The Big Losers This Season

We can talk about who going to win the National Championship or who is even going to be playing for the National Championship all day long and have a great conversation about it. But the teams I think we should be taking a closer look at right now are the squads who came into the season with such high hopes and high ranking that have fallen and some pretty hard. Almost half of the teams ranked pre-season have either fallen out of the rankings are have fallen so low that playing for the National Championship or a BCS Bowl is now a goal for next year and for some getting to a bowl is going to be struggle.


Here is what the rankings looked like coming into the season. For arguments sake we'll just use the Associated Press Top 25.

AP TOP 25
1)FLORIDA
2) TEXAS
3) OKLAHOMA
4) USC
5) ALABAMA
6) OHIO STATE
7) VIRGINIA TECH
8) MISSISSIPPI
9) OKLAHOMA STATE / PENN STATE
11) LSU
12) CALIFORNIA
13) GEORGIA
14) BOISE STATE
15) GEORGIA TECH
16) OREGON
17) TCU
18) FLORIDA STATE
19) UTAH
20) BYU
21) NORTH CAROLINA
22) IOWA
23) NOTRE DAME
24) NEBRASKA
25) KANSAS

Oklahoma came into the season ranked #3 and got smacked in the head by BYU and also lost Heisman winning quarterback Sam Bradford for few games that turned into the season. Add losses to Miami, Texas and Nebraska and the Sooners didn't impress that much and you would think that this team was way overrated. Take a few steps back and look closer and you'll see that they could easily be undefeated with just a few lucky bounces. The losses are as follows to BYU (1 pt), Miami (1 pt), Texas (3 pts) and Nebraska (7 pts). The hard part for the Sooners will be overcoming the loss to the Cornhuskers with games against Texas A&M, Texas Tech and #19 Oklahoma State on the horizon. If Oklahoma doesn't win out, and they may not, all will not be well in Norman and Bob Stoops will have to step it up in 2010.

USC came into the season ranked #4 and with a freshman quarterback in Matt Barkley. Barkley has done a fine job under center but losses to Washington, Barkley was out hurt, and Orgeon dimmed any hope of the Trojans playing for all the marbles. Even now they only have an outside shot at a Pac-10 title. Pete Carroll and the Men of Troy have games left against, a pesky Stanford team, UCLA and #17 Arizona. It is very possible for the Trojans to finish with four losses and make for a disappointing season.

Ohio State started the preseason with a #6 ranking, they lost early to USC and then tanked one against Purdue in an upset. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor has come under some heat for his play but the Buckeyes have righted the ship some with a big win over Penn State and climbed back to #10. A win over Iowa and the Bucks get to smell some roses and the losses to USC and Purdue will fade quickly.

Frank Beamer and the Viginia Tech Hokies had big dreams this season with a #7 ranking and all but they were quickly woken up with a opening day loss to Alabama. Just recently they lost two in a row to #19 Georgia Tech and North Carolina. The schedule is favorable for the Hokies to win out but a three loss season was not expected in Blacksburg.

The most overrated team coming into the season was #8 Mississippi and their Heisman hopeful quarterback Jevon Snead. To say the least both did not live up to expectations. Snead looked terrible from the start of the season and has yet to find his rhythm. Ole Miss climbed as high as #4 in the ranking but then forgot to show up against South Carolina on national TV. Add losses to Alabama and Auburn and the Rebels are just average. Houston Nutt still has a surging Tennessee squad and a mad as hell LSU team left on his schedule along with Mississippi State and the Rebels could be looking at a six loss season after starting the season ranked #8.

Penn State and Oklahoma State both game tied for #9 pre-season ranking and the Nitany Lions went out and lost to Iowa and Ohio State at State College, not a goot thing. Joe Pa and his men in white still cling on to a #18 ranking. The Cowboys were hoping to flex some strength this season in the Big 12 with stud wide receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant was suspended for lying to NCAA officials and the Boys went out and lost to BCS buster hopeful Houston and then then got thrashed, trashed and left laying on the side of road by #2 Texas. With games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma the Cowboys are fighting to get in a decent bowl.

California started at #12 and we all knew it wouldn't last because Jim Tedford always finds a way to lose some big games. What should have been said is that they would lose big. Two weeks in a row Oregon and USC held Heisman candidate Jahvid Best in check and the Bears could only eek out a meager three points while giving up over 40. Than last week Best was literally knocked out of the game and the Oregon State Beavers dropped the Bears. Cal will finish the season with Arizona, Stanford and Washington and could be staring at a five or six loss season.

A #13 pre-season ranking for the Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Mark Richt. They opened the season with a loss to then ranked #9 Oklahoma State and followed that up with losses to Tennessee, LSU and Florida. They still have Auburn and Georgia Tech on the schedule. Sitting at home for the holidays with six losses could happen for the Dawgs. Guess they miss Matt Stafford a lot more than we thought?

Talk about overrated the Seminoles came in #18 and then went out and lost a thriller to Miami on Labor Day. That might have been the high point of the season. Since then South Florida, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Clemson have all had their way with the boys from Tally. Not to mention now losing Christian Ponder for the season. With games against Wake Forest and Florida left a 26 year bowl streak is going to be over. The calls for Bobby's head will grow louder
and a new era might be coming to FSU.

Butch Davis thought this could be the breakout year for the Tar Heels and started the season ranked #21. North Carolina kept it together until the Georgia Tech game and that started a stretch of three losses in four games. Carolina redeemed itself some with wins over Va. Tech and Duke but still have Miami and Boston College left to play and in the crazy ACC and five loss season may happen in Durham.

Every year we hear that this is the year for Notre Dame to claim it's rightful spot on top of the college football world. With a former NFL whiz as a head coach and a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback calling the signals many thought starting the season at #23 was too low. Boy were they shocked at the Domers have fallen to Michigan, USC and Navy. Heda coach Charlie Weiss may be planning an exit strategy as I write this. With Pitt, UConn and Stanford still on the schedule another average season may signal the end of the Weiss era in South Bend.

When Bo Pellini was hired to coach Nebraska many thought the Cornhuskers would be back to where they once were. 2008 showed some promise and a #24 ranking was deserved. But then came losses to Virginia Tech, Texas Tech and Iowa State and Pellini was being questioned. A win last week over Oklahoma has helped this year and season with just three losses may be in the cards but it's not where the Cornhusker faithful want to be.