If you're a Nebraska fan who is already angry about the Cornhuskers' game with Wisconsin being canceled last weekend, you should probably stop reading this now. As I wrote about here last week, and as was seen in the rankings, The Bottom 25 is very much out of whack with so many teams playing a different number of games.
When the Big Ten and Mountain West began play before last week's rankings, nearly every team that lost its opener joined us in The Bottom 25. Not because they were that bad necessarily, but because of such a small sample size not allowing them time to balance out the numbers. Well, everybody in the Big Ten and Mountain West (except Colorado State and New Mexico) added a second game to their sample last week. Win or lose, things evened out a bit for those teams.
Nebraska did not get that chance. So while Nebraska was forced to sit at home twiddling its thumbs, it also climbed higher in our rankings this week. How far? Well, it was at No. 6 last week, so it could only go so high.
To the rankings!
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. South Florida | 1-5 | The Bulls were one of the teams that fell out of our rankings due to the influx of new teams. They're back after being on a bye, which seems fitting. They return to action against Memphis on Saturday. (Last Week: Not Ranked) |
 | 24. Georgia Tech | 2-5 | The win over Louisville feels like a long time ago. The Bees have lost three straight by a combined score of 152-47 since then. They'll have this weekend off before getting Pitt in a couple of weeks. (NR) |
 | 23. Middle Tennessee | 2-5 | The Raiders had the weekend off to feel good about themselves after beating Rice. This week they look to keep the streak alive against Charlotte. (25) |
 | 22. East Carolina | 1-4 | Odds are good you didn't watch it on Friday night, but believe me when I tell you the officials screwed East Carolina during its 34-30 loss to Tulsa. The Pirates seemingly stopped Tulsa three different times on its game-winning drive, and all three times, the refs made a bad call -- and I mean bad enough for the conference to acknowledge one of them -- that kept the Tulsa drive going. The Pirates hope to play Tulane -- and only Tulane -- this week. (NR) |
 | 21. Florida State | 2-4 | The Noles had the weekend off, much to the delight of my Cover 3 Podcast co-host Danny "Don't Call Me Dimes" Kanell. They return to action this week against Pitt. (24) |
 | 20. Temple | 1-3 | Temple fell to 1-3 after getting crushed 38-3 by Tulane on Saturday. The Owls' only win has come against No. 25 South Florida, and it was only by two points. This week they get SMU, and UCF follows that. They might be here for a bit. (NR) |
 | 19. Texas State | 1-7 | The Bobcats got back to their "hanging around with a better team for a while but still losing" ways in a 44-34 loss to Louisiana. Next up is Appalachian State. I'll bet that during the third quarter of that game, you'll look at the scoreboard and think, "hey, Texas State's hanging in there," and then it will lose. (20) |
 | 18. Mississippi State | 1-4 | A few weeks ago, Mississippi State lost to Kentucky 24-2, and it was the first time a Mike Leach offense had been held scoreless in a game. On Saturday, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama 41-0, and it's the first time a Mike Leach team has ever been shutout. Mississippi State also has the worst team passing efficiency in the SEC. So, you know, things are going great for the Air Raid in its first year in Starkville. (NR) |
 | 17. Western Kentucky | 2-5 | The Hilltoppers had the pleasure of being the latest team to go to Provo and get pasted by BYU, losing 41-10. This week they'll look to bounce back on the road against FAU. (21) |
 | 16. Syracuse | 1-6 | Here's a fun stat: 45.5% of Syracuse's offensive plays this season have resulted in either no gain or a loss of yards. That's the worst in the country. The next closest is Pitt, at 41.4%. We'll see if the Orange can improve that number against Boston College this week. (18) |
 | 15. Penn State | 0-2 | Sorry, guys, you're still here. Penn State's kind of a hard-luck loser so far this season, considering it outplayed Indiana everywhere but on the scoreboard in the opener, and then it got dealt Ohio State last week. Might Maryland be the game the Lions need to get on the board in 2020? (19) |
 | 14. Southern Miss | 1-5 | Well, the good news is that the Golden Eagles haven't lost another head coach this week. Yet. There's still time between now and Saturday when they'll play North Alabama. I'm telling you now that a win in that game won't be enough to get out of The Bottom 25. (16) |
 | 13. Iowa | 0-2 | The 21-20 loss to Northwestern looks close on the scoreboard, but Iowa's two touchdowns came following Northwestern turnovers, and both drives covered a total of 52 yards. Then Iowa was so appreciative of the turnovers that they had to respond in kind, turning it over three times themselves. Oh, and then one of the team's best players got busted driving while drunk. So, not a great weekend in Iowa City. This week the Hawkeyes get the Michigan State team that just upset Michigan. (12) |
 | 12. FIU | 0-3 | FIU's game against Marshall was postponed, the fourth time the Panthers have had a game postponed this season. Right now, they hope to play UTEP on Saturday. (15) |
 | 11. ULM | 0-7 | The Warhawks fell to Appalachian State 31-13, are now the only 0-7 team in the country, and they can't even crack The Bottom 10! Nothing about this season makes a lick of sense. (10) |
 | 10. New Mexico | 0-1 | The Lobos were able to get their season started a week later than expected and fell to San Jose State 38-21. The game had initially been scheduled to be played in New Mexico, but local health orders forced it to San Jose if it was to be played. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the standard operating procedure for the Lobos moving forward. (NR) |
 | 9. Illinois | 0-2 | Illinois announced shortly before its 31-24 loss to Purdue that starting QB Brandon Peters had tested positive for COVID-19. Due to contact tracing, they were also without backup QB Isaiah Williams. Illinois started the game with its No. 3 QB, but he left early after suffering an injury, and the Illini were forced to turn to their fourth-string QB. And he turned the ball over four times. And Illinois still had a chance to tie the game in the final minutes. That can't be a good sign for Purdue. (2) |
 | 8. Kansas | 0-6 | The Jayhawks hung with Iowa State for a while before losing 52-22. It's the fourth time this season they've lost by at least 30 points, and only the season-opener against Coastal Carolina saw them lose by fewer than three scores. This week they get Oklahoma, so I'd expect another 30-point loss is coming. (9) |
 | 7. Minnesota | 0-2 | Minnesota dropped a thriller to Maryland, losing 45-44 on Friday night in Last Week's Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week. Minnesota's reward? It gets to go to Champaign this Saturday to take on No. 9 Illinois, in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week! Back-to-back, baby! Big Ten football! (7) |
 | 6. Vanderbilt | 0-4 | Vanderbilt was finally able to get back in action against The Lane Train on Saturday, losing 54-21. The Commodores will face the other half of The Egg Bowl when they head to Starkville to take on No. 18 Mississippi State this week. (8) |
 | 5. Colorado State | 0-1 | The Rams got their season started with a 38-17 loss to Fresno State and begin the season ranked in The Bottom Five. They return to action on Thursday night at home against Wyoming. (NR) |
 | 4. UNLV | 0-2 | UNLV played its first game in its new home, Allegiant Stadium, and lost to rival Nevada 37-19. This week the Rebels look to get on the board against Fresno State. (5) |
 | 3. Utah State | 0-2 | Utah State has had to open its season against what might be the two best teams in the Mountain West, and it's been outscored 80-20 through two weeks. This week it gets a Nevada team that might be one of the three best teams in the conference. What I'm saying is, I'm not sure how good or bad Utah State truly is right now, but it's not looking great. (3) |
 | 2. Nebraska | 0-1 | Listen, I get it. It sucks. Everything about the situation surrounding college football sucks in 2020. But chill out. You aren't the only program affected by a pandemic that's affecting the entire planet, not just Nebraska football. I relate to your feelings, and I empathize with them, but nobody wants to hear it. Just suck it up and deal with it the best you can. (6) |
 | 1. UMass | 0-1 | UMass is scheduled to be back in action this weekend against Marshall! Only a few more games, and they'll be Bottom 25 Playoff eligible! (1) |
No Longer Ranked: Duke (23), Ole Miss (22), Michigan State (17), Fresno State (14), Wyoming (13), Rice (11), Maryland (4)
