Anybody can put together a ranking of the 25 best teams in the country, but it takes a true college football fan to compile a list of the 25 worst. CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli does just that.
Sound the horns! The Bottom 25 has returned!
Yes, everybody's favorite rankings have returned for their second season here on CBS Sports, and you couldn't possibly be more excited about it. I know I'm pumped. I can't wait to dig into the best, bad teams in the country every week.
Now, if you aren't familiar with The Bottom 25, it's not the most difficult concept to grasp. Every week, I will rank the 25 worst teams in college football. Where things do get a bit complicated, though, is how I compile my rankings.
So here are five things I want you to know about The Bottom 25.
My opinion has absolutely nothing to do with the rankings. They are based on a mathematical formula of my creation. Every week I enter a bunch of different numbers into a spreadsheet, and that spreadsheet then spits out the rankings based on the data I entered. So keep this in mind before you call me an idiot, which I know you will.
There is true equality to start. That means exactly what it says. The math doesn't play favorites. Before the season begins, Ohio State is just as good as our defending Bottom 25 champion SMU Mustangs. It doesn't matter where you're ranked in the AP Top 25, or what you did last season, or any season before it. The only factor that matters in the rankings is how you've performed in 2015.
Wins and losses mean more than anything. I have a lot of different statistics involved, and I factor in strength of schedule (though, remember, everybody begins the season with the same SOS), but at the end of the day whether you won or lost is going to mean more than anything else. Also, just because it's too difficult for me to rank FCS teams as well, my formula doesn't have much respect for FCS teams. If you beat one it won't mean much, and if you lose to one, well, you might show up in The Bottom 25.
Because it's a mathematical formula, and we're only one week into the season, there are going to be a lot of surprises early on. Remember, we're working with a limited sample size right now. The more games that are played, the more sense it'll all start to make, and I believe you'll find that the rankings are very accurate at the end of the season.
I won't tell you what my formula is. I just don't want to. I'm not a mathematician. I know my formula isn't perfect. I don't think a perfect formula can exist. So I don't share it because I don't care what anybody thinks is wrong with it, or what else it should include. So don't ask.
OK, so now that we have all that out of the way, how about we start ranking teams ... from No. 104-128?
25. UNLV: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 38-30 at Northern Illinois
Average Score: 30-38 | This Week: vs. UCLA
The Rebels actually held a lead over the Huskies at halftime, but things went bad in the second half. All that said, it's the loss that's hurting UNLV more than the way it played. The last three or four spots in the rankings were all incredibly close. UNLV just barely managed to get in.
24. Central Michigan: 0-1
Best Win: None| Worst Loss: 24-13 vs. Oklahoma State
Average Score: 13-24| This Week: vs. Monmouth
As I explained earlier, FCS wins don't mean a whole lot in my formula, but considering how bunched things are at this spot, should the Chippewas manage to beat Mighty Monmouth, they won't be here next week.
23. Southern Miss: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 34-16 vs. Mississippi State
Average Score: 16-34 | This Week: vs. Austin Peay
The Golden Eagles may be ranked this week, but they played better than I expected. I had Mississippi State -21 as my lock of the week in Pick Six, but Southern managed to cover. I guess they just didn't cover enough.
22. UCF: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 15-14 vs. FIU
Average Score: 14-15 | This Week: at Stanford
The Knights didn't get blown out by FIU, but they only managed to score 14 points, and by and large, they just looked the part of a Bottom 25 team. I don't know how long they'll stay here, but considering two of their next three games are road trips to Stanford and South Carolina, with Furman in between, it could be a while.
21. Arizona State: 0-1
Best Win: None| Worst Loss: 38-17 vs. Texas A&M
Average Score: 17-38 | This Week: vs. Cal-Poly
Started from the top and now you're here. Started from the top and now your whole team here. Not that I have much room to make fun of Arizona State right now, considering they're one of my preseason picks to qualify for the Playoff. Plenty of time to erase these memories, though!
20. Bowling Green: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 59-30 at Tennessee
Average Score: 30-59 | This Week: at Maryland
Offensively, the Falcons held their own against Tennessee, but that's not why they're here. No, they're here because they gave up over 600 yards of offense and eight touchdowns.
19. Penn State: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 27-10 vs. Temple
Average Score: 10-27 | This Week: vs. Buffalo
The last time Penn State lost to Temple before this weekend, Joe Paterno was 14-years old. That's a long time, but I bet the game felt longer to Christian Hackenberg, seeing as how he was sacked 10 times.
18. Purdue: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 41-31 at Marshall
Average Score: 31-41 | This Week: vs. Indiana State
Oh, Purdue. You were so very Purdue on Sunday. And by "very Purdue," I meant you had the consistency we come to expect from an engineer. On the very first play of the game you threw a pick six, and it was a pick six that put the final nail in your coffin at the end. Consistency.
17. Idaho: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 45-28 vs. Ohio
Average Score: 28-45 | This Week: at USC
Let's see. You have a coach that's reportedly yelling at reporters, and there's talk that the Sun Belt might kick Idaho out after this season. You know, being ranked in The Bottom 25 is probably the best thing to happen to Idaho football in a while.
16. Troy: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 49-21 at NC State
Average Score: 21-49 | This Week: vs. Charleston Southern
Troy is no stranger to The Bottom 25, as it spent most of last season battling for a top five spot. It fell short of the title, though, but losing by 28 points in your season opener is a good start for 2015's bid.
15. Arkansas State: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 55-6 at USC
Average Score: 6-55 | This Week: vs. Missouri
This game really wasn't as bad as the score looked. It wasn't good, but it wasn't 49-point loss. I'm not saying that means Arkansas State will get out of these rankings any time soon, I'm just saying I'm skeptical that this is a Bottom 25 title contender.
14. SMU: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 56-21 vs. Baylor
Average Score: 21-56 | This Week: vs. North Texas
It makes me so happy to see our defending champions back in The Bottom 25 to start 2015. What doesn't make me as happy is how feisty this team looked early against Baylor. I am seriously worried that SMU will not be able to repeat this year due to being too competent.
13. Louisiana-Monroe: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 51-14 at Georgia
Average Score: 14-51 | This Week: vs. Nicholls State
Imagine how much higher the Warhawks could have been ranked had they actually played an entire 60 minutes before the rain washed the game away.
12. Akron: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 41-3 at Oklahoma
Average Score: 3-41 | This Week: vs. Pitt
Oh man, Akron was holding its own against Oklahoma in the first half, but then the third quarter happened. The Sooners ended up with 539 yards of offense on the Zips, and did so while essentially taking the fourth quarter off.
11. Texas: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 38-3 at Notre Dame
Average Score: 3-38 | This Week: vs. Rice
Man, things have gotten so bad for Texas that the Longhorns can't reach the Bottom 10 either. Seriously, Longhorns, either Notre Dame is very good, or you are very bad.
10. Texas State 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 59-16 at Florida State
Average Score: 16-59 | This Week: vs. Prairie View A&M
The easiest way to begin the season in The Bottom 10 is to schedule a road trip to Tallahassee to start the season. Good thinking by the Bobcats.
9. UTEP: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 48-13 at Arkansas
Average Score: 13-48 | This Week: at Texas Tech
You know, if you get run over by Arkansas, it's not exactly a shock. It happens to a lot of teams, because that's what Arkansas does. When you have Arkansas airing it out against you with ease, though? Well, that might not bode well for the rest of your season. The Razorbacks averaged 15.4 yards per pass attempt! Not completion. Attempt.
8. Kent State: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 52-3 at Illinois
Average Score: 3-52 | This Week: vs. Delaware State
Listen, The Bottom 25 isn't an exact science, but if you lose by 49 points to a team that just fired its coach a week before the season even began, you're going to be ranked.
7. Tulane: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 37-7 vs. Duke
Average Score: 7-37 | This Week: at Georgia Tech
Considering what Duke did to Tulane in New Orleans, it's probably safe to assume Georgia Tech will commit unspeakable acts against the Green Wave this week.
6. New Mexico State: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 61-13 at Florida
Average Score: 13-61 | This Week: vs. Georgia State
New Mexico State was a Bottom 25 regular last season, and it looked like it will be again this year against Florida. It does have a big contest against Georgia State this week, however, as the Panthers are certainly familiar with these parts as well.
5. Georgia Southern: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 44-0 at West Virginia
Average Score: 0-44 | This Week: vs. Western Michigan
Georgia Southern was one of my favorite teams to watch last season, and while I expected the Eagles to lose to West Virginia, I didn't think they'd get destroyed. This team is still too good to be ranked here for long, though.
4. Washington State: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 24-17 vs. Portland State
Average Score: 17-24 | This Week: at Rutgers
Portland State is an FCS team that went 3-9 in 2014, and one of those losses was a 38-point loss to Washington State. That didn't happen this year! Mike Leach might want to start wearing his contract buyout around his neck in Pullman, just to be safe.
3. Kansas: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 41-38 vs. South Dakota State
Average Score: 38-41 | This Week: vs. Memphis
This is a huge loss for Kansas. Why? Well, because the Jayhawks have won a grand total of 12 games since the start of the 2010 season. Four of those wins came against FCS opponents. It's basically the only game on the schedule that the Jayhawks can kind of count on winning each season.
2. Army West Point: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 37-35 vs. Fordham
Average Score: 35-37 | This Week: at UConn
Don't worry, Army. You'll have a much less difficult opponent this week when you play UConn.
1. Wyoming: 0-1
Best Win: None | Worst Loss: 24-13 vs. North Dakota
Average Score: 13-24 | This Week: vs. Eastern Michigan
So Craig Bohl leaves North Dakota State for Wyoming, and then loses to the state school of North Dakota when he gets there. That's enough to get you the top spot in The Bottom 25 for one week at least, and Bohl is used to being No. 1.
