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We've now reached that time of the year when I make no bones about the fact that I'm rooting for our remaining winless teams to get that first win. There are two reasons why this happens every season.

  1. It adds more drama to the race for the Bottom 25 title, and drama is good.
  2. I want every team to win a game! These kids put in a lot of work every season, and even if it won't fix everything, they all deserve the feeling of celebrating a win.

Because of this, you can consider me the biggest fan of both UTEP and Georgia Southern as we head down the home stretch. They're the only winless teams remaining on the FBS level, and they're both running out of chances to get it.

Before we get to this week's Bottom 25, a quick reminder on how it all works (full explanation 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
The Bottom 25
TeamNameRecordBreakdown
25. UMass3-7The Minutemen picked up their third win of the season, but beating Maine by 13 isn't quite enough. (Last week: 22)
24. Cincinnati3-7The Bearcats escaped for a week after beating Tulane, but a loss to Temple brings them back home. (NR)
23. Idaho3-6Idaho has lost to Appalachian State and Troy -- two of the best the Sun Belt has to offer -- by a total of six points. (24)
22. Hawaii3-7I can't wait for Hawaii to play BYU at the end of the season. (25)
21. North Carolina2-8The Tar Heels drop six spots after picking up a 34-31 win over Pitt. (15)
20. BYU3-8So this Joe Critchlow character seemed pretty competent. (17)
19. New Mexico3-7The Lobos have now lost five straight. (23)
18. UConn3-7It looked like UConn was turning things around. Then it had to play USF, UCF and Mizzou. (20)
17. Tulsa2-8How in the world did this team beat Houston by 28? (19)
16. Nevada2-8Nevada crushed San Jose State 59-14 in our Game of the Week. (10)
15. Illinois2-8Illinois has dropped eight straight, and with games left against Ohio State and Northwestern, it's hard to envision another win this year. (18)
14. Bowling Green2-8The Falcons lost to Buffalo on the road last week. The mid-week MAC games all feel a month old by the time I sit down to write these. (16)
13. East Carolina2-8East Carolina gets Cincinnati this week. It's our Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. (12)
12. Texas State2-8A schedule with Arkansas State and Troy left on it sure screams 2-10 to me. (13)
11. Baylor1-9The Bears didn't find Texas Tech to be as hospitable as Kansas. (14)
10. Kent State2-8Kent State's eight losses have come by an average of 31.1 points per game. (11)
9. Ball State2-8Ball State's final two games are at home, which might help it get a MAC win this year. (9)
8. Charlotte1-9At the end of the season, we will look back at Charlotte's win over UAB as one of the most confusing results of the year. (7)
7. Coastal Carolina1-9At the end of the season, we will look back at Coastal's loss to Arkansas as one of the most confusing results of the year. I'm kidding Arkansas fans! I swear! (8)
6. Oregon State1-9All Oregon State can do at this point is hope Kansas keeps losing because there isn't much separating them from being the worst Power Five team. (6)
5. Rice1-9You have no idea how hard it is to not just write the same dumb "Rice is cooked!" joke here every week. This just isn't the most inspiring team. (5)
4. Kansas1-9If only Kansas could play Texas every week. It might be ranked higher. (4)
3. San Jose State1-10This team is a win over Cal Poly away from being at No. 1 right now. It could still get there. (3)
2. Georgia Southern0-9Let's go, Eagles! Let's get a win! I'm looking at that finale against Coastal Carolina. (2)
1. UTEP0-10Louisiana Tech at home this week, Miners. Let's celebrate Senior Day the right way. (1)

No longer ranked: Old Dominion (21)