The Bottom 25 fates are truly smiling upon us this Halloween week. The stars have aligned to give us not one; not two; but three HUGE Bottom 25 matchups this week, the likes of which could shift these rankings in a major way.
It doesn't get much better (or worse, depending on your point of view) than Middle Tennessee at UTEP. Those two have been perpetually locked inside the Bottom 10 for pretty much the entire season, but something's got to give Saturday.
Don't let that steal all of the spotlight from such impactful clashes as Mississippi State vs. UMass -- a truly special Bottom 25 game, for many reasons outlined below -- or Tulsa vs. UAB. No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State couldn't hold a candle to these contests.
Though Kent State is off this week, special shoutout to the Golden Flashes for reclaiming the No. 1 spot. Kennesaw State kept it warm for about half of a month, but it's always belonged to Kent State.
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Bottom 25 rankings
The illustrious Tom Fornelli created the formula that we still use to generate the Bottom 25, but he has since passed on his writing duties. To be clear, the rankings are based on a series of calculations, but the quips are entirely man-made.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. Nevada | 3-6 | If you thought Nevada was turning a corner a couple of weeks ago with a win against Oregon State, you thought wrong. The Wolf Pack are 0-2 since, losing to Fresno State and handing Hawaii its first win in Mountain West Conference play. Now they have to play former Bottom 25 member Colorado State. We miss you, Rams, but congratulations on your latest success. (Last week: NR) |
 | 24. Rice | 2-6 | Add Mike Bloomgren to the pile of midseason castoffs. Bloomgren made it almost seven entire seasons with the Owls and was one track for his seventh losing season with the Owls. Not the best résumé. (NR) |
 | 23. Central Michigan | 3-5 | The Mid-American Conference race is deep. Central Michigan is not involved. The Chippewas dropped to 1-3 in conference play with a 46-7 loss to Miami (OH) in Week 9. Now they get a week off before hosting Bowling Green on Nov. 5, arguably the most important thing happening that night. (NR) |
 | 22. Florida Atlantic | 2-5 | Florida Atlantic had a bye in Week 9 and still dropped a couple of spots. Maybe it was in anticipation of what could be an ugly game against South Florida Friday night. (24) |
 | 21. Tulsa | 3-5 | There's some fight in you yet, Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes trailed 42-17 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter of Week 9's game against UTSA. Tulsa won 46-45 in regulation. That will certainly give the program some momentum as it prepares to face Bottom 25 mainstay UAB. (16) |
 | 20. Georgia State | 2-5 | Georgia State beat Vanderbilt. I have to keep mentioning it because otherwise, I simply wouldn't believe it. That same team is now riding a four-game losing streak with no apparent end in site, as the Panthers have to travel and face a good (yes, really) UConn team Friday night. (23) |
 | 19. Stanford | 2-6 | Surprise: Stanford lost again in Week 9. At least it was close this time. The Cardinal took Wake Forest to the wire before falling 27-24. That snapped a streak of four consecutive double-digit losses. (18) |
 | 18. Temple | 2-6 | Losing is one thing. Losing in the first game after a team fired its head coach is another. Temple did the latter when it dropped a game to East Carolina in Week 9. The Owls now have a bye week to brew in that shame. (21) |
 | 17. Florida State | 1-7 | Florida State was the second Power Four team to effectively be eliminated from bowl contention Saturday. The Seminoles would have a very thin chance to make the postseason with a 5-7 record but, let's be serious, they're not getting to five wins. (19) |
 | 16. Utah State | 2-6 | Utah State got back in the win column by beating Wyoming Saturday. Given the sorry state of the Cowboys, that victory doesn't resonate much. But it is something. (15) |
 | 15. UMass | 2-6 | Apparently a win against FCS Wagner counts for a lot, though. Maybe it's because the Minutemen tied their season high in points at 35. Enjoy the feeling while it lasts, UMass. Especially ahead of a final stretch that includes Mississippi State, Georgia and, again, UConn. (7) |
 | 14. Mississippi State | 1-7 | Congratulations to Mississippi State on a season of firsts. The Bulldogs were the first Power Four team to be eliminated from bowl contention and they're also the first Power Four team to be involved in a BOTTOM 25 GAME OF THE WEEK, as they host UMass Saturday. The Bulldogs are currently 18.5-point favorites on sports betting apps. (17) |
 | 13. Akron | 2-6 | Akron is one of the biggest risers this week after it earned its first Mid-American Conference win by beating Eastern Michigan. The Zips have won at least one league contest each year under Joe Moorhead. Can they improve on that number? We'll see Saturday against Buffalo. (4) |
 | 12. New Mexico State | 2-5 | New Mexico State had a bye in Week 9 to prepare for a third straight midweek game, this one against FIU on Tuesday night. (14) |
 | 11. Troy | 1-7 | Troy fell painstakingly short of its own epic comeback in Week 9. The Trojans trailed Arkansas State 23-3 at halftime, took their first lead late in the third quarter and then lost on a rushing touchdown with under 40 seconds left. Coastal Carolina on Saturday is going to be a much bigger test. (13) |
 | 10. UAB | 1-6 | UAB had a bye in Week 9 which means, at least for one Saturday, Trent Dilfer couldn't drag this team deeper into the muck. There's plenty of remaining opportunities to hit a new low, including this Saturday against Tulsa. (12) |
 | 9. Ball State | 3-5 | Ball State hasn't been totally awful, as evidenced by its 25-23 win against Northern Illinois last week (as an aside, how in the world did Northern Illinois beat Notre Dame?). But the algorithm has it out for the Cardinals nonetheless, so they remain in the Bottom 10. (3) |
 | 8. Middle Tennessee | 2-6 | The entire year has been leading to this. Middle Tennessee-UTEP. Saturday afternoon, in the Bottom 25 Game of the Millenia. This is once in a lifetime stuff, folks. That is until MTSU plays New Mexico State on Nov. 23. The Miners are -3 betting favorites entering the game, according to Fanatics Sportsbook. (11) |
 | 7. Southern Miss | 1-7 | Southern Miss is losing by an average of 26.1 points against FBS competition. Certainly not a great sign as it takes on Marshall this Saturday. (10) |
 | 6. Purdue | 1-6 | Purdue had a bye in Week 9, which coach Ryan Walters survived. Another enticing chance to plummet even lower comes Saturday when the Boilermakers host Northwestern. (9) |
 | 5. UTEP | 1-7 | UTEP came back down to earth last week in a 14-10 loss to Louisiana Tech. Still, the Miners kept it close, and they have a prime opportunity to get back on the board Saturday against Middle Tennessee. (8) |
 | 4. Wyoming | 1-7 | This is the first time that Wyoming has lost at least seven games since 2015, when the Cowboys went 2-10. They have never lost more than 10 games, but they're careening closer toward that dubious mark with each passing week. (5) |
 | 3. Air Force | 1-6 | Air Force had a bye in Week 9 and now has to prepare to face No. 21 Army, a team that has held six of its seven opponents below 20 points this season. That's terrible news for an Air Force team that currently ranks last in the MWC in total offense (295.3 yards per game) and scoring offense (15.3 points per game). (6) |
 | 2. Kennesaw State | 1-6 | Liberty has an honorary spot on this week's Bottom 25 for losing to Kennesaw State. Great moment for the Owls, earning their first FBS win as an FBS program, knocking down a team that had College Football Playoff expectations in the process. Fans even stormed the field twice. It wasn't enough to help Kennesaw State rise too far in these rankings, though. (1) |
 | 1. Kent State | 0-8 | Kent State, back where it belongs. Kennesaw State surpassed the Golden Flashes for a couple of weeks, but we all knew Kent State would find its way home. It is the only remaining defeated (the exact opposite of undefeated) team at the FBS level. While it's hard to cheer against the Golden Flashes at this point, it would be a shame to mess with perfection. (2) |
