There has been a lot of talk about how boring last weekend was. There was only one game between teams ranked in the College Football Playoff's top 25 while teams like Alabama and Clemson played FCS schools. Then there was Oklahoma and Ohio State playing the Power Five's version of FCS schools, Kansas and Illinois -- two schools in the wrong rankings.
What most people ignored was that there was one remarkable result Saturday. A week after I wrote about how it was time to root for Georgia Southern and UTEP -- the last winless teams standing -- to go out and win themselves a game, Georgia Southern went out and did it. And the Eagles didn't just win a game; they beat South Alabama 52-0. It wasn't just a win, it was an ass-kicking. The kind that eases the sting of a lost season, and I couldn't be happier for the Georgia Southern players, coaches and fans. They needed that.
Now, we just need UTEP to get one. The Miners remain at No. 1 in this week's Bottom 25, but before we get to the rankings, a quick reminder on how it all works. If you would like a longer explanation, you can find one here.
- My opinion plays no factor in the rankings, it's all a mathematical formula
- There is true equality to start the season as math doesn't play favorites
- Wins and losses mean more than anything
- The formula is in no way predictive; it's a meritocracy
- I won't share the formula
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. South Alabama | 4-7 | I'm going to call this team North-South Alabama because it is bi-polar. It beats Troy and Arkansas State and then loses to Georgia Southern 52-0. That makes no sense. (NR) |
 | 24. North Carolina | 3-8 | The Heels are on a two-game win streak, but beating Western Carolina isn't enough to climb out of the Bottom 25. (21) |
 | 23. Idaho | 3-7 | The Vandals lost to Coastal Carolina but stick at No. 23. (23) |
 | 22. Cincinnati | 3-8 | This is a case of math being funny sometimes. The Bearcats just lost to ECU in our Game of the Week, yet they're ranked higher in the poll. (24) |
 | 21. East Carolina | 3-8 | I'm still proud of you, ECU, even if the math isn't. Maybe don't lose to James Madison by 20 points and this kind of thing won't happen in the future. (13) |
 | 20. BYU | 3-9 | Awful nice of BYU to schedule a 13th game in the worst season it has had in like forever. (20) |
 | 19. Hawaii | 3-8 | If you bet against Hawaii every week you would have made quite a bit of money this year. The Warriors are now 1-10 against the spread. They play a BYU team that's 3-9 ATS. BYU is favored by three. (22) |
 | 18. New Mexico | 3-8 | The Lobos go on the road to face San Diego State this week, looking to end a six-game losing streak. (19) |
 | 17. Tulsa | 2-9 | Hey, Tulsa gave South Florida a game last week. I think that says more about USF, though, to be honest. (17) |
 | 16. UConn | 3-8 | Losing in Fenway Park counts the same, UConn. No time to feel sorry for yourself because you're getting Cincinnati in this week's Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. (18) |
 | 15. Nevada | 2-9 | The Wolf Pack hung with San Diego State for a half, but then Rashaad Penny made them all obsolete units of currency. (16) |
 | 14. Illinois | 2-9 | Must have been fun to fly to Columbus to lose to Ohio State by 38 in a monsoon. (15) |
 | 13. Coastal Carolina | 2-9 | The Cleers picked up their second victory of the season, doing to Idaho what they couldn't do against Arkansas. (7) |
 | 12. Bowling Green | 2-9 | The Falcons get one more shot at a win this week against Eastern Michigan. (14) |
 | 11. Baylor | 1-10 | A Baylor fan told me he thinks it would be great if the Bears lost all these games so that they could say "TCU lost to a 10-loss team" next week. I love rivalry week. (11) |
 | 10. Texas State | 2-9 | The Bobcats' reign as champions will officially come to an end this week at Troy. You handled the responsibility with class, and I thank you for it. (12) |
 | 9. Kent State | 2-9 | The Flashes fell to the Chippewas 42-23 and close their season -- as well as #MACtion -- against Akron on Tuesday night. (10) |
 | 8. Georgia Southern | 1-9 | Again, I'm so proud of you, but I worry that you won by too much seeing as you fell all the way to No. 8. I said to win a game; I didn't say destroy your title hopes. (2) |
 | 7. Ball State | 2-9 | Ball State will try to avoid ending the season on a nine-game losing streak against Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday night. (9) |
 | 6. Oregon State | 1-10 | Listen, beating Oregon would take a lot of the sting out of this season. (6) |
 | 5. Rice | 1-10 | The Owls need help, but a Bottom 25 title isn't entirely out of the question. They'll need North Texas to help out, obviously. And by help, I mean crush them. (5) |
 | 4. Charlotte | 1-10 | Charlotte will try to derail the Lane Train, and its Bottom 25 title hopes, this weekend. (8) |
 | 3. Kansas | 1-10 | Excellent strategy, Kansas. You might have caught Oklahoma sleeping but decided to poke the bear instead. That's keeping your eye on the Bottom 25 prize. (4) |
 | 2. San Jose State | 1-11 | The Spartans have one game left against Wyoming. Can they get beat badly enough to catch UTEP? (3) |
 | 1. UTEP | 0-11 | UTEP's last shot at a win comes against UAB this week. If the Miners lose, they'll be our regular-season Bottom 25 champions. (1) |
No longer ranked: UMass (25)
