It's October, which means we're still early enough in the season that anything can happen, but we've also seen enough football to get a better idea of what to expect. It also means that my rankings, while still somewhat volatile, are settling in. We'll see a big change here and there -- like possibly a Bottom Five team falling out of the rankings altogether -- but for the most part, our Bottom 25 teams are our Bottom 25 teams.
When you're ranked here early in the season, you might be a victim of circumstance. When you're ranked here in October, well, it might be time to start unpacking those boxes you've left unattended. Sit down. Get comfortable. Stay awhile.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. UTSA | 2-3 | Don't look now, but the Roadrunners have won two in a row, including a 30-21 win over No. 1 UTEP in last week's Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. Still, with both wins coming against No. 1 UTEP and No. 15 Texas State, it's not quite enough to escape The Bottom 25's loving embrace. (Last week: 9) |
 | 24. Old Dominion | 1-4 | The Monarchs leaped out of the rankings last week after a shocking upset of Virginia Tech, but they have returned to us following a 37-35 loss to our old friends East Carolina. (NR) |
 | 23. Western Kentucky | 1-4 | Western Kentucky makes it three Conference USA teams in a row to start this week's rankings, and the Hilltoppers join us after losing to Marshall 20-17. (NR) |
 | 22. UMass | 2-4 | Not only did UMass lose to Ohio 58-42, but coach Mark Whipple got himself suspended a game after equating the ref's not calling a pass interference on Ohio to rape. (NR) |
 | 21. North Carolina | 1-3 | North Carolina played both Nathan Elliott and Chazz Surratt at quarterback against Miami. Elliott had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, while Surratt threw two pick-sixes. I honestly thought that the Tar Heels were actively trying to get back into The Bottom 25 while watching. It warmed my heart. (NR) |
 | 20. UL-Monroe | 2-3 | The Warhawks allowed 46 points to last week's No. 5 team Georgia State, losing 46-14. That's how you make an entrance, folks. (NR) |
 | 19. Central Michigan | 1-4 | Central Michigan lost 31-20 to Michigan State this weekend, but it played a little too well to climb any further in the rankings than this. I don't know if that tells us more about the Chips or Michigan State. (21) |
 | 18. Louisiana | 1-3 | The Ragin' Cajuns felt disrespected by the world when they were made 50-point underdogs against Alabama last week, and they went out there and covered that spread with ease, losing by only 42 points. They look to carry that momentum forward this week when they take on No. 15 Texas State. (NR) |
 | 17. Miami (OH) | 1-4 | The RedHawks can't feel good about what happened Saturday. They had a 13-point lead at halftime, a 12-point lead late in the third, and a 5-point lead with under five minutes to play, but lost to Western Michigan 40-39. (20) |
 | 16. Tulsa | 1-3 | Tulsa took the weekend off, but it has a road trip to Houston on Thursday night. (16) |
 | 15. Texas State | 1-3 | The Bobcats took the week off following their loss to UTSA, and now this week they host No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette. (15) |
 | 14. Kent State | 1-4 | I thought Kent State might surprise people in the MAC this year after playing well against both Illinois and Ole Miss, but I'm reconsidering things after the Flashes lost to Ball State 52-24 over the weekend. (25) |
 | 13. Arkansas | 1-4 | Arkansas lost to Texas A&M on Saturday, but it hung around all day in the 24-17 defeat, and it drops a spot in the rankings because of it. Let's see how much ground Alabama can help it make up this weekend. (12) |
 | 12. Rutgers | 1-4 | This weekend is huge for Rutgers. After losing 24-17 to Indiana, this week's home game against Illinois looks like the most winnable game remaining on the schedule. If the Knights don't get past the Illini, they might make a Bottom 25 Playoff run. (11) |
 | 11. Oregon State | 1-4 | To be blunt, Oregon State looks outclassed against fellow Power Five competition. In three games against Ohio State, Arizona and Arizona State it's lost by an average of 31.7 points. And if you look at the rest of Oregon State's schedule, I'm not sure where the win is right now. (18) |
 | 10. South Alabama | 1-4 | My favorite fact about South Alabama at the moment is that it's No. 10 in the Bottom 25, yet it's also in first place in the Sun Belt's West Division thanks to a win over No. 15 Texas State. (22) |
 | 9. Colorado State | 1-4 | It can't be a good sign that I had two different Colorado State fans take their time off during the bye week to ask me who I thought the Rams could hire if they replaced Mike Bobo. Massive game for the Rams this week against No. 6 San Jose State. (8) |
 | 8. Rice | 1-4 | The Owls were plucked 56-24 by Wake Forest last week, but they'll look to take to the sky again this week against No. 25 UTSA. It's a battle of strange-looking birds! (14) |
 | 7. New Mexico State | 1-4 | The Aggies have to hope they didn't schedule their bye at the wrong time, as they took the week off after picking up a win over UTEP two weeks ago. Can they maintain their momentum against Liberty this weekend? (6) |
 | 6. San Jose State | 0-4 | I'm not sure I've ever seen this before. San Jose State lost to Hawaii 44-41 in five overtimes on Saturday. The Spartans didn't win the game, but they played well enough to drop three spots in the rankings despite not having a win on the season. This could be an excellent sign for the Spartans as they prepare to take on No. 9 Colorado State in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week! (3) |
 | 5. UConn | 1-4 | UConn has allowed 267 points in five games this season. That's 11 more points than No. 22 UMass, but UMass has played six games. The next closest team to UConn in points allowed that has played five games is our No. 4 team, Bowling Green. The Falcons have allowed 239. This week UConn gets a Memphis team that's scoring 44.4 points per game. (10) |
 | 4. Bowling Green | 1-4 | Georgia Tech ran all over Bowling Green on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 372 yards and put 63 points on the board in the process. Next up is a road trip to Toledo. (7) |
 | 3. UCLA | 0-4 | Chip Kelly is now 2-18 in his last 20 games if you include his final season with the San Francisco 49ers. The Bruins hung with Colorado for a half and then collapsed. Maybe it was the elevation, but either way, looking at the schedule going forward and these Bruins will be here a while without significant improvement. (4) |
 | 2. Nebraska | 0-4 | While they're in similar situations, I feel Nebraska is more likely to miss out on the Bottom 25 Playoff than UCLA simply because it has more winnable games left against Bethune-Cookman, Minnesota and Illinois. All three of those games are in Lincoln. Of course, this weekend's game against Wisconsin isn't, so odds are Nebraska will still be here next week. (2) |
 | 1. UTEP | 0-5 | UTEP showed that Bottom 25 champions are Bottom 25 champions for a reason in its loss to UTSA last week, and now it has a date with a North Texas team that's angry after a loss to Louisiana Tech. (1) |
No longer ranked: Ohio (24), Tulane (23), Georgia Tech (19), Northern Illinois (17), Middle Tennessee (13), Georgia State (5)
