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25. Boston College |
2-4 |
The Eagles were off the edge of the poll after a 1-3 start, but a 34-33 win over Louisville gave them a breather. Breathing room that quickly disappeared after this week’s 31-3 loss to Clemson. (Last week: Unranked) |
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24. Fresno State |
1-4 |
Fresno is another newcomer to the poll, having lost four straight. In Fresno’s defense, their last three games have been on the road and two of their losses have been of the one-score variety. Of course, one of those one-score losses was to UConn, so that takes some of the shine off it. Either way, life doesn’t get any easier this week against a San Jose team that looks like the best the Mountain West has to offer. (NR) |
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23. Virginia Tech |
2-4 |
I’ve had Hokies fans ask me why they weren’t ranked the last two weeks and the answer was simple. It was 2-2! Well, they’re now 2-4 after a 45-29 loss to Pitt, and that 27-10 win over No. 25 Boston College looks less impressive every week. (NR) |
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22. State of Arkansas |
2-4 |
The Red Wolves moved out of The Bottom 25 last week after beating ULM, but the sheer weight of our poll pulled them back this week thanks to a 42-20 loss at James Madison. (NR) |
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21. UTEP |
3-4 |
I get really upset with my formula when three-win teams are ranked early in the season, but the Miners fall back after a 41-31 loss at Louisiana Tech. Personally, I think the Miners are better than this, but the Bottom 25 Gods get what the Bottom 25 Gods want. (NR) |
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20. Nevada |
2-4 |
The Wolf – SPACE – Pack is gone for a week, but a 17-14 loss to No. 1 Colorado State will bring you back in a hurry. The Rams picked up an untimely first down late in the game and hit a 43-yard field goal to win it and shut out Nevada. The Pack gets another crack at winning this week against No. 2 Hawaii. Could they lose to No. 1 and No. 2 in back-to-back weeks? (NR) |
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19. New Mexico |
2-4 |
Since I don’t have much time to watch TV during the season, my wife and I always rewatch a show. We’ll see an episode or two when time permits. This year it’s Breaking Bad, set in New Mexico. It’s a beautiful state. It doesn’t have big football teams, but it’s a beautiful state. Perhaps the backdrop will make this week’s matchup with No. 6 New Mexico State worth watching. (NR) |
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18. UConn |
3-4 |
Another three-win ranked team, but this one doesn’t bother me as much as UTEP. UConn should never feel bad about winning two games in a row, but the Huskies’ three wins have come against Central Connecticut, No. 24 Fresno State and No. 8 FIU. They have been outscored by 135 points in their four losses. Those wins won’t erase that kind of damage. (11) |
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17. Utah State |
2-4 |
This is a much better team with Cooper Legas at QB. You saw it in the 38-26 loss to BYU and you really saw it in this week’s 34-27 win over Air Force. I now predict that the Aggies won’t be around for long. (8) |
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16. Central Michigan |
1-5 |
The Chips are only 1-5, but have played a tough schedule. They lost to Oklahoma State and Penn State — who are a combined 10-0 — and a Toledo team that can win the MAC. They hung tough in a 17-16 loss to Ball State and could look to get their first MAC win against No. 5 Akron this week. (20) |
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15. ULM |
2-4 |
The Warhawks played a very tough schedule and looked terrible in their 28-21 loss to Coastal Carolina. They will get another tough test this week against a 4-1 South Alabama team that is currently atop the Sun Belt West. (17) |
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14. Northwest |
1-5 |
I haven’t been asked about any team more in recent weeks than Northwestern. “How is Northwestern not ranked?” Well, long story short, they played really well against Nebraska to open the year and followed it up with a string of losses. Wisconsin finally gave them a beatdown this week and the floor fell out from under the Cats. (NR) |
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13. Bowling Green |
2-4 |
The one thing you need to know about Bowling Green’s 38-7 loss to Buffalo you can learn by watching this video. (21) |
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12. Western Michigan |
2-4 |
The Broncos lost their battle with their respective counterparts in Michigan, falling to Eastern 45-23. The Broncos only have wins in that stretch against Ball State and New Hampshire. None of their losses have been by less than 22 points. They will try to get through this week against Ohio. (19) |
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11. Northern Illinois |
1-5 |
We may have lost some MAC teams this week, but the ones that are left are still rolling in packs. The Huskies were outplayed by Toledo, losing 52-32. That’s five straight since a season-opening win over Eastern Illinois. They take on an Eastern Michigan team that beat Western Michigan this week. (14) |
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10. Army |
1-4 |
You know how Jeff Monken has made his name pop up at a few openings over the past couple of years, and you get the feeling he’s been pushing for a chance to move up behind the scenes? Well, watching Army this year might give you an idea why. The good news is that there are plenty of winnable games left on the schedule, but this looks like the worst Army team we’ve seen in a while. (22) |
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9. South Florida |
1-5 |
Want an idea of how voter mentality works? Look no further than South Florida’s 28-24 loss to Cincinnati. The Bulls — The Bottom 10 Bulls — led Cincinnati 24-21 in the fourth quarter before the Bearcats scored with 9:24 left to take the lead for good. And then Cincinnati moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 as it narrowly beat a very bad South Florida team. (9) |
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8. IPC |
2-3 |
The Panthers lost the Bottom 25 Game of the Century last week against UConn 33-12, but I was impressed. It’s not easy to lose to UConn by three scores. You rarely see that. (10) |
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7. Charlotte |
1-5 |
The 49ers were off last week, but will be back in action Saturday at UAB. (7) |
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6. State of New Mexico |
1-5 |
The Aggies were off last week but are back in action Saturday against No. 19 New Mexico The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week is presented by Tom’s Breaking Bad Rewatch! Jesse! We’ll be cooking at The Bottom 25! (5) |
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5. Akron |
1-5 |
Akron had done a much better job of hanging around and staying in games after losses to Michigan State and Tennessee, but returned to form against Ohio. A Bobcats team that hasn’t looked all that impressive this season beat the Zips 55-34. Maybe Akron will find a groove against No. 16 Central Michigan. (6) |
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4. State of Colorado |
1-4 |
And then there was one. With Colorado State’s 17-14 win over Nevada, only one winless team remains in the country. Also, in a crazy twist of fate, the Rams go from No. 1 in The Bottom 25 to second in their division because they are 1-0 in conference play (Boise State is 3-0). Greatness is brewing in the fires of The Bottom 25. The Rams can prove it against No. 17 Utah State this weekend. (1) |
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3. UMass |
1-5 |
The Minutemen were competitive against Eastern Michigan two weeks ago and stayed with Liberty for the first half of that game. Unfortunately, Liberty scored with 42 seconds left in the first half to make it a 21-10 game and take off in the second half, taking a 35-10 lead into the third. The Minutemen added a few more touchdowns to make it seem closer than it was. Let’s see how they do against Buffalo this week. (4) |
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2. Hawaii |
1-5 |
A sports book gave me a $10 free bet this week, so I took that baby and put it on Hawaii (+1400) to beat San Diego State. They almost made it! In their most encouraging performance of the season, the Warriors were tough in a 16-14 loss to the Aztecs. Let’s see if they can keep it going against No. 20 Nevada on Saturday. (3) |
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1. Colorado |
0-5 |
Colorado had the week off and had to sit at home and watch Colorado State win a game, pushing the Buffaloes to the No. 1 ranking. If that doesn’t sum up the Buffs season so far, I don’t know what will. All we can do is get their first win of the season. The next opportunity is this week at home against Cal. (2) |
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