Indiana began the 2021 season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 after making a breakthrough during the 2020 season that was impacted by COVID-19. The Hoosiers finished 6-1 in that abbreviated regular season with victories over Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin along with a lone 7-point loss on the road against an Ohio State team that was ranked No. 3 at the time. On the heels of such a celebrated season, IU's placement in the 2021 preseason poll seemed entirely appropriate.
Following a slow build from consecutive 5-7 seasons to an 8-5 campaign in 2019, the 2020 season validated coach Tom Allen's program and suggested the Hoosiers would become a perennial bowl team under the likable former longtime high school coach. In fact, Allen's own stock rose to the degree that his name was at least loosely connected to other jobs.
But since that magical 2020 season, the Hoosiers are just 8-22 (2-19 Big Ten), and after last week's 52-7 loss at Michigan, they are in the Bottom 25 for the first time this season. Indiana is not expected to contend for Big Ten titles, but the program's rise to respectability in 2019 and 2020 with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback suggested it could be better than what it is now. At least the Hoosiers aren't alone this week. Vanderbilt joined them in cracking the Bottom 25 as the contingent of Power Five teams increased to four.
Bottom 25 rankings
After years as the QB1 of the Bottom 25, Tom Fornelli has passed the baton to David Cobb this season. We're still using Fornelli's power rankings to determine the order -- with the No. 1 ranking belonging to the worst FBS team -- but the written jabs are from Cobb.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. Indiana | 2-4 | A second winless Big Ten campaign in the span of three seasons is firmly on the table for the Hoosiers, who have been outscored by an average of 32 points during their 0-3 start to league play. IU scored first against Michigan on Saturday before turning the football over four times en route to allowing 52 unanswered points. (Last week: NR) |
 | 24. Vanderbilt | 2-6 | Vanderbilt's stadium is under renovation, and the defense needs a makeover as well. The only opponent to score fewer than 28 points against the Commodores this season was Alabama A&M. The 'Dores are down to 116th in total defense and are allowing opponents to convert 50% of their third-down attempts. (NR) |
 | 23. San Diego State | 3-4 | San Diego State's defense is still struggling to a concerning degree for a program whose entire identity is built around nastiness on that side of the football. But the Aztecs forced a couple of late fumbles that allowed them to escape with a 41-34 win over Hawaii that snapped a four-game losing streak. (17) |
 | 22. South Florida | 3-4 | To be sure, South Florida has demonstrated impressive progress in Year 1 under Alex Golesh when you consider the program totaled four victories in the three seasons prior to his arrival. But when you combine to allow 112 points over a two-week span as USF did in losses to UAB and FAU, it's hard to avoid the Bottom 25. (NR) |
 | 21. Arizona State | 1-5 | A beaten up Arizona State squad desperately needed this bye week after struggling to a 1-5 record during the easy half of its schedule. Now it has the pleasure of traveling to play at undefeated Washington to kick off the hard portion of its schedule. A 1-11 record remains on the table under first-year coach Kenny Dillingham. (22) |
 | 20. UAB | 2-5 | It seemed like UAB made a breakthrough on Oct. 7, when it beat South Florida 56-35 for Trent Dilfer's first coaching victory against an FBS foe. Then came a trip to UTSA this past week in which the Blazers were outscored 17-0 down the stretch in a 41-20 loss marked by 11 penalties for 85 yards. (NR) |
 | 19. Louisiana-Monroe | 2-4 | Louisiana-Monroe has now lost two games by a single point after falling 21-20 at Texas State in a game that it led 20-9 midway through the fourth quarter. The Warhawks are also skilled at getting blown out, as demonstrated in a 47-3 loss at Texas A&M and a 55-7 loss to South Alabama. (20) |
 | 18. New Mexico | 2-4 | New Mexico led San Jose State 17-14 at halftime on Saturday. Then the second half happened. The Lobos surrendered 38 unanswered points, including touchdown throws of 55 and 54 yards while turning their early lead into a 52-24 loss. (NR) |
 | 17. UTEP | 2-5 | The Miners struck gold in the first quarter against FIU by jumping out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 27-14 win. The victory was UTEP's first of the season against an FBS opponent. This team will have to keep the pickaxes sharp to dig out of a massive early-season hole created by a bunch of ugly losses. (8) |
 | 16. Middle Tennessee | 2-5 | It's like Middle Tennessee sets an alarm for mid-October, at which point it decides to wake up and start winning. Last week's 31-23 victory over Louisiana Tech was just the latest example of the Blue Raiders suddenly looking good after a horrible start. They won five of their last six last season, five of their last seven in 2021 and three of their last five in 2020 after poor starts. (9) |
 | 15. Virginia | 1-5 | Coming off a bye, Virginia gets road games at North Carolina and Miami. If the Cavaliers are going to pick up a league victory in the back half of the schedule, a Nov. 4 home game vs. Georgia Tech or a Nov. 25 home game vs. Virginia Tech look like the best bets. (18) |
 | 14. Hawaii | 2-5 | Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager came surging out of the bye week with a career-high 427 yards passing against a San Diego State defense that used to be respectable. The Rainbow Warriors forgot to play defense, though, and lost 41-34. (15) |
 | 13. Temple | 2-5 | The potential demonstrated by quarterback E.J. Warner was one of the few positives for Temple during the season's first half. Then, he couldn't play due to injury on Saturday at North Texas and the Owls mustered just 105 yards passing in a 45-14 loss. (21) |
 | 12. UConn | 1-5 | UConn's bye week arrived at an inopportune time. After picking up their first win of the season over Rice on Oct. 7, the Huskies were idle this past week. Of their final five games against FBS opponents, four come on the road. Sustaining the momentum generated against the Owls may be tough. (13) |
 | 11. Buffalo | 2-5 | After a two-game winning streak that sent it surging out of the Bottom 25 cellar, Buffalo returned to the mat with a 24-14 home loss to Bowling Green in which it totaled five turnovers and just 238 total yards. The Bulls' quarterbacks combined to complete 9 of 29 passes for 71 yards and four interceptions. (14) |
 | 10. Western Michigan | 2-5 | Western Michigan amassed 7 total yards on its final four possessions in a 34-21 loss to Miami (Ohio). A scoring defense ranked 126th has been the Broncos' biggest problem, but the offense provided no help against the Redhawks. WMU finished .500 or better in the MAC during coach Tim Lester's first six seasons, but hitting that mark again will require late heroics. (10) |
 | 9. East Carolina | 1-5 | East Carolina entered the fourth quarter of its Thursday game against SMU tied 10-10 but managed to lose 31-10. The Pirates' final 10 possessions included seven punts, a fumble, an interception and a turnover on downs. ECU is down to 125th in total offense and 130th team passing efficiency. (12) |
 | 8. Charlotte | 1-5 | Charlotte got the full Navy experience in first-ever meeting between the new AAC foes on Saturday as the Midshipmen won 14-0 in a game that saw 20 punts. The 49ers finished drives in Navy territory on five occasions without a single point to show for it, thanks in part to three turnovers. (11) |
 | 7. Akron | 1-6 | Akron lost a fourth one-possession game Saturday when the Zips fell 17-10 at Central Michigan while generating 193 total yards and 10 first downs. Once regarded as an offensive guru, Zips coach Joe Moorhead has work to do in order to salvage that reputation as he navigates Year 2 on the job with a unit ranked No. 127 in total offense. (7) |
 | 6. Southern Miss | 1-5 | Perhaps the thrill of a Tuesday night spotlight game at South Alabama will rouse Southern Miss from its slumber. The Golden Eagles must play four of their final six on the road, which will make recovering from an awful start nearly impossible. At this point, finding a single victory over an FBS program might be a good outcome. (6) |
 | 5. Ball State | 1-6 | Ball State quarterback Kiael Kelly completed 4 of 16 passes for 38 yards and an interception in a 13-7 loss to Toledo. He finished at -0.4 in the "adjusted yards per attempt" category, good for a QB rating of 32.5. Somehow, the Cardinals stayed in it until Toledo scored the game's only touchdown with 1:31 remaining. (4) |
 | 4. Sam Houston | 0-6 | The Bearkats are still searching for their first win as an FBS program after falling behind 27-0 in a 27-13 loss at New Mexico State. At least they are scoring occasionally now after totaling just 10 points over their first three games. Five of their final six opponents have losing records, so the over on a season win total of 0.5 could be a savvy play. (3) |
 | 3. UMass | 1-7 | UMass collected a paycheck in exchange for its dignity in a 63-0 loss at Penn State as the Minutemen dropped their seventh straight. A bye week is arriving at the right time after this team mustered only 109 yards in a very upsetting visit to Happy Valley. (5) |
 | 2. Kent State | 1-6 | Kent State thought it was going to surprise Eastern Michigan with a game-opening onside kick. Instead, the Eagles scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown to put the Golden Flashes behind early. EMU mustered just 218 total yards but won 28-14 early because of three Kent State turnovers and the game-opening special teams nightmare. The Golden Flashes can't get out of their own way. (2) |
 | 1. Nevada | 0-6 | The bye week didn't do Nevada much good as the Wolf Pack surrendered 516 yards in a 45-27 loss to UNLV. A couple of long touchdown passes from quarterback Brendon Lewis helped the offense cobble together its best performance of the year, but three turnovers and a bad first half crippled the team's chances of escaping from its spot in the Bottom 25 cellar. (1) |
No longer ranked: Eastern Michigan, San Jose State, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Stanford
