they responded with four straight wins to save their bowl status where they earned a showdown with Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. In other news, Sophomore Ricardo Jones was second in college football with six interceptions.
Bowl Result: 22-10 loss to Penn State
69. Delaware (7-6, 101.1, 75.5)
Preseason Rank: 134
Prediction: 3-9
Season Recap: Like Missouri State, Delaware made a big splash in the FBS and made it a stellar year for the "The First State" and its football teams. The Blue Hens were joined by DeSean Jackson's Delaware State team that finished with a winning record for the first time since 2012 and won at least eight games for the first time since 2007 when they lost to Delaware in the FCS Playoffs. The Blue Hens were led by QB Nick Minicucci, who was fifth in the FBS in passing yards with 3,683 yards to go with 23 TDs. They beat the Hornets in Week 1 for their first win as an FBS member and shocked UConn in overtime to earn their first win over an FBS opponent. More wins came over FIU, Middle Tennessee, and La Tech before they secured their sixth win over UTEP, a 61-31 slaughter of the Miners in the final week of the season. They earned a waiver from the NCAA to play in the 68 Ventures Bowl against Louisiana and secured their first bowl win ever.
Bowl Result: 20-13 win over Louisiana
68. Southern Miss (7-6, 98.7, 83.5)
Preseason Rank: 129
Prediction: 4-8
Season Recap: The Golden Eagles thought they had their man of the future as Charles Huff picked up where he left off at Marshall. Southern Miss jumped out to a 7-2 start but stumbled down the stretch with bad losses to Texas State and South Alabama, before dropping the finale to Troy. Huff then announced that he was leaving after just a year to take the job at Memphis. The Eagles responded by hiring Blake Anderson, who coached in the Sun Belt before as the head coach of Arkansas State. Southern Miss watched its 16-13 lead entering the fourth quarter disappear in the New Orleans to finish on a four-game skid.
Bowl Result: 27-16 loss to WKU
67. Penn State (7-6, 97.3, 47.7)
Preseason Rank: 3
Prediction: 11-1
Season Recap: No one could've expected how bad things would have gotten for the Nittany Lions in James Franklin's 11th season. They plowed through their weak non-conference schedule to start 3-0 and lost a highly competitive game at home to Oregon in overtime. Little did they know that game would be the beginning of the end. A cross-country flight saw fall apart at UCLA and then they were sniped in one-point losses to Northwestern and Iowa. Just like that, it was time for Franklin to go, and he was sent packing just in time for the Buckeyes to romp their way through Penn State. They gave Indiana all they had but came up short, 27-24. The losing finally stopped at six when they cruised past Michigan State to give Terry Smith his first win as interim coach. Then came a blowout of Nebraska, and finally a wild win over Rutgers to get the Nittany Lions from Big Ten doormat to at least bowl eligibility. Smith capped his tenure with a bowl win over Clemson and a four-game win streak. He's handing the reins over to Matt Campbell who comes over from Iowa State.
Bowl Result: 22-10 win over Clemson
66. Cincinnati (7-6, 96.7, 32.5)
Preseason Rank: 69
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Bearcats began the season playing in the home stadium of perhaps the greatest UC football player (maybe Jason, but in all sports it's clearly Oscar Robertson) Travis Kelce. It was an unkind welcome as Nebraska edged out a victory. That loss set up an incredible seven game run in which the Bearcats mowed through the bottom feeders of the Big 12. Then came a brick wall in the form of Utah who rudely smacked around the Bearcats at home, 45-14. Losses to Arizona, BYU, and TCU followed to send the Bearcats spiraling into bowl season. They met up with Navy in an old AAC Showdown in an AAC stadium, the Liberty Bowl. The rain could not wash away the stench that led to the six-game losing streak that ended the UC season.
Bowl Result: 35-13 loss to Navy
Arkansas State celebrated a win in the first ever Xbox Bowl
65. Arkansas State (7-6, 90.6, 64.3)
Preseason Rank: 72
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Red Wolves had an up and down season and entered the final game of the year needing a win in a close game but were just 2-4 in their previous attempts. They would get that to 3-4 with a 30-29 win over Appalachian State to earn bowl eligibility. By the time the season was over, they improved that record to 4-4 as they rallied late to win the Xbox Bowl.
Bowl Result: 34-28 win over Missouri State
64. Nebraska (7-6, 88.4, 51.3)
Preseason Rank: 39
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: Dylan Raiola might look like Patrick Mahomes and even got a win at Arrowhead to start the year, but that's about where the comparisons stop. It may be hard to find a team that gets it's fanbase's hopes up and then crushes them immediately. They start 3-0, then lose a heartbreaker to Michigan. They win two and then get knocked around by Minnesota. A win over Northwestern followed by a loss to USC. They beat UCLA to secure their seventh win but were outscored 77-26 by Penn State and Iowa in the final two games. It only got worse once the Las Vegas Bowl rolled around. Not a fraud was Emmett Johnson, who was fourth in the nation with 1,451 yards on 251 carries and 12 TDs.
Bowl Result: 44-22 loss to Utah
63. LSU (7-6, 87.7, 13.7)
Preseason Rank: 15
Prediction: 10-2
Season Recap: Speaking of frauds, Brian Kelly led everyone to believe that he could lead LSU to the promised land, but only led them to wins in the Citrus, ReliaQuest, and Texas Bowl. After starting the season 5-3, Kelly was relieved of his duties after going 34-14 in his time in Baton Rouge. A loss to Alabama followed his firing and they nearly lost to hapless Arkansas and then won 13-10 over WKU. Those close calls were good enough to get them to a bowl game, which maybe they should've skipped like Kelly's old employers. Instead, it was another trip the Texas Bowl. During all this turnover, Lane Kiffin snuck out of Oxford and flew to LSU to become the new head coach while his team was gearing up for a playoff run. Kiffin's obnoxious behavior was awarded with a semi-final appearance by the Rebels who succeeded in spite of their former coach.
Bowl Result: 38-35 loss to Houston
62. UTSA (7-6, 84.1, 54.8)
Preseason Rank: 78
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: Man could the Roadrunners score when things were going right. In five of their seven wins, they scored at least 48 points! The problem was the defense was also too willing to let others score. In their six losses, they gave up at least 42 points in four of those contests. They ended the season with a close loss to Army, but took out any frustrations they had on FIU in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Bowl Result: 57-20 win over FIU
61. Army (7-6, 73.3, 69.3)
Preseason Rank: 25
Prediction: 9-3
Season Recap: Speaking of Army, the option attack wasn't quite as potent as it had been in recent years. They opened the year with a shocking double overtime loss to Tarleton State (FCS) but then beat Kansas State. Another overtime loss was followed by a loss to ECU, yet the Black Knights were not deterred and won four of their next five, including an all-important win over Air Force. A one-point loss to Tulsa kept them from becoming bowl eligible, but they were able to do so the following week against UTSA. Then came a devastating blow as they lost on a late touchdown to Navy. All that anger must have manifested in the Fenway Bowl where they ran for 368 yards, including a 171 from Godspower Nwawuihe.
Bowl Result: 41-16 win over UConn
Tosh Lupoi looks to get Cal back on track.
60. Cal (7-6, 71, 72.8)
Preseason Rank: 93
Prediction: 5-7
Season Recap: The Bears came out swinging to a 3-0 start that saw a win over a Big Ten foe in Minnesota. They followed that big win by getting crushed 34-0 by San Diego State. From there it was up and down. Wins over Boston College and UNC mixed in with losses to Duke, Virginia Tech, and Virginia. They knocked off Louisville in overtime to reach bowl eligibility but followed that up with a blowout loss to rival Stanford. That was the final straw for Justin Wilcox who got the axe after the 21-point smackdown. Former Hawaii coach, Nick Rolovich, took over and guided the Bears to a big win over SMU that kept the Mustangs from making the ACC Championship. That win setup a reunion for Rolovich as Cal was headed to the Hawaii Bowl for a Christmas Eve showdown with the Rainbow Warriors. Meanwhile, they announced that former Bear and recent Oregon Defensive Coordinator, Tosh Lupoi, would be the next head coach.
Bowl Result: 35-31 loss to Hawaii
59. Troy (8-6, 112.9, 40.3)
Preseason Rank: 110
Prediction: 3-9
Season Recap: The Trojans experienced some highs and lows throughout the 2025 season. They hung around with Clemson for a bit and then streaked to a 6-2 record and looked to be in control of their Sun Belt destiny. Then came back-to-back losses that saw them outscored 56-10. Needing wins in the final two, they got the first against Georgia State, then won the de facto Sun Belt semifinals over Southern Miss. Once they made the Sun Belt Championship, they were no match for James Madison who cruised to a 31-14 victory. They earned a showdown with CUSA runner-up Jacksonville State in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Bowl Result: 17-13 loss to Jacksonville State
58. Toledo (8-5, 107.6, 90.2)
Preseason Rank: 51
Prediction: 8-4
Season Recap: The Rockets looked good in their opening loss to Kentucky and then throttled WKU and Morgan State (FCS) by a combined score of 105-21. A 14-13 stumble to Western Michigan proved to be a huge mistake in grand scheme of the season. The offense continued to fluctuate as they dropped 45 on Akron, then lost the Battle of I-75 to Pudge and BGSU, before dropping another 45 on Kent State. A non-conference loss to Washington State was followed by four MAC wins by at least 18 points. Those losses to WMU and BG forced Toledo into a logjam at the top of the conference. Their win over CMU knocked out the Chippewa's, and then a Miami win eliminated Toledo and Ohio based on a strength of opponents' tiebreaker, even though Toledo beat the Redhawks. They landed in the Boca Raton Bowl against Louisville and rallied back to have a fighting chance before literally fighting the Cardinals on the field. Perhaps their lack of focus was because Jason Candle announced that he was leaving to coach UConn. They turned to Mike Jacobs as the new head man after his impressive campaign at Mercer that saw the Bears earn a home game in the FCS Playoffs.
Bowl Result: 27-22 loss to Louisville
57. Missouri (8-5, 102.3, 14.6)
Preseason Rank: 22
Prediction: 10-2
Season Recap: The Tigers used one of the weaker non-conference schedules to jump out to a 5-0 start thanks to victories over the likes of Central Arkansas (FCS), UMass, and Louisiana, Still, they looked pretty competitive in their loss to Alabama (27-24) but struggled to get past Auburn in double overtime. They ended up dropping three of their next four before knocking off rival Arkansas in the SEC finale. In that four game stretch their lone win came against Mississippi State in which Ahmad Hardy ran for 300 yards and 3 TDs. On the season he finished with 1,649 yards (2nd in the NCAA) and 16 TDs. They drew Virginia in the Gator Bowl and looked to use Hardy to run all over the Cavaliers, but he failed to find the end zone on his 15 attempts.
Bowl Result: 13-7 loss to Virginia
56. Louisiana Tech (8-5, 95, 60.6)
Preseason Rank: 120
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Bulldogs were a strange formula for success. Their leading passer had just 1,200 yards with 5 TDs and 3INT. The leading rusher finished with just 634 yards. Yet, they managed to score at least 30 points in six of their wins. Some of that was aided by a solid defense that included Jakari Foster, who led the NCAA with 8 interceptions. Despite their success, a 28-27 overtime loss to Kennesaw State was enough to keep them out of the CUSA Championship. The offense looked like they were going to sputter in the Independence Bowl against Coastal Carolina, but they erased a 14-6 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
Bowl Result: 23-14 win over Coastal Carolina
Charles Huff will land on his third job in three years.
55. Memphis (8-5, 92.6, 57.6)
Preseason Rank: 24
Prediction: 10-2
Season Recap: The Tigers had huge hopes after going 6-0 that included a win at an SEC school, albeit Arkansas. A bye week was perfect time to split the season but instead they were stunned by an interim head coach and UAB after the bye. No worries, they dusted off USF, Rice, and Tulane to gain control of the AAC race. Then they were pillaged by ECU and Navy drove the death nail into their postseason hopes. Ryan Silverfield wouldn't be around to see their Gasparilla Bowl appearance against NCST as he left to take the job at Arkansas, which became open after the Tigers upset of the Razorbacks. Charles Huff was hired in from Southern Miss to fill the void.
Bowl Result: 31-7 loss to NCST
54. Minnesota (8-5, 90.9, 32.8)
Preseason Rank: 40
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: The Golden Gophers continued their trend of being slightly above average after completing a confusing Big Ten campaign. They beat Rutgers, Michigan State, and Purdue by just one score. They lost another one score game to Northwestern and allowed Iowa to drop 41 on them. Fear not, they claimed the Paul Bunyan Axe over Wisconsin to finish the regular season on a high note. They faced New Mexico in the Rate Bowl and once again found themselves in a one score game. The Gophers were aided by Anthony Smith, whose two sacks gave him 12.5 on the season (3rd most in the NCAA), while John Nestor got his sixth pick of the season (tied for 2nd) to secure an overtime win.
Bowl Result: 20-17 (OT) win over New Mexico
53. Pitt (8-5, 90.4, 37.6)
Preseason Rank: 50
Prediction: 7-5
Season Recap: When you watch your rival lose to a MAC school, you begin to start licking your chops. Then they got punched in the mouth by West Virginia who won in overtime. A loss to Louisville had the Panthers sitting at 2-2 before they rattled off five straight ACC wins. They were looking for a spot in ACC Championship when Notre Dame came calling and Pat Narduzzi bizarrely said, "I'd gladly get beat by 103..." They only lost by 22, but the message was simply that only the final two ACC games mattered in the long run. They won the first test over Georgia Tech and then laid an egg against potential National Champs Miami to eliminate themselves for conference hopes. It was time to go bowling in the Military Bowl instead against ECU.
Bowl Result: 23-17 loss to ECU
52. Tennessee (8-5, 87.8, 73.4)
Preseason Rank: 23
Prediction: 10-2
Season Recap: The Volunteers could score in 2025. Their lowest output was 20 points against Alabama and their highest was 72 against ETSU (FCS). They dropped 41 on Georgia (and lost) and 41 on Ole Miss (and won). The problem was that the defense was also generous. They allowed at least 30 points in eight contests going 3-5. The big blow came when Vanderbilt dropped 45 in the final game of the season to send them to the Music City Bowl against Illinois. The defense let them down again as they allowed the Fighting Illini to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Bowl Result: 30-28 loss to Illinois
NCST ran away from Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl.
51. NCST (8-5, 84.6, 73.4)
Preseason Rank: 57
Prediction: 6-6
Season Recap: The Wolfpack strung together three impressive wins over future bowl teams to start the season, with two of them coming against ACC opponents. Then came back-to-back losses to Duke and Va Tech and those ACC dreams were crumbling fast. Losses to Pitt and Miami did the job, but they did snag wins over Georgia Tech, Florida State, and rival UNC to close out the season. They beat up on a depleted Memphis team in the Gasparilla Bowl to win four of their last five games. Linebacker Caden Fordham was second in the NCAA in tackles with 143, including 3.5 sacks. He also added a forced fumble and two interceptions including a 55-yard return on one of them.
Bowl Result: 31-7 win over Memphis
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