Bottom 25 college football rankings: UConn makes history as Louisville enters the field
Anybody can rank the 25 best teams, but only the Bottom 25 ranks the worst
Dear readers, I am humbled and honored to be able to share the following news with you. You see, it's a historic week for the Bottom 25. This is something I knew could happen eventually, but the chances seemed so remote that I never thought it would happen. I've been doing the Bottom 25 here at CBS Sports since the 2013 season, meaning this is the sixth year of the weekly rankings. I've ranked teams for longer than that, and I can confirm that what you're about to see has never occurred before I began sharing the rankings publicly, either.
For the first time ever, the No. 1 team in the Bottom 25 has a win on the season and is ranked ahead of teams without one. That's right, following a 55-14 loss to Memphis this weekend, UConn leaped from No. 5 to No. 1. The 1-5 Huskies find themselves ranked ahead of winless teams like our defending Bottom 25 champion UTEP.
It's important to keep in mind that the formula I created to generate these rankings weighs wins and losses heavier than any other factor, so for a team with a win to be ranked the No. 1 team ahead of winless teams, that team must be extraordinary. And, ladies and gentlemen, this UConn team is quite extraordinary. So, congratulations, Huskies, and even if we already know you're No. 1, let's rank everybody else anyway.
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. Colorado State | 2-4 | The Rams had a 28-0 lead on San Jose State and blew it by allowing 30 points in the third quarter. They bounced back in the fourth to win 42-30. (Last week: 9) | |
| 24. Western Kentucky | 1-4 | The Hilltoppers took the week off. A date with Charlotte awaits. (23) | |
| 23. North Carolina | 1-3 | The Tar Heels will need every minute of the 10 days they're getting off between that Miami loss and this week's game against Virginia Tech. (21) | |
| 22. Wyoming | 2-4 | Sure, Wyoming lost this weekend and dropped back into The Bottom 25, but at least it got a trip to Hawaii out of the deal. (Not Ranked) | |
| 21. New Mexico State | 2-4 | Well, well ... look who has won two in a row. This week, the Aggies will go for three when they take on the Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette. (7) | |
| 20. Georgia State | 2-4 | The Panthers lost to Troy 37-20, and now they'll take a week off before having to face Arkansas State on the road. (NR) | |
| 19. Louisville | 2-4 | At least Louisville has a great sense of timing. Typically, I'd have led The Bottom 25 off writing about the Cardinals entering the rankings, but they were smart enough to do so in a week UConn made Bottom 25 history. Surely that takes some of the sting out of letting Georgia Tech dominate you with a century-old offense. (NR) | |
| 18. UMass | 2-5 | The Minutemen have not only lost two straight, but they've lost both by a score of 58-42. The latest was to South Florida, and now they'll get a week off to put another 58-42 gameplan together. (22) | |
| 17. Old Dominion | 1-5 | On the road, Old Dominion is 0-4 and has been outscored 169-103. At home, the Monarchs are 1-1 and have outscored opponents 69-63, including a win over Virginia Tech. Up next is a home date with Marshall. (24) | |
| 16. Central Michigan | 1-5 | I know it's hard to see it in the results, but this is a Central Michigan team that's getting a little better each week. Enough to eventually get out of The Bottom 25? I don't know. (19) | |
| 15. Kent State | 1-5 | Kent State had a 23-14 lead over Ohio after three quarters, but couldn't hold on as the Bobcats scored the go-ahead TD with 1:28 left to hand the Flashes their fifth loss. Former Bottom 25 team Miami (OH) is next on the schedule in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. (14) | |
| 14. Tulsa | 1-4 | Tulsa took an early 13-0 lead on Houston, but it didn't last long, as it lost 41-26. Up next is South Florida. It's important that Tulsa doesn't get caught looking ahead to its showdown with Arkansas in two weeks. (16) | |
| 13. UL-Monroe | 2-4 | The Warhawks got routed by Ole Miss 70-21. It's the fourth straight game they've allowed at least 35 points. (20) | |
| 12. Arkansas | 1-5 | Listen, the Hogs scored 31 points against Alabama, all right? The way things have been going this year, it may prove to be the highlight of the season. This week, they get Ole Miss in what should be a game that sees 100 points. (13) | |
| 11. Texas State | 1-4 | The Bobcats dropped a game to Louisiana 42-27. It was their third consecutive loss to a team ranked in the Bottom 25 at the time. In fact, playing Texas State is the most effective method for escaping The Bottom 25. (15) | |
| 10. Rutgers | 1-5 | Getting blown out by 21 at home against Illinois is probably a safe indicator that you're the new Big Ten Doormat. Rutgers QB Art Sitkowski has thrown 11 interceptions this season. No other QB in the country has more than eight. (12) | |
| 9. Oregon State | 1-5 | The Beavers had a chance. They took the lead against Washington State twice on Saturday, including a 30-28 lead in the third quarter. Then Wazzu ripped off four straight TDs before Oregon State tacked on a cosmetic TD in the final minute to lose 56-37. (11) | |
| 8. South Alabama | 1-5 | This week's game against Alcorn State is a big opportunity for the Jaguars. They'll either win and improve their standing a bit, or they'll lose and likely jump to The Bottom Five. (10) | |
| 7. Rice | 1-5 | The Owls lost to UTSA 20-3, which was enough to get UTSA out of The Bottom 25, but only enough to bump the Owls up a spot in the rankings. UAB is up next. (8) | |
| 6. San Jose State | 0-5 | The Spartans had me staying up late to watch their ridiculous loss to Colorado State. It will be interesting to see what this team can do against Army on Saturday. (6) | |
| 5. UCLA | 0-5 | Dare I say the Bruins looked competent during their 31-24 loss to Washington? Now, I don't know if that's because UCLA is improving or because Washington might not be that good, but for UCLA's sake (as well as the Pac-12's), I hope it's the former. Either way, a tough Cal team comes to LA this weekend. (3) | |
| 4. Bowling Green | 1-5 | Bowling Green is quite good at allowing points. Following its 52-36 loss to Toledo, the Falcons are now allowing an average of 48.5 points per game. How many will they let Western Michigan get this week? (4) | |
| 3. Nebraska | 0-5 | Like UCLA, Nebraska found itself in a game with a team that's a lot better than it is, and it didn't embarrass itself. The Huskers lost to Wisconsin 41-24, and now hit the road to take on a Northwestern team that's losing to Akron one week and beating Michigan State the next. Anything can happen. (2) | |
| 2. UTEP | 0-6 | I'm just going to say it. I think UTEP is going to win a game this season. Its last three losses have come by a total of 19 points. It's not winning, but it's no longer being blown out. Maybe the Miners can figure out how to finish during the bye. (1) | |
| 1. UConn | 1-5 | There are so many stats I could use to explain why the Huskies have reached No. 1, but I think the obvious ones are best. This is a team that has allowed 322 points in six games. UMass is the closest to UConn in points allowed with 314, but the Minutemen have played seven games. The Huskies are allowing 53.7 points per game. UTEP -- our reigning champion that is currently 0-6 -- is allowing 31.7. (5) |
















