Welcome to the college football graveyard, Oklahoma State. There are some teams you just know, entering any given college football season, they're going to be really bad. Oklahoma State was not one of those.
The Cowboys were picked to finish third in the preseason Big 12 media poll. They returned an overwhelming majority of production from 2023's 10-win, Big 12 runner-up team. Oklahoma State seemed primed to fill the void left by Oklahoma and Texas' departure for the SEC.
Now, with just three weeks left in the regular season, Oklahoma State is dead last in the conference. The Cowboys are the only Big 12 team left without a single conference win, and with a 3-7 record, they've already been effectively eliminated from bowl contention.
They're also on the precipice of their worst season ever under Gundy. He's never lost more than seven games in the same year, so Oklahoma State has two contests left to set a new, extremely low, bar.
Don't think I'd forget about you, Florida State. Speaking of terrible teams, the Seminoles continued their slide all the way into the Bottom 10 this week. Never change, 'Noles.
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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. Oklahoma State | 3-7 | This seemed a long time coming. I'll own it here: there isn't a team I was more wrong on in the preseason than Oklahoma State. I had the Cowboys winning the Big 12 and going to the College Football Playoff, and I had Ollie Gordon as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Obviously, none of that will come to fruition. Still not my fault that they're this bad. (Last week: NR) |
 | 24. Central Michigan | 3-6 | Welcome, Chippewas. Central Michigan is riding a four-game losing streak, with each of its last two losses coming by at least 10 points. The return of MACtion means that Central Michigan will be playing on Tuesday night, with little competition, over the next couple weeks. Enjoy that. (NR) |
 | 23. Nevada | 3-8 | I maintain that Nevada hasn't been quite as bad as its record suggests, though ultimately that doesn't really matter if you can't win games. Just take Week 11 for example: the Wolf Pack pushed powerhouse Boise State to the brink in a 28-21 loss. Moral victory? Yes. Won't buy you much today, though. (25) |
 | 22. UAB | 2-7 | UAB is the latest pile of wreckage left in UConn's path to nine wins. I say it every week and I'll say it again: the Huskies are a wagon. UAB most certainly is not, and it faces a tough close to the year against the likes of Memphis and Rice. (21) |
 | 21. Mississippi State | 2-8 | Mississippi State's not winning games, but it has shown some fight under first-year coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs had respectable (adjusting for expectations, of course) showings against Texas and Georgia, and they hung around against Tennessee in Week 11 before falling behind late. Maybe they can finally steal one against Missouri or Ole Miss. (22) |
 | 20. Troy | 2-7 | Troy got the Bottom 25 Bye Week Bump (patent pending) while sitting at home in Week 11. Plenty of chance to fall back down the rankings Saturday against a sneakily good Georgia Southern team. (18) |
 | 19. Tulsa | 3-6 | Another Bottom 25 Bye Week Beneficiary (I'll keep throwing stuff at a wall until it sticks), Tulsa had extra time to think contemplate an awful 38-point loss to UAB. Maybe that energized them ahead of Thursday's game against East Carolina. (15) |
 | 18. FAU | 2-7 | Speaking of East Carolina, the Pirates are fresh off giving FAU its third straight double-digit loss. Great way to set the table for Saturday's Bottom 25 Battle of the Owls between Florida Atlantic and Temple. (20) |
 | 17. Georgia State | 2-7 | Georgia state scored a season-low seven points in its Week 11 loss to James Madison. This from the same team that dropped 36 on Vanderbilt's head. What happened, Panthers? (19) |
 | 16. Stanford | 2-7 | Something, something bye week, something, something ranking better. Stanford didn't play in Week 11 and it has to host ranked Louisville in Week 12. Funny enough, the Cardinal have yet to win a home game against an FBS opponent this season. Giving what crowd there is absolutely nothing. (13) |
 | 15. Middle Tennessee | 3-7 | Liberty has lost to a couple teams that it had no business losing to. That was not the case in Week 11, as the Flames cruised to a 20-point victory against Middle Tennessee. At least the Blue Raiders get a bye this week to collect themselves before a manageable stretch run. (14) |
 | 14. Utah State | 2-7 | Utah State apparently didn't do much of anything with its bye week. It had an extra seven days to prepare for Washington State and still lost by 21 points. Maybe things could have been worse. Now the Aggies are staring down three straight without a reprieve games to close the season. (14) |
 | 13. UTEP | 2-8 | Apparently the Bottom 25 algorithm really values a win against Kennesaw State. Who wouldn't? The Miners secured a thrilling 43-35 triumph on the biggest stage these rankings have seen. They should be rewarded for it. (4) |
 | 12. Temple | 2-7 | Temple's last two opponents have scored a combined 108 points. Its next opponent, Florida Atlantic, is 11th in the American Athletic Conference in scoring with 22.9 points per game. Something's got to give in the Bottom 25 Battle of the Owls. (17) |
 | 11. Akron | 2-7 | Akron stays put after its loss to Buffalo. The Zips could get a transitive win over Notre Dame if they beat Northern Illinois Saturday. It means absolutely nothing, but it is fun to point out nonetheless. (11) |
 | 10. Wyoming | 2-7 | No movement for the Cowboys off of their bye. They return to the field Saturday against Colorado State, which went from the Bottom 25 to vying for the MWC. It's good to highlight positive stories from time to time. The Cowboys are a -9.5 underdog, according to Fanatics. (10) |
 | 9. Ball State | 3-6 | Another MACtion mainstay, Ball State plays its second straight Tuesday game tonight against Buffalo. There's still a chance we get bowl-bound Ball State, but the Cardinals obviously have some work to do. (9) |
 | 8. Florida State | 1-9 | Mike Norvell's cleaning house. He canned both coordinators and his wide receivers coach following a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame. The Seminoles now have a bye week to figure out their new coaching structure. With the way Florida State has played this year, you could convince me that its coaching staff treated every week like a bye week and just forgot to show up to the stadium. (12) |
 | 7. UMass | 2-7 | UMass had a bye in Week 11. The Minutemen host Liberty on Saturday and -- as mentioned above -- there's a chance they could pull off the upset. (8) |
 | 6. Air Force | 2-7 | There's the Troy Calhoun Air Force that we're used to. The Falcons are fresh off a 36-28 win against Fresno State in which they snapped the nation's second-longest active losing streak. There's some fight left in the Air Force yet. (3) |
 | 5. New Mexico State | 2-7 | New Mexico State has one win since Week 1 of the 2024 season, and that was against Bottom 25 opponent Louisiana Tech. It's hard to see the Aggies getting back on the board Saturday against Texas A&M but, hey, stranger things have happened. (6) |
 | 4. Purdue | 1-8 | Purdue has faced a season of extremes. The Boilermakers are either getting demolished or they're losing in heartbreaking fashion. Either way, Purdue is losing -- a lot. And it won't change anytime soon. Ryan Walters' squad has to play two top-five opponents in the last three weeks. (5) |
 | 3. Southern Miss | 1-8 | Southern Miss is now tied with Oklahoma State for the nation's third-longest active losing streak -- behind Kent State and Purdue, respectively -- after falling 37-3 to Marshall in Week 11. Look for the Golden Eagles' seven-game skid to balloon even further this Saturday against Texas State. (7) |
 | 2. Kennesaw State | 1-8 | In a clash between Bottom 25 giants, Kennesaw State came just short of beating UTEP. The Owls are going to have to put the emotional loss in the rearview as they prepare for Saturday's tilt against Sam Houston. (2) |
 | 1. Kent State | 0-9 | The completely defeated season is still intact. In fact, there was no sweating it last week, as Kent State was blanked in a 41-0 loss to Ohio. Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but Kent State's Nov. 19 game against Akron is the only thing standing between it and perfect futility. (1) |
