College football rankings: Kansas, Penn State slowly climbing up the Bottom 25 with losing streaks

CBS Sports Graphic

The Bottom 25 might finally be finding its level. While there's still volatility thanks to large gaps in sample sizes between different teams, we are approaching the point where The Bottom 25's gravity is getting stronger. It's harder to get away from than before.

We've typically seen five or more teams leave as new ones come in to replace them so far this season. This week we have only three new teams, and one of those teams played its first game.

Of course, we still have one FBS team in Utah that hasn't played yet. If the Utes play their opener (which, sadly, is not a guarantee these days) and lose, they'll be in here just like Cal, and every other 0-1 team has been. Other than that, I think we know who our candidates are for The Bottom 25 Playoff. Having said that, there are far more viable candidates at this time of year than in a typical season. We've never had so many winless and one-win teams this late in a year because nonconference scheduling has a way of making it easier to find wins for a lot of teams. Those wins don't exist, so nearly everybody in our rankings has a legitimate shot to finish in The Bottom Four at this point of the season. The only teams I'd say are eliminated are the ones who have reached two victories.

The Bottom 25

Rank	Record	Breakdown
25. Middle Tennessee	2-6	The Blue Raiders left us for a couple of weeks after beating Rice, but they've returned following a 42-14 loss to Marshall. They're scheduled to face Troy this week. You'll also notice that I'm using the word "scheduled" a lot more often because, at the rate things are going, a lot of these games could end up being canceled or postponed. (Last Week: Not Ranked)
24. Illinois	1-3	As an Illini fan, let me say thank god we're still capable of beating Rutgers. Still, a 23-20 win over the Scarlet Knights isn't enough to get the Illini out of The Bottom 25. Beating a Nebraska team that is no longer ranked here this week could do the trick. (9)
23. Eastern Michigan	0-2	The Eagles are off to an 0-2 start, but it's been a competitive 0-2. Their two losses have come by 11 total points, and both were on the road. Maybe returning to the cool, calming comforts of the gray turf in Ypsilanti will help them get in the win column. (16)
22. Southern Miss	2-6	The Eagles lost a 10-7 barnburner to Western Kentucky on Saturday. I did not watch it. However, I wish I had because a 10-7 game is what The Bottom 25 is all about. (24)
21. Florida State	2-6	Would anything be more 2020 than Florida State finishing 3-7, but with two of the wins coming against top-five teams (at the time) in North Carolina and Clemson? I guess we'll find out this weekend! Maybe! (25)
20. Texas State	1-9	Another week, another competitive loss for The Fightin' Spavs. The Bobcats fell to Georgia Southern 40-38 last week but have a winnable game scheduled for this weekend against Arkansas State. Considering the only other game left on the schedule is Coastal Carolina, this is State's last best chance. (23)
19. Syracuse	1-7	Syracuse had the weekend off and hopes to return to action this week against a Louisville team that just had one of its best players opt-out for the rest of the season. Javian Hawkins will likely not be the last NFL prospect to do so in the coming weeks. (22)
18. East Carolina	1-6	The nightmare season for My Pirates continues as they were spanked 55-17 by Cincinnati last week. Up next on the schedule is a road trip to No. 16 Temple. (NR)
17. Oregon State	0-2	I don't know if Oregon State would've beaten Washington if Pac-12 refs had any idea how to spot a football, but I know that Pac-12 refs have no idea how to spot a football. Just egregiously bad stuff on Saturday night. (13)
16. Temple	1-5	The Owls were off over the weekend, giving them extra time to prepare for their Bottom 25 showdown against No. 18 East Carolina. It's The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week! (20)
15. New Mexico	0-3	As I said last week, everybody is playing through difficult circumstances this season, but New Mexico has taken things to another level. The fact the Lobos have hung tough in their three losses so far is a testament to the players and coaching staff. They lost 27-20 to a Nevada team that could win the conference, and this week they're scheduled to play Air Force. (15)
14. South Florida	1-7	The Bulls had the week off to think about their seven-game losing streak and prepare for Navy's option attack. (19)
13. Penn State	0-4	Penn State is 0-4, so it's ranked here, but the fact it's 0-4 and not ranked lower than this says a lot about how it has played. Trust me, the metrics used to formulate these rankings say that this team isn't nearly as bad as the record suggests. Now, that's not to say they suggest the team is good. They just suggest wins are likely to come. Possibly even this week against Iowa. (17)
12. Vanderbilt	0-6	The metrics I was talking about with Penn State? Well, they don't exist here, but they are trending in the right direction in the last couple of weeks! It's hard to imagine the Commies beating Florida this week, but a win over Tennessee or Missouri isn't as much of a longshot as it looked before. (11)
11. FIU	0-4	CBSSports.com editor Brandon Wise is an FIU alum and fan. The Panthers have not won a game since he moved north to Connecticut. Coincidence? Probably, yeah, but it's a lot more fun to tell Brandon it's all his fault. Don't lose to Western Kentucky this weekend, Brandon. (14)
10. ULM	0-8	The Warhawks' game last week against Arkansas State was postponed, and this week's scheduled game against Louisiana Tech has already been called off. ULM is next scheduled to play the rival Ragin' Cajuns on Nov. 28. Here's hoping they're able to get that game in. (12)
9. Stanford	0-2	Maybe Colorado is just outstanding and one of the country's best stories this year. Or maybe it's going to be a miserable season for Stanford. It's hard to say at this point, but we could get a better idea this weekend when the Cardinal host Washington State. (3)
8. UNLV	0-4	The Rebels suffered their fourth straight loss to start the season against San Jose State, losing 34-17. Up next is a Colorado State team that looks plenty beatable. (7)
7. Kansas	0-7	Over the weeks, I've talked about people asking me how ULM could be anything but No. 1 here. I've explained to them that smaller sample sizes of other teams push them ahead of the Warhawks because they haven't had a chance to "even out." Well, Kansas isn't ahead of ULM in The Bottom 25 because of the sample size. Up next, it's the Longhorns. (8)
6. Northern Illinois	0-2	After watching the Huskies put up 30 points on Buffalo in their season-opener, I thought to myself that this team might not be as bad as I thought. Well, after watching the 40-10 loss to Central Michigan last week, I've learned I should trust my instincts. (6)
5. Utah State	0-4	Last week, Utah State fired Gary Andersen. It did not help during a 35-16 loss to Fresno State. This week the Aggies have dismissed starting QB Jason Shelley from the team. Will that be the answer against Wyoming? (5)
4. Akron	0-2	The Zips had a much better performance last week against Ohio than in the opener against Western Michigan. That said, it still wasn't close to a winning performance, and they get a Kent State team that's looked fantastic to start the year on Tuesday night. (1)
3. Bowling Green	0-2	If you're a Bowling Green fan, you just have to hope that the first two weeks of the season are a result of playing two of the MAC's best teams. Of course, I'm not sure there's consolation in that, considering the Falcons are playing another of the conference's best teams (Buffalo) on Tuesday night. (2)
2. Cal	0-1	Not only did Cal play UCLA on two days' notice, but it played them at 9 a.m. local time Sunday morning. Why the hell they had to play the game so early will mystify me forever. Oh, sure, they'll say for "ratings," but how many people are going to watch a game that was just scheduled two days earlier in the first place? It's going to be Cal and UCLA fans only no matter what time you start the game. The least you could do is give the teams as much time to prepare for the game as possible. Even if it's just another three hours. (NR)
1. UMass	0-2	The Minutemen are scheduled to get their third game of the season this week against Florida Atlantic on Friday. They need to play two more games to be eligible for The Bottom 25 Playoff. (4)