Only a few weeks remain in the regular season, which means only a few weeks remain in the race to grab one of the 12 Bottom 25 Playoff spots, and of those 12, I'm not sure how many are truly attainable.
We seem to have a pretty solid Bottom 10 that's formed in recent weeks, with a group of six teams that are competing for one of those final two spots. Now, that could change if one of the Power Five teams like Colorado, Northwestern or Boston College manages to pull off an upset in November. Still, given how they've played all year, I don't know how realistic a scenario that is.
The good news is that while the playoff contenders are beginning to pull away from the pack, none of them are pulling too far away from one another. We could be gearing up for one of the most unpredictable Bottom 25 Playoffs of all time.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. Central Michigan | 3-6 | This Chips picked up a big 35-22 win over Northern Illinois during the first week of #MACtion, but it wasn't enough to get out of The Bottom 25. They are decimal points behind Utah State for No. 26, so they might not even need a win over Buffalo on Wednesday if they play well enough in defeat. (Last Week: 17) |
 | 24. Kent State | 3-6 | The Golden Flashes couldn't escape for long, as a 27-20 loss to Ball State brought them back within our orbit. It's been a rough season for a Flashes team that's proven to be one of the more consistent MAC programs in recent seasons. This week they're on the road to face a Bowling Green that's one of the conference's biggest surprises. (Not Ranked) |
 | 23. Temple | 3-6 | Temple, I didn't know you had it in you! The Owls trounced South Florida 54-28 in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of Last Week, costing them 10 spots in the rankings. Seriously, putting up 50 burgers is unbecoming of a Bottom 25 program! Unfortunately for the Owls, the schedule gets a lot more difficult from here on out, starting with a Houston team that just put up 63 points (in a loss!) this weekend. (13) |
 | 22. Vanderbilt | 3-6 | I've felt all season that Missouri and South Carolina were the most winnable SEC games for the Commies, and they lost both by a total of 14 points. That's not to say they can't knock off Kentucky this weekend, but we all agree the funniest outcome would be beating Tennessee to destroy the SEC's hopes of getting two playoff teams, right? (24) |
 | 21. UTEP | 4-6 | The Miners won three of four, including an upset win over Boise, to climb out of The Bottom 25, but a two-game losing streak brings them back. This time they lost on the road to Rice 37-30, but they have a shot to rebound this week against the only other four-win Bottom 25 team, No. 15 FIU. (NR) |
 | 20. Navy | 3-6 | The Midshipmen did an excellent job sticking around in a 20-10 loss to Cincinnati, but sticking around only ensures you stick around The Bottom 25. The rest of the schedule is a bear, with Notre Dame this week followed by UCF and the rivalry tilt against Army. (25) |
 | 19. Louisiana Tech | 3-6 | I was confident enough in Louisiana Tech's ability to lose that I bet Middle Tennessee on Saturday, and that's money I'll never get back, as the Bulldogs pulled off the 40-24 upset. Can they make it two upsets in a row with UTSA awaiting? (14) |
 | 18. Virginia Tech | 2-7 | The Hokies lost The ACC Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week to Georgia Tech 28-27, and as a result, the Yellow Jackets are no longer here, and the Hokies still are. This week it's Duke on the road before the Commonwealth State Invitational against Liberty and Virginia to finish the season. (21) |
 | 17. New Mexico State | 3-5 | The Aggies had the weekend off and will put their two-game winning streak on the line this week against Lamar. (16) |
 | 16. ULM | 3-6 | The Warhawks picked up a 31-30 win over Texas State to fall out of The Bottom 10 and jeopardize their playoff hopes. More importantly, I told you they would win another game this season, and they did! I'm a genius! They might win another one! This week they're on the road at Georgia State. (8) |
 | 15. FIU | 4-5 | FIU cannot help itself. It refuses to lose close. If it's going to lose, it's going to get blown off the face of the Earth. The Panthers fell to North Texas 52-14. Their five losses have now come by an average of 36.2 points, with none closer than 20 points. So will it be a win over FAU this weekend or a 35-point loss? (22) |
 | 14. Western Michigan | 3-6 | Western Michigan lost to Bowling Green 13-9 in a game every bit as boring as the score suggests. Hopefully, this week's game against No. 12 Northern Illinois will be more entertaining. It'll be hard not to be. (18) |
 | 13. Boston College | 2-7 | Boston College isn't going to win another game this season. It's too banged up, and the schedule is too difficult. The Eagles fell to Duke 38-31 on Friday night in a valiant effort, but they have NC State, Notre Dame and Syracuse remaining. Odds are they'll be a Bottom 25 Playoff team. (15) |
 | 12. Northern Illinois | 2-7 | It has to be something of a concern that Northern Illinois' defeats are coming by larger deficits than they were earlier this season. Their first four losses came by a total of 27 points. The last three have come by a total of 40. What'll it be against No. 14 Western Michigan? (19) |
 | 11. Arkansas State | 2-7 | The Red Wolves had last week off and return to action Saturday against No. 1 UMass. (12) |
 | 10. Nevada | 2-7 | The Wolf Pack had the week off and return to action Saturday against a Boise State team that won't be in a good mood following its loss to BYU. (11) |
 | 9. Northwestern | 1-8 | Rain and 40 mph winds were the recipe Northwestern needed to upset Ohio State, but it wasn't to be. The Wildcats couldn't do enough offensively and fell 21-7. This week they're on the road against Minnesota. (9) |
 | 8. New Mexico | 2-7 | Following their 27-10 loss to Utah State, the Lobos are now 0-5 in conference play and have lost by an average of 18 points per game. This week they get to face the option attack of Air Force. (7) |
 | 7. Charlotte | 2-8 | The Dead Coach Bounce wore off quickly! After shocking the world with a 56-23 win over Rice after firing Will Healy, the 49ers crashed back to Earth with a thunderous thud, lowing to Western Kentucky 59-7. It was 35-0 at halftime. Who can even guess what'll happen this week at Middle Tennessee? (10) |
 | 6. South Florida | 1-8 | Jeff Scott's position was already tenuous at best, and losing The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of Last Week 54-28 was the final straw. He's been fired, and the Bulls will have an interim coach this weekend against an SMU team that scored 77 points in a win over Houston. (6) |
 | 5. Colorado State | 2-7 | The Rams were feisty in a 28-16 loss to San Jose State. Can they keep that same energy this weekend against Wyoming? (4) |
 | 4. Hawaii | 2-8 | The Warriors were not quite as feisty against Fresno State, losing 55-13. They had been playing well lately but were down 31-0 at halftime and 55-0 before scoring two touchdowns in the game's final four minutes. This week they get Utah State. (5) |
 | 3. Akron | 1-8 | Akron had the week off to get ready for #MACtion and will be back on the field at home Tuesday night against Eastern Michigan. (2) |
 | 2. Colorado | 1-8 | Oregon treated Colorado like a scout team. The Ducks threw a touchdown pass to an offensive lineman, had a linebacker score a touchdown from the fullback position, and even threw a touchdown to quarterback Bo Nix. It was a clowning that honestly felt a little disrespectful! I don't want to sound like an old man, but I'm not sure what Oregon's intention was. Anyway, the Buffs are back in action this week at USC. (3) |
 | 1. UMass | 1-8 | The Minutemen fell to UConn the same way, so many others have this season, losing 27-10. Will they recover for this week's game against No. 11 Arkansas State? They better because it's The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week! (1) |
No Longer Ranked: No. 23 Georgia Tech, No. 20 Utah State
