Saturday was an incredible day for The Bottom 25. Not only did UNLV pick up its second straight win like I predicted, but The Bottom 25's Power Five powerhouse Kansas picked up a huge win over Texas. It was the second win for the Jayhawks over the Longhorns in the past five seasons.
I feel like I've become a Kansas football fan by osmosis. I've spent so much time paying attention to the program over the years due to this column that it was probably inevitable. I mean, part of the reason I began writing The Bottom 25 was that, as an Illinois football fan, I know the pain of rooting for a program that can never seem to get its act together. I know what it's like to get excited for a game every Saturday and trick yourself into believing this will be the one where we shock the world, only to be reminded time and time again that it's not. There's a chance it never will be.
Then you come back again next week and do it all over again. You keep doing it because even though it isn't likely, every once in a while, Kansas beats Texas and it all becomes worth it.
The Bottom 25
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 25. Colorado | 3-7 | The Buffaloes return to The Bottom 25 following a brief hiatus. They left after beating Oregon State a couple of weeks ago, but after taking a 20-7 lead over UCLA in the final minute of the first half, the Bruins outscored them 37-0 the rest of the way. They'll try to escape again with a win over Washington this week. (Last Week: Not Ranked) |
 | 24. ULM | 4-6 | The Warhawks have lost three straight since winning two in a row to improve to 4-3 last month. This week they lost 27-24 to Arkansas State in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of Last Week. This week it's a road trip to Baton Rouge to take on LSU before finishing the season with Louisiana. That's a lot of local rivalry! (24) |
 | 23. Bowling Green | 3-7 | The Falcons were blasted 49-17 by Toledo last week but only moved a couple of spots in this week's poll. They return to action Tuesday night to face a Miami (OH) team that's beatable. Of course, everybody in the MAC is beatable. It's what makes the conference great. (25) |
 | 22. Ohio | 3-7 | Last week, Ohio played a beatable Eastern Michigan team and beat it 34-26. This week the Bobcats will look to pick up another win against the beatable Toledo team that beat the Bowling Green squad. Seriously, the MAC is fantastic. (15) |
 | 21. Duke | 3-7 | Way back in September, Duke beat Kansas 52-33 to improve to 3-1 on the season. Things were looking somewhat promising for the Blue Devils, but then ACC play started. It's been six straight losses since with a 48-17 loss against Virginia Tech that was so bad the other team fired its coach afterward. The Blue Devils have a short turnaround this week, as they'll host Louisville on Thursday night. (NR) |
 | 20. Texas State | 3-7 | Here's a fun little fact about Texas State. After losing to Georgia Southern 38-30 Saturday, the Bobcats are now 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Sun Belt. That 2-4 record is good enough for second place in the West Division! Yep, there's Louisiana in first at 7-0, and a million miles away in second is the Bobcats. They'll look to keep their vice-like grip on second with a win at Coastal Carolina this week. (22) |
 | 19. Georgia Southern | 3-7 | Here's another Sun Belt Fun Fact (A Fun Belt Sun Fact?): Beating Texas State 38-30 improved Southern's Sun Belt record to 2-5, which would have it in a fight for second in the West but has them in last in the East. Listen, I'll admit these facts aren't that fun, but you can't dispute that they're facts. The Eagles host BYU this weekend. (13) |
 | 18. South Florida | 2-8 | People will say South Florida hung tough with Cincinnati last week, but the truth is the Bulls were dominated in that game. The final score might have been 45-28, but USF did some cosmetic repairs in the second half. This week they'll look to get started earlier against No. 9 Tulane. (19) |
 | 17. UNLV | 2-8 | See? I was telling you this team was better than its record all season, and now I've predicted it would win each of the last two weeks, and it has. So, am I going to predict the Rebels will beat San Diego State Friday? Well, no, no I'm not. But you know what? They can. (9) |
 | 16. Indiana | 2-8 | Listen, there aren't many positive ways to spin this one. It's been a nightmare season for Indiana coming off its best in decades, and I don't know that it gets a lot lower than losing to Rutgers 38-3 at home. I mean, Kansas over Texas was a much bigger story, but this loss was worse. The Hoosiers hope to bounce back against Minnesota. (21) |
 | 15. Navy | 2-7 | Navy had the week off and returns to action Saturday against East Carolina. (14) |
 | 14. New Mexico | 3-7 | Losing to UNLV 31-17 two weeks ago was probably New Mexico's last realistic shot at a win. The Lobos fell 34-7 at Fresno on Saturday night, and this week they're back on the road to face Boise State before finishing the regular season at home against Utah State. (18) |
 | 13. Temple | 3-7 | Listen, I don't talk gambling much in this column, but we are all on a strict Fade Temple Principle for the rest of the season. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of fight in this team right now, but maybe things will change Saturday at Tulsa. (17) |
 | 12. Rice | 3-7 | Rice lost to Western Kentucky 42-21 and has now dropped three straight since the upset win over UAB. The Owls hope to put an end to their woes this week at UTEP. (16) |
 | 11. Arizona | 1-9 | This is a feisty team! It's dealt with a lot of injuries, but the Wildcats show up every single week and play hard. They lost to Washington by five, USC by seven, beat Cal and then hung with Utah in a 38-29 loss. They'll play hard again this week at Washington State, and who knows? Maybe they'll even get a win. (12) |
 | 10. Vanderbilt | 2-8 | Senior Day didn't go as well as hoped, as the Commodores lost their final home game of the season 34-17 to Kentucky. This week they'll be on the road to face Ole Miss. (10) |
 | 9. Tulane | 1-9 | Another team still playing hard but isn't getting the results. Tulane fell to Tulsa 20-13 but has an excellent chance of finding Win No. 2 this Saturday against No. 18 South Florida in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week! (11) |
 | 8. Arkansas State | 2-8 | The Red Wolves picked up their first Sun Belt win and first road win under Butch Jones by beating ULM 27-24 in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of Last Week. Might the Red Wolves stay hot this week when they're on the road once more to face Georgia State? (5) |
 | 7. Akron | 2-8 | The Zips fired Tom Arth last week, but that wasn't enough to get them past Western Michigan, though they played well in a 45-40 loss. They will try again this week against Kent State, which is tied with Miami (OH) atop the East Division but is in the MAC, so what is it, class? That's right, it's beatable. (8) |
 | 6. Kansas | 2-8 | I guess wins against Texas don't carry as much weight as they used to! Or I guess the other nine games Kansas played this season still count. Whatever, who cares? Kansas beat Texas! And it might not have destroyed its Bottom 25 title hopes in the process! Would that be the low point for the Longhorns? Losing to the eventual Bottom 25 champ? Anyway, the Jayhawks look to start a winning streak on the road against a TCU team that just got smacked around by Oklahoma State. (2) |
 | 5. Southern Miss | 1-9 | Southern Miss went to a full-time wildcat formation with Frank Gore Jr. at QB against UTSA, and it was effective! The Golden Eagles gave the undefeated Roadrunners plenty of problems in a 27-17 loss. It'll be interesting to see if the plan of attack is as effective this weekend against Louisiana Tech now that a team knows what's coming. (4) |
 | 4. FIU | 1-9 | This is another team we're fading for the rest of the season. I mean, any time you announce that your coach is leaving after the season and the first thing the coach says is that the school is sabotaging the football program, it's hard to trust in the effort level from here on out! So prepare to bet on North Texas this weekend. The Mean Green will win you some Spending Green. (7) |
 | 3. New Mexico State | 1-9 | The Aggies went to Tuscaloosa and fulfilled their role, performing admirably in a 59-3 loss. This week things don't get a whole lot easier, as they'll be on the road facing another SEC team. This time it's Kentucky. (6) |
 | 2. UConn | 1-9 | UConn took an early 7-0 lead on Clemson, but the cold-hearted officials ignored their pleas to stop the game. That's when Clemson would score 44 unanswered to win with ease. This week the Huskies -- who hired Jim Mora, by the way, in case you missed that -- square off against UCF. (3) |
 | 1. UMass | 1-9 | I don't know how many FBS programs have lost to FCS programs in consecutive weeks, but it's probably not many. UMass followed up its 35-22 loss to Rhode Island with a 35-10 loss to Maine, and I'm pretty sure the entire state has to pack up and move to the west coast now. The Minutemen will stop in West Point to face Army on Saturday first. (1) |
No Longer Ranked: No. 23 Tulsa, No. 20 Louisiana Tech
