The conversation around Miami's stunning 23-20 loss to Georgia Tech is centered on coach Mario Cristobal's inexplicable decision to not take a knee to run out the clock vs. the Yellow Jackets. Doing so would have ensured his team a 5-0 start and would likely have pushed the Hurricanes into the top 15 of this week's AP Top 25 poll. Instead, Miami chose to call a running a play, but fumbled to give Georgia Tech the ball. We all know the Yellow Jackets scored on a 44-yard TD pass to win the game, giving the Hurricanes an 0-1 ACC record with games vs. North Carolina and Clemson up next and making UM the laughingstock of the sports world.
While the heat on Miami rightly centers on Cristobal's decision to run a play instead of taking a knee, the blunder is only made worse by an examination of the opponent. Georgia Tech was coming off a home loss to Bowling Green in which it surrendered 38 unanswered points to a MAC team that had been one of the worst in the country through four games.
Making matters worse, Bowling Green immediately reverted to its old ways in Week 6 by following up its 38-27 win over the Yellow Jackets with a stunningly bad 27-0 loss at Miami (Ohio). Had Miami botched away a victory against North Carolina, Louisville or Duke in similar fashion, it would have been bad. But doing so against a team of Georgia Tech's caliber only exacerbated the wound.
The Yellow Jackets got waxed by Bowling Green, which followed up with just 135 yards and nine first downs in a scoreless effort against a MAC foe the very next week. The effort from the Falcons was so bad that it moved them to No. 19 in this week's Bottom 25. But even amid an ugly defeat, BGSU picked up a transitive victory over Miami because of the haplessness of the 'Canes.
Bottom 25 rankings
After years as the QB1 of the Bottom 25, Tom Fornelli has passed the baton to David Cobb this season. We're still using Fornelli's power rankings to determine the order -- with the No. 1 ranking belonging to the worst FBS team -- but the written jabs are from Cobb.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. Eastern Michigan | 3-3 | The Eagles nearly flew out of the Bottom 25 with a 24-10 win over Ball State. But they still managed just 253 yards in the victory and are tied for 129th nationally in total offense. EMU needs to find some juice if it's going to reach bowl eligibility for a third straight season. (Last week: 15) |
 | 24. San Jose State | 1-5 | San Jose State is six games into the season and its highest point total against an FBS opponent is still 28 in a Week 0 loss at USC. If you didn't already realize how horrible the Trojans are defensively, that's some more hard evidence to ponder. (NR) |
 | 23. Central Michigan | 3-3 | Central Michigan appeared to be moving in the right direction with consecutive wins over South Alabama and Eastern Michigan, both of whom were bowl teams last season. Then came an inexplicably horrendous 37-13 loss at Buffalo on Saturday during which the Chippewas committed four turnovers while falling to a team that was ranked No. 4 in last week's Bottom 25. (NR) |
 | 22. Arizona State | 1-5 | Arizona State's only victory is a 24-21 Week 1 win over FCS foe Southern Utah, and it's about to get much worse. This week is a bye, and the Sun Devils better cherish it. After that, it's at No. 7 Washington, vs. No. 19 Washington State, at No. 16 Utah, at No. 18 UCLA, vs. No. 8 Oregon and vs. Arizona. Yikes. (22) |
 | 21. Temple | 2-4 | When your quarterback completes 42 passes for 472 yards and five touchdowns without an interception -- like Temple's E.J. Warner did on Saturday against UTSA -- and you still lose by 15, it's probably a sign that your defensive philosophy needs to be reexamined. The Owls have surrendered 40+ points each of the past three weeks in double-digit losses. (NR) |
 | 20. Louisiana-Monroe | 2-3 | Louisiana-Monroe surges into this week's rankings courtesy of a 55-7 loss to South Alabama in which the Warhawks were outgained 589-250. The Jaguars amassed 32 first downs against ULM, which now faces an 0-2 hole in Sun Belt play with four of its final six league games coming on the road. (NR) |
 | 19. Bowling Green | 2-4 | Bowling Green appeared to turn its season around with a 38-27 win at Georgia Tech on Sept. 30. The Falcons were going to use the momentum gained from crushing an ACC foe to take the MAC by storm! Actually, no. BGSU followed up its stunning upset of the Yellow Jackets with the clunker of all clunkers, losing 27-0 at Miami (Ohio) while mustering just 135 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech recovered by winning at Miami (Florida). College football makes no sense. (24) |
 | 18. Virginia | 1-5 | Virginia rallied from a 13-3 deficit to take down FCS foe William & Mary 27-13 for its first victory of the season. It's been a rough go for the Cavaliers, who suffered a trio of early-season losses that came by a combined seven points. But building on whatever momentum may have been gleaned Saturday is implausible with ranked foes North Carolina, Miami, Louisville and Duke still awaiting. (9) |
 | 17. San Diego State | 2-4 | San Diego State can't possibly be this bad defensively, right? The program, which has consistently been among the top-rated defensive units in the country for years, now ranks 116th in total defense after a 49-10 loss at Air Force in which the Falcons racked up 287 yards rushing. (21) |
 | 16. Stanford | 1-4 | Stanford played Oregon tough for a half. Then the floodgates opened. The Ducks outscored the overmatched Cardinal 21-0 in the third quarter on their way to a 42-6 win that showed just how nasty the second half of coach Troy Taylor's first season could be. Still ahead are games against Colorado, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State and Notre Dame. The best-case scenario at this point looks like 3-9. (20) |
 | 15. Hawaii | 2-4 | Hawaii was off Saturday, giving it some extra time to prepare for a Mountain West Bottom 25 battle royale against San Diego State on Saturday. Prove that you're a true college football fan and stay up with us until the end of the 11 p.m. ET showdown on CBS Sports Network. (16) |
 | 14. Buffalo | 2-4 | Buffalo is rising from the ashes of an 0-4 start that included a loss to FCS foe Fordham. The Bulls are one of just four MAC teams with a 2-0 league record after a 37-13 bludgeoning of Central Michigan on Saturday. This team dug itself quite a hole in September, but at least it packed a shovel to dig itself out of that hole. (4) |
 | 13. UConn | 1-5 | UConn finally won a game, beating Rice 38-31 despite picking up just 12 first downs. A 4-0 turnover margin can do that, as will two touchdown passes of 40+ yards that negate the need for sustained drives. The fact that the Huskies needed so many breaks and big plays to squeeze out a seven-point win is a good indicator they'll remain in the Bottom 25 for the foreseeable future. (8) |
 | 12. East Carolina | 1-4 | Bottom 25 teams ECU and Temple are two perfect examples of how the leftover AAC schools are doing the conference no favors amid realignment. It's inexplicable how a program that went 15-10 over the past two seasons has slipped to the point of owning a lone victory against FCS foe Gardner-Webb entering mid-October. (12) |
 | 11. Charlotte | 1-4 | Biff Poggi's crew is off to a rough start, but the path ahead is manageable. Upcoming games against Navy, ECU, FAU, Tulsa, Rice and South Florida are all winnable. The 49ers will need to improve upon their 130th-ranked third-down conversion percentage of 25% if they are going to salvage momentum in Boggi's first year. (13) |
 | 10. Western Michigan | 2-4 | It remains gravely concerning that Western Michigan allowed 387 yards and 41 points in a loss at Iowa on Sept. 16. The Hawkeyes now rank 106th or worse in the following categories: total offense, rushing offense, passing offense, scoring offense and time of possession. But against the Broncos they had no problems. (17) |
 | 9. Middle Tennessee | 1-5 | Middle Tennessee follows a pattern under 18th-year coach Rick Stockstill, who has led the program to 10 bowl games. The Blue Raiders cycle up, make a couple bowls and then cycle back down for a year or two. It's become painfully obvious the Blue Raiders are in a down year as their only victory to this point is against FCS foe Murray State. (14) |
 | 8. UTEP | 1-5 | Speaking of teams whose only victories are against FCS teams, UTEP also fits that category with a 28-14 win over Incarnate Word on Sept. 2 still standing as its lone victory. The Miners have been outscored by double-digits in their past four games as they exit a bye week and head to FIU. (10) |
 | 7. Akron | 1-5 | Second-year Akron coach Joe Moorhead is regarded as an offensive guru, but his teams continue to struggle moving the football. In losses to Buffalo and Northern Illinois to begin MAC play, the Zips have finished with just 253 total yards on each occasion. Four of this team's final six games are on the road, which means there's a real chance Akron finishes with two or fewer wins for a fifth consecutive season. (19) |
 | 6. Southern Miss | 1-5 | Southern Miss appeared headed in the right direction when it won the LendingTree Bowl last season after finishing 4-4 in a competitive Sun Belt. Now a .500 league record would constitute a minor miracle after the Golden Eagles fell 37-13 against Old Dominion and dropped to 0-3 in conference play. (7) |
 | 5. UMass | 1-6 | UMass is more than a six touchdown underdog at No. 6 Penn State this week. But if the Minutemen can just survive until a Nov. 4 home game with Merrimack, they'll have a perfect opportunity to post the program's first two-win season since 2018. Rome wasn't built in a day. (6) |
 | 4. Ball State | 1-5 | Ball State's average point differential against FBS opposition is now at -28.2 after it lost 24-10 at Eastern Michigan. Initially, it seemed like the Cardinals' metrics may be unfairly skewed by a brutal start at Kentucky and at Georgia. But two weeks into MAC play, it's been confirmed that this team is actually just bad. You can't go scoreless in the second half at EMU and claim otherwise. (5) |
 | 3. Sam Houston | 0-5 | One of these days, the Bearkats will get to celebrate their first victory as an FBS program. But the once-proud FCS juggernaut keeps taking punches to the stomach while transitioning to Conference USA. The latest blow came in a 21-16 loss at Liberty. It would be sadly ironic if SHSU's lone win came against FCS foe Kennesaw State on Nov. 4. (3) |
 | 2. Kent State | 1-5 | It is truly a shame that Iowa and Kent State did not play this season. The over/under for a game between the Hawkeyes and Golden Flashes would be reasonably placed at 17.5 as Kent State continues to give Iowa a run for its money in the competition for who can have the worst offense in college football. In the category of "scoring offense," the Golden Flashes are worse than Iowa -- even after exploding for 16 first downs in a 42-17 loss at Ohio. (2) |
 | 1. Nevada | 0-5 | Nevada had a week off to regroup following an 0-5 start that included a 33-6 home loss to FCS foe Idaho. This team also took a 5-1 Kansas team down to the wire on Sept. 16 before losing 31-24. So which version of the Wolf Pack will we see in the season's second half? If it's the version Nevada showed vs. Idaho, then it is a lock to finish No. 1 in the Bottom 25. (1) |
No longer ranked: FAU, Navy, UAB
