The early part of the college football season is always volatile in The Bottom 25, but I can't recall a week that saw this much turnover in the long, glorious history of our unique poll. This week's slate of college football rankings features 13 new teams. That's over half The Bottom 25 being replaced in one week!
What makes all these new entrants even more unique is that six of them are Power Five teams. These six teams replace the six Power Five teams who won and climbed out of the rankings this week. In other words, the Power Five is cycling and not working its way out.
The 2018 season is shaping up to be the banner year for Bottom 25 equality throughout college football. Power Five teams mingling with Group of Five teams proving once and for all that we can all get along if we make the effort.
It's a beautiful thing.
There's still plenty of time left in the season, but let's take a look at the latest Bottom 25 college football rankings now that Week 2 is in the books.
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The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. Texas State | 1-1 | The Bobcats bounced back from a loss to Rutgers with a win over Texas Southern, but the stink of a 28-point loss to the Scarlet Knights will keep them in the Bottom 25 for at least one more week. (Last week: 5) | |
| 24. Kansas State | 1-1 | Have you ever seen one of those funhouse mirrors that show you your reflection if you were bigger and stronger? That's essentially what happened to Kansas State against Mississippi State on Saturday. It ran into its bigger, stronger, faster twin. (NR) | |
| 23. Rice | 1-2 | Who could have predicted that after Rice barely managed to beat Prairie View A&M in its opener, it would lose its next two games? (NR) | |
| 22. UMass | 1-2 | The Minutemen won their first game of the season by 48 points and have lost their last two by 55. A third-straight road game against FIU is next on the docket. (NR) | |
| 21. UCLA | 0-2 | In August, I was on the 247Sports College Football Podcast with Chip Patterson and Barton Simmons. We were giving our win total locks for the 2018 season, and I nearly made UCLA's over one of my locks. I didn't, though, because I am a genius. (25) | |
| 20. Purdue | 0-2 | All right, Purdue, the Northwestern loss was perfectly reasonable. Losing at home to Eastern Michigan is a problem. And when your next two games are Missouri and Boston College? There's a real chance Purdue could follow up a great 2017 season with a 0-4 start. (NR) | |
| 19. Nebraska | 0-1 | So, let's see, the Scott Frost Era began with a game canceled because of weather, and then a home loss to old Big 8 rival Colorado. Now the Huskers have to deal with a tough Troy team to avoid a 0-2 start. (NR) | |
| 18. Western Kentucky | 0-2 | The Hilltoppers reached the top of the hill under Jeff Brohm, but they've been rolling down the other side ever since he left. (23) | |
| 17. Northern Illinois | 0-2 | The Huskies lost to Utah but fell eight spots in the rankings because they played pretty well while doing so. Now they get a chance at their first win against No. 16 Central Michigan this week. (9) | |
| 16. Central Michigan | 0-2 | Kansas hadn't won a road game since 2009. It was 46 straight games outside of Lawrence that the Jayhawks had lost until they went to Mount Pleasant and beat the Chippewas. This week, Central Michigan gets Northern Illinois in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. (NR) | |
| 15. Iowa State | 0-1 | Like Nebraska, Iowa State isn't here for its performance as much as it is for its small sample size. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, with Oklahoma up next, they might be sticking around for a while. Or they'll just beat the Sooners again like they did last year. (NR) | |
| 14. South Alabama | 0-2 | South Alabama joins us fresh off a 42-point loss to Oklahoma State. Next up the Jaguars get No. 25 Texas State in a pivotal Bottom 25 matchup. (NR) | |
| 13. Miami (OH) | 0-2 | I'm always pleased to see Bottom 25 mainstay Miami (OH) return. They played too well against Marshall to join us last week, but a 21-0 shutout loss to Cincinnati did the trick. (NR) | |
| 12. Temple | 0-2 | The bad news for the Owls is that they're 0-2 with losses to Villanova and Buffalo. The good news is, well, actually, I'm not sure there is any good news at the moment. (13) | |
| 11. North Carolina | 0-2 | The sport of North Carolina football is under attack! UCF is up next, but at least the Tar Heels return home this weekend to what I'm sure will be a packed house full of excited fans. (NR) | |
| 10. Arizona | 0-2 | The state of Arizona's flagship schools both got new coaches this offseason, and man, their respective starts could not be further apart from one another. It looks like it could be a long season for the Wildcats, though they should get a win this week. (NR) | |
| 9. SMU | 0-2 | SMU fans had to sit in the rain for hours only to see their Mustangs blow an early 9-0 lead in a 42-12 loss to TCU. Next up is a road trip to Ann Arbor. (12) | |
| 8. Western Michigan | 0-2 | Western Michigan's had a difficult time rowing the boat since P.J. Fleck left, but it should find the waters to be much more calm against Delaware State this weekend. (NR) | |
| 7. Bowling Green | 0-2 | Truth be told, Bowling Green hasn't looked awful in its first two games, its just faced opponents that are a lot better than it is. (22) | |
| 6. UConn | 0-2 | The Huskies got grounded into dust against Boise State this weekend, allowing 818 yards of offense. The UConn defense is allowing an average of 735 yards and 59 points per game so far. (17) | |
| 5. Old Dominion | 0-2 | Old Dominion's stay at No. 1 was a short one after it played a little too well against FIU. A road trip to Charlotte is up next. (1) | |
| 4. San Jose State | 0-2 | The Spartans jump into The Bottom 5 after being shut out 31-0 by Washington State. With a road trip to Oregon this Saturday, odds are they'll remain here next week. (8) | |
| 3. UTSA | 0-2 | It's not often you see a team jump from unranked to No. 3 in The Bottom 25, but by golly, these Roadrunners did it. They've just been outclassed in games against Arizona State and Baylor, and this week they get No. 24 Kansas State. (NR) | |
| 2. UTEP | 0-2 | Our defending champions maintain their position thanks to a 52-24 loss to UNLV. The Miners look to keep the pace with a road trip to Knoxville in Week 3. (2) | |
| 1. New Mexico State | 0-3 | The Aggies are the only three-loss team in the country at the moment, so it seems right that they took claim to the No. 1 spot this week. A 60-13 loss to Utah State helped quite a bit. (3) |
No longer ranked: No. 24 Florida State, No. 21 Troy, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 19 Louisville, No. 18 Navy, No. 16 Army, No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 14 Colorado State, No. 11 Kansas, No. 10 East Carolina, No. 7 Oregon State, No. 6 Middle Tennessee, No. 4 FAU