Nebraska and Wisconsin both entered Week 10 in thick of the Big Ten West race as favorites against lowly Big Ten East teams who were ranked in the Bottom 25. But in a sign of how just how poor the West is during the final season of division play before conference realignment, both managed to lose.
Indiana picked up its first league win, stunning Wisconsin 20-14 as a 9.5-point underdog. Not to be outdone, Michigan State also won its first conference game by knocking off the Nebraska 20-17 after entering as 3-point underdogs. Those outcomes left Iowa (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) as the only Big Ten West team with fewer than three league losses entering the final three weeks of the season. Furthermore, the outcomes denied both Nebraska and Wisconsin bowl eligibility for at least one more week.
With the victories, the Hoosiers and Spartans escaped the Bottom 25 ... for now, anyway. Fittingly, one of their replacements is a Big Ten West team as Purdue enters the ranking at No. 24 this week following a beatdown at the hands of Michigan.
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. Cincinnati | 2-7 | Saturday's loss to UCF solidified the inevitable: Cincinnati will miss a bowl for the first time since 2017. The Bearcats are now 0-6 in league play during their inaugural Big 12 campaign after falling 28-26 to the Knights. It was a particularly discouraging loss considering that Corey Kiner and Ryan Montgomery each surpassed 100 yards rushing in a losing effort. (Last week: 25) |
 | 24. Purdue | 2-7 | Purdue's visit to Michigan went exactly as expected as the Wolverines systematically destroyed the overmatched Boilermakers 41-13. Blame it on sign stealing if you want, but the rational explanation is that Purdue is in a rebuilding season and was tremendously unfortunate to draw the Wolverines and Ohio State from the East this season. (NR) |
 | 23. New Mexico | 3-6 | UNLV moved on from Marcus Arroyo after three losing seasons, is 7-2 and just smoked New Mexico 56-14 under first-year coach Barry Odom on Saturday. New Mexico stayed the course after three losing seasons with coach Danny Gonzales and appears to be getting no better. Now in Year 4, he is just 10-29 overall. (NR) |
 | 22. Virginia | 2-7 | Virginia stayed out of the Bottom 25's mean streets for a couple weeks after upsetting North Carolina last month, but the Cavaliers relapsed in a 45-17 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday, allowing 514 yards and five rushing touchdowns while losing the turnover battle 3-0. Now, starting quarterback Tony Muskett is questionable due to injury for a short-rest game at Louisville on Thursday. Yikes! (NR) |
 | 21. Arizona State | 2-7 | Arizona State must have given everything it had in a 38-27 win over Washington State on Oct. 28 because there was nothing left in the tank at Utah on Saturday. The Utes, who play a former walk-on pig farmer at quarterback, trounced the Sun Devils 55-3 with a 513-83 edge in total yards. (NR) |
 | 20. San Diego State | 3-6 | San Diego State has finished .500 or better for 13 straight seasons. That streak is in severe jeopardy after a 32-24 overtime loss to Utah State. The Aztecs will have to win their final three games — including two on the road and one at home against 8-1 Fresno State — to reach bowl eligibility. (23) |
 | 19. Western Michigan | 3-6 | Western Michigan came up with four turnovers and rushed for 252 yards on its way to a rare victory in its last game against Eastern Michigan back on Oct. 28. The Broncos aren't particularly skilled at stacking victories. They were outscored 89-35 in big losses following their first two wins. (16) |
 | 18. Buffalo | 3-6 | Buffalo is back in the Bottom 25 after losing 31-13 against an 8-1 Toledo team last week, and it's not getting much easier. Next up are games against a 6-3 Ohio team and a 7-2 Miami (Ohio) team. Winning out to reach a bowl would take a minor miracle, but the Bulls have certainly improved since starting 0-4. (NR) |
 | 17. Charlotte | 3-6 | First-year coach Biff Poggi suspended multiple players following a Week 9 loss to FAU, citing the team's disappointing "comportment." Apparently, it worked. The 49ers responded with an overtime win at Tulsa last week. (11) |
 | 16. UTEP | 3-7 | The Miners were eliminated from bowl contention with a 21-13 loss to Western Kentucky, making this five times in six years they have failed to reach the postseason under Dana Dimel. There is still something to play for, however. After a bye this week, UTEP will take on Middle Tennessee in a Conference USA Bottom 25 battle royale. (21) |
 | 15. Vanderbilt | 2-8 | Construction crews are making progress on Vanderbilt's stadium. Once they finish, they need to start on the Commodores' roster. Winning at Vanderbilt in the modern era is difficult for a thousand reasons, but the closest this team has been to beating a power-conference team this season is a pair of 16-point losses to mediocre foes Wake Forest and Auburn. (22) |
 | 14. Middle Tennessee | 2-7 | Middle Tennessee is now 1-4 in one-possession games after falling 13-7 at New Mexico State. The Blue Raiders have a light closing stretch against FIU, UTEP and Sam Houston, but getting motivated might be tough now that a third straight bowl appearance is off the table. (17) |
 | 13. Temple | 3-6 | Temple is much better when E.J. Warner plays. The son of NFL legend Kurt Warner returned after missing two games due to injury and led the Owls to a 32-18 win over Navy with 402 yards passing and four touchdowns. The Owls must keep him out of the portal at all costs. (9) |
 | 12. Tulsa | 3-6 | Losing at home to Charlotte in a battle of first-year coaches had to be tough, especially with a trip to Tulane up next. The Golden Hurricane blew a 17-0 lead and fell in overtime. Ten penalties for 89 yards certainly didn't help. (15) |
 | 11. Hawaii | 3-7 | Hawaii bounced back shockingly well from a 35-0 loss to San Jose State, beating Nevada 27-14 on the road Saturday. Though the Wolf Pack are horrible offensively, it was still encouraging that a struggling Rainbow Warriors defense held someone below 35 points for the first time since Sept. 24. (8) |
 | 10. Louisiana-Monroe | 2-7 | ULM squandered a rare opportunity on Saturday. The Warhawks were matched up against one of the only teams ranked below them in the Bottom 25 and produced a dud, falling 24-7 at Southern Miss for their seventh consecutive loss. (13) |
 | 9. UMass | 3-7 | UMass did it! The Minutemen have now won consecutive games for the first time since 2018 after beating Army and Merrimack in back-to-back weeks. Their three victories match the combined number of wins the program generated over the previous four seasons combined. (7) |
 | 8. Ball State | 2-7 | Ball State completed 9 of 19 passes for 66 yards in a 24-21 loss to Bowling Green last week. That equated to 3.5 yards per attempt. It was the second time in the past three games the Cardinals have failed to generate 100 yards passing. It's no coincidence that both games were losses. (10) |
 | 7. Akron | 2-7 | In a Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week, Akron outlasted Kent State 31-27. The Zips rallied from a 27-10 deficit to score 21 unanswered in the final 10 minutes. What's most remarkable is that this game featured no turnovers and just nine combined penalties. Two of the worst FBS teams actually played an incredibly entertaining and somewhat clean game. (4) |
 | 6. UConn | 1-8 | It looked like UConn might be trending up during October, which started with a win at Rice before close losses against South Florida and Boston College. Then came a trip to Tennessee to begin November. The Volunteers put the Huskies in their place, racking up 650 yards in a 59-3 win. (12) |
 | 5. East Carolina | 1-8 | There is a universe in which losing just 13-10 against Tulane qualifies as a moral victory for a program like East Carolina. But when you've won only one game on the heels of consecutive bowl trips and should theoretically be well-established under a fifth-year coach, moral victories don't count. (6) |
 | 4. Sam Houston | 1-8 | If in your first season as an FBS program your only victory comes against an FCS team, does it still count as an "FBS victory?" This is the dilemma Sam Houston finds itself in after beating Kennesaw State 24-21 for its first win of the season. Ultimately, when you start 0-8 and repeatedly suffering crushing defeats like the Bearkats have, any win is a good one. (3) |
 | 3. Nevada | 2-7 | Nevada lost 27-14 in a Bottom 10 battle against Hawaii, which surged three spots to No. 11 with the win. The Wolf Pack had won two straight but are right back in the mix for the Bottom 25 national title as they face a tough finishing stretch that includes road games at Utah State and Colorado State before a home date with Wyoming to close things out. (5) |
 | 2. Southern Miss | 2-7 | Things are dire when you win and don't move up in the Bottom 25. The Golden Eagles finally snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Louisiana-Monroe 24-7 in a Sun Belt sicko showdown. Now comes a difficult finishing stretch at Lousiana, at Mississippi State and vs. Troy that could leave USM with its worst record since 2013. (2) |
 | 1. Kent State | 1-8 | Kent State led 27-10 against Akron in a Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week before falling 31-27. When you enter the fourth quarter with a three-possession lead against one of the worst teams in the country and don't win, you 100% deserve to be labeled the worst team in college football. (1) |
No longer ranked: Indiana, Michigan State, UAB, Stanford, Army
