Category: Sun Belt

The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?)

The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?) Never overestimate the Sun Belt’s capacity for calamity Contact @astatefanrules As I write this, the student news paper for the University of North Carolina has …

The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?)

Never overestimate the Sun Belt’s capacity for calamity

Contact @astatefanrules

[jwplayer PkCtjTd4-boEY74VG]

As I write this, the student news paper for the University of North Carolina has already declared the semester “a clusterfuck.”  Meanwhile, Notre Dame is reporting a big spike in COVID-19 cases. The MAC canceled its fall season, and the Big 10 and Mountain West followed suit.

Yet, some college football conferences are heroically plowing forward. Among them, although from opposite ends of the FBS spectrum: the SEC and the Sun Belt. Why? America needs football, damnit! Who cares that Major League Baseball can’t field a weekend of games without creating a pandemic hotspot? Or that the NBA has only maintained its health by sealing itself inside the World’s Happiest Bubble?  The Sun Belt and the SEC may be divided by tens hundreds of millions of dollars, but they are united by life’s universally accepted coin – hardheadedness .

Whether it is wise to host a football season in this “time of uncertainly” is up for debate. However, what’s absolutely clear is that the Sun Belt has an opportunity.

By the time the SEC plays its first game (of an incestuous 8-game schedule), the Sun Belt will already be 3-weeks deep into its own schedule. The Sun Belt will have applied its molten heat on the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Memphis among others. That’s three weeks of owning the South with exclusive college football content. While SEC pundits are spitting out practice boring reports and cranky Saban quotes, the Sun Belt will be playing ACTUAL GAMES.

How does the Sun Belt handle this plum situation? The right answer is BALLSY, of course. But knowing the Sun Belt, and not knowing much about Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill (despite being on the job for more than a year and a half), the response will be prudent and cautious, and that’s just lame.

The Sun Belt should be negotiating a phat package with ESPN right now. Commissioner Gill ride a white steed right up to College Gameday’s throne and demand they visit some place ridiculous, like Monore. The SEC “Just Matters More?” For three weeks, they won’t even matter at all! 

By the time the SEC gets out of bed on September 26, the AP Top 25 will be stacked with laser hot Sun Belt (and whoever else manages to survive)! After all, how can you possibly rank a winless team three weeks in the season? You can’t, right?

We have three weeks, Sun Belt. Let’s make the most of them.

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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College Football Rankings: CFN Preseason Top 76

With the loss of several teams for the 2020 season, the preseason rankings have changed. Here are the CFN Preseason Top 76 rankings.

With the loss of several teams for the 2020 season, the preseason rankings have changed. Here are the CFN Preseason Top 76 rankings.

As long as there are still college football teams still expected to play in 2020, we’re going to rank them.

With the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and MAC out, and with Old Dominion, UMass, UConn and New Mexico State also not playing, we’re now down to 76 teams to rank for the 2020 season.

Okay, that’s a lie – there are 77 ranked here, which we’ll explain as they roll on.

For now, the rankings are NOT about where the teams are projected to end up – those are coming later once we finally get a schedule that appears to be close to set. The 2020 CFN Preview rankings are based on how good we think all the teams are right now.

Contact @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

CFN Conference Previews
AAC | ACC | Big 12
C-USA | SEC | Sun Belt
CFN Preview 2020 | 51-76
26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10

76. UTEP Miners

Best Player: DE Praise Amaewhule, Soph.
Most Interesting Game: at Rice, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 128
Realistic Season Goal: Win 3 games
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Texas, Sept. 12
– UTEP 2020 CFN Team Preview

75. South Alabama Jaguars

Best Player: LB Nick Mobley, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: Georgia State, Nov.21
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 121
Realistic Season Goal: Win 3 games
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Southern Miss, Sept. 3
– South Alabama 2020 CFN Team Preview

74. Texas State Bobcats

Best Player: CB Jarron Morris, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: UTSA, Sept. 12
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 120
Realistic Season Goal: Win 3 Games
Currently Scheduled Opener: SMU, Sept. 5
– Texas State 2020 CFN Team Preview

73. UTSA Roadrunners

Best Player: DT Jaylon Haynes, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: North Texas, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 124
Realistic Season Goal: Win 3 games
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Texas State, Sept. 12
– UTSA 2020 CFN Team Preview

72. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Best Player: RB CJ Marable, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Appalachian State, Nov. 21
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 118
Realistic Season Goal: Win 5 games
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Kansas, Sept. 12
– Coastal Carolina 2020 CFN Team Preview

71. ULM Warhawks

Best Player: RB Josh Johnson, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Louisiana, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 108
Realistic Season Goal: Win 5 games, with a win over Louisiana
Currently Scheduled Opener: Texas State, Sept. 19
– ULM 2020 CFN Team Preview

70. Rice Owls

Best Player: LB Blaze Alldredge, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Middle Tennessee, Oct. 24
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 115
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record
Currently Scheduled Opener: To be determined, Lamar, Sept. 26
– Rice 2020 CFN Team Preview

69. Charlotte 49ers

Best Player: S Ben DeLuca, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: WKU, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 93
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Appalachian State, Sept. 12
– Charlotte 2020 CFN Team Preview

68. Liberty Flames

Best Player: RB Joshua Mack, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: at Virginia Tech, Nov. 7
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 104
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record
Currently Scheduled Opener: To be determined, at WKU, Sept. 19
– Liberty 2020 CFN Team Preview

67. Georgia State Panthers

Best Player: LB Trajan Stephens-McQueen, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Georgia Southern, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 109
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record with a win over Georgia Southern
Currently Scheduled Opener: Louisiana, Nov. 19
– Georgia State 2020 CFN Team Preview

66. FIU Golden Panthers

Best Player: CB Rishard Dames, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 102
Realistic Season Goal: Play for Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: To be determined, at Liberty, Sept. 26
– FIU 2020 CFN Team Preview

65. North Texas Mean Green

Best Player: WR Jaelon Darden, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Louisiana Tech, Nov. 7
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 116
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record with a push to win C-USA West
Currently Scheduled Opener: Houston Baptist, Sept. 5
– North Texas 2020 CFN Team Preview

64. Troy Trojans

Best Player: LB Carlton Martial, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: at Arkansas State, Oct. 31
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 119
Realistic Season Goal: Winning record with one big road win over Appalachian State, Georgia Southern or Arkansas State
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 19
– Troy 2020 CFN Team Preview

63. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Best Player: S Reed Blankenship, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Florida Atlantic, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 117
Realistic Season Goal: Winning season
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Army, Sept. 4 or 5
– Middle Tennessee 2020 CFN Team Preview

62. USF Bulls

Best Player: LB Dwayne Boyles, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: UCF, Nov. 27
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 76
Realistic Season Goal: .500 Record
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 26
– USF 2020 CFN Team Preview

61. Army Black Knights

Best Player: LB Arik Smith, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: Navy (in Philadelphia), Dec. 12
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 114
Realistic Season Goal: Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy (beating both Air Force and Navy)
Currently Scheduled Opener: Middle Tennessee, Sept. 5
– Army 2020 CFN Team Preview

60. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Best Player: RB Shamari Brooks, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: at Houston, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 78
Realistic Season Goal: At least 5 wins
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Oklahoma State, Sept. 12
– Tulsa 2020 CFN Team Preview

59. Arkansas State Red Wolves

Best Player: QB Layne Hatcher, Soph.
Most Interesting Game: at Appalachian State, Oct. 24
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 100
Realistic Season Goal: Win the Sun Belt Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Memphis, Sept. 5
– Arkansas State 2020 CFN Team Preview

58. East Carolina Pirates

Best Player: QB Holton Ahlers, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: UCF, Sept. 24
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 113
Realistic Season Goal: Winning Season
Currently Scheduled Opener: Marshall, Sept. 12
– East Carolina 2020 CFN Team Preview

57. Marshall Thundering Herd

Best Player: RB Brenden Knox, Jr.
Most Interesting Game: Florida Atlantic, Oct. 24
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 94
Realistic Season Goal: Win Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: at East Carolina, Sept. 12
– Marshall 2020 CFN Team Preview

56. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Best Player: RB Justin Henderson, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: ULM, Nov. 21
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 48
Realistic Season Goal: Win Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Southern Miss, Sept. 12
– Louisiana Tech 2020 CFN Team Preview

55. Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Best Player: S Ky’el Hemby, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: at UAB, Nov. 28
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 82
Realistic Season Goal: Win Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: South Alabama, Sept. 3
– Southern Miss 2020 CFN Team Preview

54. WKU Hilltoppers

Best Player: DE DeAngelo Malone, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: at UAB, Oct. 17
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 83
Realistic Season Goal: Win Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Louisville, Sept. 12
– WKU 2020 CFN Team Preview

53. SMU Mustangs

Best Player: QB Shane Buechele, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: at TCU, Sept. 12
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 46
Realistic Season Goal: Top 4 AAC Finish
Currently Scheduled Opener: at Texas State, Sept. 5
– SMU 2020 CFN Team Preview

[lawrence-related id=516237]

52. Florida Atlantic Owls

Best Player: RB Malcom Davidson, Soph.
Most Interesting Game: at FIU, Nov. 14
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 45
Realistic Season Goal: Win Conference USA Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: To be determined, at Georgia Southern, Sept. 19
– Florida Atlantic 2020 CFN Team Preview

51. Georgia Southern Eagles

Best Player: LB Rashad Byrd, Sr.
Most Interesting Game: Appalachian State, Oct. 14
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 30
Realistic Season Goal: Win Sun Belt Championship
Currently Scheduled Opener: Campbell, Sept. 12
– Georgia Southern 2020 CFN Team Preview

CFN Rankings Redo: 26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10

NEXT: CFN Preseason 2020 Rankings, The Redo Top 50

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

College Football Key Questions: Can A Spring Football Season Happen?

In this unprecedented time for college sports, we’ll work on some of the key questions. Can a spring football season really work?

In this unprecedented time for college sports, we’ll work on some of the key questions. Can a spring football season really happen?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Can a spring football season in 2021 happen?

My first reaction was, “absolutely not.”

The logistics are a nightmare, there’s no real point, and the idea of playing in the spring seemed like nothing more than blather by the Big Ten and other leagues to cushion the blow of – let’s call it what it is – cancelling the 2020 fall football season.

But semantics do matter here. Instead of using the word cancel, postpone is more to the point, considering the idea will be for the spring of 2021 to serve as the 2020 fall campaign.

If there’s money to be recouped from a spring session, college football will find a way to play.

Can it really happen?

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

Jeff Brohm seems to think so

The Purdue head coach – along with all but killing the exact column I was doing – came up with a very detailed, very interesting idea on how to structurally play in the spring. He’s not alone, with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, among others, claiming that it’s possible.

At the very least, it’s a jumping off point for a sport that wasn’t exactly proactive in its planning for what could happen if the virus didn’t go away in time to have a fall season.

The coaches are going to want this. A football coach without a football season is about as useful as a remote control without batteries. If there’s a shot to play football, coaches will sell it.

Oh yeah, that virus thing

If this all starts up in late January or early February, that means teams will need to be ready to start practicing for real in mid-December – that’s four months away from right now.

There’s not going to be a working vaccine available, but the real hope is for better, faster, and more reliable testing – which was the hope back in mid-March, too.

It’s essentially what the Pac-12 said in its guide as part of the rationale for halting fall sports, specifically football.

“Testing capacity needs to increase to allow for more frequent testing, performed closer to game time, and with more rapid turn-around time to prevent spread of infection and enhance the safety of all student-athletes, coaches, and staff involved, particularly in situations where physical distancing and mask wearing cannot be maintained. This will require access to significant capacity of point-of-care testing and rapid turn-around time, which is currently very limited.”

This is it. This is everything.

For all the planning, all the bickering, and all the different opinions across the various social media platforms, a spring football season in 2021 – and, not to get into this yet, but a 2021 fall campaign, too – isn’t going to happen at anything close to normal, if at all, without a way to be almost certain that everyone on the field is fine.

So let’s say that around December 10ish we have a solid set of national protocols that all the colleges and conferences are cool with.

NEXT: Eligibility, NFL Draft, recruiting

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

College Football 2020 Season: No Big Ten, Pac-12, What’s Really Going On?

The Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons. So now what for them, and for the rest of college football?

The Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons. So now what for them, and for the rest of college football?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

They’ve been among the wildest, craziest, and saddest few days in the history of college football – at least off the field.

Start with this – the entire sport didn’t shut down like many thought it might when the doom-and-gloom predictions started on Sunday night.

What’s really going on, and what’s going to happen going forward?

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

5. The Big Ten and Pac-12 hit the pause button

It wasn’t a total stunner that the two big conferences decided not to play their respective 2020 fall college football seasons, but it wasn’t quite supposed to happen like it did on Tuesday.

The Pac-12 was always on the verge of shutting things down.

From the outbreak of the virus in Arizona, to the concerns with a new wave in Los Angeles, to several schools throughout California choosing to operate remotely, it was always just a question of time before it was all going to be over.

The player demands and movement weren’t why the conference chose not to play in the fall of 2020, and that wasn’t likely a big factor, but the demands for change hit a major roadblock after this.

The league simply decided it couldn’t do it. From travel, to logistics, to the lack of adequate testing, the recommendation was that the Pac-12 not play a full contact sport like football this fall, and that was it.

It wasn’t so easy for the Big Ten, especially considering it announced the shutdown just before the news broke that Kamala Harris was going to be Joe Biden’s VP choice. The Pac-12 announced its news after.

News leaked out on Monday that the B1G was going to shut down, the pushback made it seem like there was still hope, and then, by early afternoon on Tuesday, it was all done.

The thought was that the league was going to take a step back and wait a few weeks by moving its schedule start from the first week of September to the last week like the other Power 5 conferences, but nope. The presidents decided to stop the fall season.

Both conferences join the MAC and Mountain West in the idea of playing in the spring – more time to figure out a consistent plan (in other words, better testing) – but the dust has to settle first.

Too many questions have to be answered, from eligibility, to the transfer potential, to whether or not Nebraska – who wants to break ranks and play – might come up with a schedule of its own.

And now …

NEXT: Can the Big Ten and Pac-12 really play in the spring?

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

College Football Conferences: Who Will Play In 2020, Who Won’t? The Best Guess Is …

After a crazy few days for college football, what’s the status of each of the conferences. Who’ll play this season, and who won’t?

After a crazy few days for college football, what’s the status of each of the conferences. Who’ll play this season, and who won’t?

So, you want to know whether or not your college football conference is playing this fall?

Get in line. This thing is changing by the tweet after the world went bonkers over the last 72 hours.

On Saturday morning the MAC was done, on Sunday evening the entire season was supposedly going to be shut down, and on Monday morning the Dan Patrick Show was telling everyone the Big Ten and Pac-12 were tapping out.

And then everyone got mad.

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

Trevor Lawrence let the world to know that college football players want to play college football, college football coaches let the world know that they like college football, and as predictable as Ohio State over Michigan in late November, the president took a sledgehammer to a delicately nuanced situation and politicized it.

The Big Ten pumped the brakes, the rest of the conferences wanted nothing to do with the pounding the B1G was taking, and now there’s supposedly still a chance of a fall football season in some form.

The talk ranged from spring ball in 2021 – total silliness thrown out there to cushion the blow of no 2020 season – to the utter nonsense of Ohio State and Nebraska chirping about finding other places to play. (You’re out of your freaking mind if you think the Big Ten will let the Buckeyes or Huskers play one down in any other league. Two words: TV contracts. Non-conference games, though …)

On a far more serious note, college football fans are about to become heart experts as they learn about the nightmare of a possible COVID-19 side effect called myocarditis.

So now what?

This will be updated on the fly as much as possible, but for now, here’s the best guess on the go-no-go launch status of each conference. All the percentage guesses are based on their apparent respective desires to play or not play if allowed the choice.

ACC

It’s been strangely silent, other than the movement kicked off by Trevor Lawrence.

This is one of the more interesting situations because of the Notre Dame factor. The league has a unique opportunity to have the Irish all to itself for a season, and as long as they’re happy, the league will be happy.

There might be a concern about the status of the other four Power Five conferences, but according to Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, the ACC will “absolutely” play in 2020.

Best Guess Status For 2020: 80% will play

American Athletic Conference

The AAC has the same problem the other Group of Five conferences are dealing with: they’re losing their key revenue-making non-conference dates.

After announcing on August 5th a plan to play eight conference games, the news went back-and-forth throughout Monday. It’s still not a sure thing, but …

Best Guess Status For 2020: 70% will play

Big Ten

The Detroit Free Press went with the story on Monday morning that the Big Ten season was going to be cancelled, but that was before the final be-all-end-all-or-not vote happened.

The Big Ten presidents reportedly were 12-2 – Nebraska and Iowa the outliers – to cancel.

The pushback was swift and strong, with Ohio State, Michigan, and Nebraska the most vocal, at least among fans, coaches and players.

There’s a meeting at 10:30 am ET to make a decision on what to do next.

From all the rumors, news, and opinions flying around, it seems like 1) the medical evaluators don’t think the Big Ten can pull this off, which means 2) the presidents don’t think they can pull this off, which means either 3) the league has a PR disaster coming by cancelling the 2020 season, or 4) the presidents will look like they caved to the pressure of football if they decide to go forward with a campaign.

Oh yeah, and commissioner Kevin Warren is talking about playing in the spring. February football in Minneapolis and East Lansing – yippee.

One key note. The Big Ten is currently scheduled to start its season in early September. while others  are expected to start several weeks later. So …

Best Guess Status For 2020: 70% cancel, 30% delay, with a lean towards kicking the can down the road by suggesting a late September start.

NEXT: Big 12, Conference USA, Independents, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

CFN Sun Belt Preview 2020: 5 Things That Matter. Top Players, Coaches, Games, Thoughts

The 2020 Sun Belt Preview with the top players, biggest games, most important transfers, and thoughts on each team.

The 2020 Sun Belt Preview with the top players, biggest games, most important transfers, and thoughts on each team.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

5. Sun Belt 2020 Preview

Thanks, Georgia Southern.

Appalachian State took down North Carolina and South Carolina, and it rolled through almost everyone else on the way to a huge season. It likely would’ve been the Group of Five representative in the New Year’s Six bowl game – which turned out to be the Cotton against Penn State – had it not dropped a Halloween night game to Georgia Southern.

But even coming that close was a big thing for a conference that’s been able to hold its own from time to time when the spotlight is on.

ASU won its big battles with the Power Five, Georgia State shocked Tennessee, Coastal Carolina beat Kansas, Georgia Southern pushed Minnesota to the brink, Louisiana gave Mississippi State a hard time and whacked MAC champ Miami University in the Mobile Alabama Bowl, ULM had Florida State in a 45-44 loss, and South Alabama at least provided a bit of a push against Nebraska.

The league can play.

[jwplayer zttcjcuk]

Appalachian State is so much better than everyone else, but the year will be about the rest of the East trying to take down the champ.

The Mountaineers will get everyone’s best shot, with Troy looking strangers, Georgia State still good, Coastal Carolina more than just competitive, and Georgia Southern still Georgia Southern.

Louisiana and Arkansas State are far-and-away the stars of the West, and they both get App State. Texas State and ULM should have fun offenses, and South Alabama has been building for the last few years under Steve Campbell.

CFN Sun Belt Preview 
Teams: Surprise, Disappointments | Top Games
Players To Watch | One Thought On Each Team
– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews

NEXT: Sun Belt Teams That Will Surprise, Disappoint

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Sun Belt Rankings: 2020 CFN Five Year College Football Program Analysis

In the 2020 CFN Five-Year College Football Program Analysis, where do all the Sun Belt teams rank?

In the 2020 CFN Five-Year College Football Program Analysis, where do all the Sun Belt teams rank?

It’s our annual look at where all the college football programs rank with a five-year snapshot looking at attendance, players drafted, APR, and wins, wins, wins.

How do all of the Sun Belt college football programs stack up over the last five seasons?

Which college football programs are doing the best jobs overall, which once have all the advantages, and most of all, who’s winning?

How are the rankings determined? Click here for all of the category descriptions.

Five-Year Program Analysis Categories, Rankings
2019 5-Year Program Analysis Rankings 1-130
FBS Wins | Attendance | Quality Wins
Elite Wins | Bad Losses | Bad Wins | Elite Losses
Conference Win % | APR | NFL Draft
Ranking Categories Explained

[jwplayer zttcjcuk]

Contact @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

10 Texas State 15.25

2020 National Ranking: 128
2019 National Ranking: 124
2018 National Ranking: 118
2017 National Ranking: 114

9 Coastal Carolina 23.18

2020 National Ranking: 124
2019 National Ranking: 125
2018 National Ranking: 128
2017 National Ranking: 127

– 2020 CFN Five Year Program Analysis: Rankings 1-130

8 ULM 30.38

2020 National Ranking: 114
2019 National Ranking: 115
2018 National Ranking: 113
2017 National Ranking: 104

7 Georgia State 34.45

2020 National Ranking: 108
2019 National Ranking: 116
2018 National Ranking: 124
2017 National Ranking: 126

6 South Alabama 34.70

2020 National Ranking: 107
2019 National Ranking: 93
2018 National Ranking: 87
2017 National Ranking: 99

2020 Sun Belt Team Previews
East Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern | Georgia State | Troy
West Arkansas State | Louisiana
South Alabama | Texas State | ULM
CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews

5 Louisiana 45.28

2020 National Ranking: 90
2019 National Ranking: 98
2018 National Ranking: 90
2017 National Ranking: 70

4 Georgia Southern 46.48

2020 National Ranking: 89
2019 National Ranking: 92
2018 National Ranking: 104
2017 National Ranking: 97

[lawrence-related id=516177]

3 Arkansas State 51.37

2020 National Ranking: 80
2019 National Ranking: 72
2018 National Ranking: 68
2017 National Ranking: 56

2 Troy 57.25

2020 National Ranking: 67
2019 National Ranking: 71
2018 National Ranking: 74
2017 National Ranking: 91

1 Appalachian State 84.08

2020 National Ranking: 27
2019 National Ranking: 45
2018 National Ranking: 61
2017 National Ranking: 86

– CFN Program Analysis Ranking Categories

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2020 CFN Five Year Program Analysis: College Football Rankings 1-130

All 130 college football programs are ranked in wins, attendance, draft and more in the 2020 CFN Five-Year Program Analysis

All 130 college football programs are ranked in wins, attendance, draft and more in the 2020 CFN Five-Year Program Analysis

Which college football programs are doing the best jobs overall, which once have all the advantages, and most of all, who’s winning?

At the end of the day, if your college football program wins a lot of games, everything else works out from the attendance, the draft picks, and the money that all follows from all of the success.

Created over two decades ago, the CFN Five-Year Program Analysis takes a look at several different factors to rank all 130 programs from all of the difference aspects.

When we first did this, Miami owned the 1990s. Florida and Nebraska had their say for a while, USC took over, and now you know who the big boys are.

How are the rankings determined? Click here for all of the category descriptions and all of the team-by-team rankings.

[jwplayer zttcjcuk]

Contact @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Five-Year Program Analysis Categories, Rankings
FBS Wins | Attendance | Quality Wins
Elite Wins | Bad Losses | Bad Wins | Elite Losses
Conference Win % | APR | NFL Draft

2019 5-Year Program Analysis Rankings
Top 10 | 11-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100 | 101-130
Ranking Categories Explained

130 UTEP

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 9.48
2019 Ranking: 126
2018 Ranking: 123
2017 Ranking: 117
Biggest Positive: 4 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 8 FBS wins
Analysis: Years of struggles have led to this. UTEP won just eight games over FBS teams over the last five years, and all eight of them were bad wins – wins over FCS teams or teams that finished with three wins or fewer.
– CFN UTEP 2020 Team Preview

129 Texas State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 15.04
2019 Ranking: 124
2018 Ranking: 118
2017 Ranking: 114
Biggest Positive: 2 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 2.5 Bad Win Score
Analysis: When you only win eight games over FBS teams and you have a Bad Win Score of 2.5, that’s not good. The Bobcats haven’t won enough, the attendance has struggled, and the APR isn’t good.
– CFN Texas State 2020 Team Preview

128 UMass

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 15.25
2019 Ranking: 129
2018 Ranking: 130
2017 Ranking: 130
Biggest Positive: 5 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 1.12 Attendance Score
Analysis: It’s been tough being an independent. The team doesn’t win enough, the 11.5 Bad Loss score stinks, and there’s not enough of a home attendance to make anything work. The dismal APR score adds insult to injury.
– CFN UMass 2020 Team Preview

127 Kansas

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 16.46
2019 Ranking: 128
2018 Ranking: 127
2017 Ranking: 123
Biggest Positive: 2.66 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 6 FBS wins
Analysis: Boston College and Texas Tech last season, Central Michigan, Rutgers and TCU in 2018, Texas in 2015. Those are the six wins over FBS wins in the last five seasons. That’s it. There’s nothing else positive – including the attendance – across the board.
– CFN Kansas 2020 Team Preview

126 Rice

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 17.62
2019 Ranking: 117
2018 Ranking: 95
2017 Ranking: 78
Biggest Positive: 9.816 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 0 Quality Wins
Analysis: It’s been a simple issue – the football team doesn’t win enough football games. The Owls have won just 11 over FBS programs in the last five years, and none of them came against teams that finished with a winning record. The players rock in the classroom, though.
– CFN Rice 2020 Team Preview

125 Kent State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 22.52
2019 Ranking: 130
2018 Ranking: 125
2017 Ranking: 106
Biggest Positive: 9.74 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 1.25 Attendance Score
Analysis: The program finally knows what it’s like to win a little bit after going bowling last season, but it still needs to do a whole lot more to move up. The Attendance Score is a huge problem, and winning just 28% of all MAC games doesn’t help.
– CFN Kent State 2020 Team Preview

124 Coastal Carolina

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 23.18
2019 Ranking: 125
2018 Ranking: 128
2017 Ranking: 127
Biggest Positive: 9.69 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 1.16 Attendance Score
Analysis: There aren’t enough wins overall – it only had three years of stats in the mix – but the APR is good and there was enough success packed in the three seasons to start moving up a bit.
– CFN Coastal Carolina 2020 Team Preview

123 UConn

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 24.48
2019 Ranking: 121
2018 Ranking: 117
2017 Ranking: 105
Biggest Positive: 1 Elite Win
Biggest Negative: 9.762 APR Score
Analysis: UConn 20, Houston 17. The Huskies handed the Cougars their only loss of 2015, and that Elite Win is a huge help to the overall cause. Five players were drafted, and the APR Score is great, but there have to be more wins. Fast.
– CFN UConn 2020 Team Preview

122 UNLV

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 24.89
2019 Ranking: 122
2018 Ranking: 114
2017 Ranking: 118
Biggest Positive: 16 FBS Wins
Biggest Negative: 8 Bad Loss Score
Analysis: The 16 FBS wins are the most by anyone ranked lower than 115th, but the real boost comes from the eight wins over teams that finished with winning records. That’s a problem, though – the program has been good enough to be able to beat a few nice teams to expect more than this overall.
– CFN UNLV 2020 Team Preview

121 San Jose State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 25.56
2019 Ranking: 120
2018 Ranking: 109
2017 Ranking: 75
Biggest Positive: 6 Draft Score
Biggest Negative: 1.49 Attendance Score
Analysis: Things started to get better last season with a few more wins, but they weren’t enough to come up with any sort of a boost. The Spartans are getting better, but the attendance is always going to be a problem, and winning more Mountain West games is a must.
– CFN San Jose State 2020 Team Preview

120 Ball State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 25.76
2019 Ranking: 119
2018 Ranking: 111
2017 Ranking: 89
Biggest Positive: Put it this way. 13 FBS wins are the most by anyone in the bottom eight. That’s about as nice a thing as can be said for a Cardinal program that struggled, but might just turn a corner with a strong team being built up.
Biggest Negative: 0.95 Attendance Score
Analysis: Put it this way … the 13 FBS wins
– CFN Ball State 2020 Team Preview

119 Liberty

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 26.03
2019 Ranking: 123
2018 Ranking: 126
2017 Ranking: Not Ranked
Biggest Positive: 56% winning %
Biggest Negative: 9.488 APR Score
Analysis: The Flames have only been in the FBS world for two years, so there aren’t enough bulk win stats to push out of the ranking doldrums. However, the program is starting to win, it went to a bowl, and it should start to make some noise with a few more decent campaigns.
– CFN Liberty 2020 Team Preview

118 New Mexico State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 26.33
2019 Ranking: 118
2018 Ranking: 121
2017 Ranking: 128
Biggest Positive: 9 Bad Wins
Biggest Negative: 29% winning percentage
Analysis: It’s been rough for New Mexico State to bust through – even with a winning season and a bowl victory a few years ago – without any one category that’s any good. When you “only” have nine bad wins, and that’s a plus, there’s a problem.
– CFN New Mexico State 2020 Team Preview

117 Charlotte

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 26.37
2019 Ranking: 127
2018 Ranking: 129
2017 Ranking: 129
Biggest Positive: 15 FBS Wins
Biggest Negative: 1.29 Attendance Score
Analysis: This is still a new program that’s getting stronger and stronger, coming off a trip to a bowl game. The fan base – at least the attendance – is still going to need time to build, but the trend is moving up overall.
– CFN Charlotte 2020 Team Preview

116 Rutgers

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 27.83
2019 Ranking: 109
2018 Ranking: 100
2017 Ranking: 84
Biggest Positive: 9.736 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 10 FBS Wins
Analysis: The program just doesn’t win football games. The Scarlet Knights have won fewer than 10% of their conference games, and ten FBS wins are miniscule. The saving stats are the APR and the attendance – 40,000 people a game is okay no matter how it works.
– CFN Rutgers 2020 Team Preview

115 East Carolina

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 28.18
2019 Ranking: 105
2018 Ranking: 80
2017 Ranking: 72
Biggest Positive: 3.8 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 20% Conference Winning %
Analysis: If the Pirates can just start winning on a regular basis, the fan base will be there to start cranking things up. The 14 FBS wins, though, aren’t good, and the 20% clip in AAC play stinks. Just two Quality Wins is a disaster.
– CFN East Carolina 2020 Team Preview

114 ULM

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 20.63
2019 Ranking: 115
2018 Ranking: 113
2017 Ranking: 104
Biggest Positive: 9.664 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 1.32 Attendance Score
Analysis: The Warhawks are sort of winning, and they’ve been competitive, but the program should be better. The APR Score isn’t that great, and the 13 Bad Wins are too many. Winning just 40% of Sun Belt games isn’t good enough.
– CFN ULM 2020 Team Preview

113 Old Dominion

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 30.66
2019 Ranking: 102
2018 Ranking: 103
2017 Ranking: 107
Biggest Positive: 21 FBS Wins
Biggest Negative: 15 Bad Wins
Analysis: The 2019 Monarchs were disappointing, and there haven’t been enough wins overall, but the 21 FBS victories over the last five years aren’t bad for being this low. There’s not a lot to get excited about, though, from the other categories.
– CFN Old Dominion 2020 Team Preview

112 Akron

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 30.75
2019 Ranking: 106
2018 Ranking: 99
2017 Ranking: 115
Biggest Positive: 20 FBS Wins
Biggest Negative: 9.452 APR Score
Analysis: Going 0-12 in 2019 doesn’t help the cause. The 20 FBS wins in the previous four seasons are the saving grace to keep things from sinking any further. There’s just nothing to get interested in across the numbers board, with the 40% winning clip in MAC play one of the few positives.
– CFN Akron 2020 Team Preview

111 Bowling Green

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 30.98
2019 Ranking: 103
2018 Ranking: 78
2017 Ranking: 60
Biggest Positive: 40% Conference Winning Percentage
Biggest Negative: 1.62 Attendance Score
Analysis: The Falcons did just enough winning a few years ago to see the slide in the rankings – 60th in 2017?! – go any further, but this is bad. The Attendance Score is always a problem, and the 12 Bad Wins don’t help.
– CFN Bowling Green 2020 Team Preview

110 Oregon State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 32.09
2019 Ranking: 113
2018 Ranking: 98
2017 Ranking: 73
Biggest Positive: 8 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 18% conference winning percentage
Analysis: The Beavers haven’t won a whole lot of games lately with just nine victories over FBS teams over the last five seasons. The Attendance Score of 3.52 isn’t okay, and getting eight players drafted helps, but they have to be a LOT better in Pac-12 play.
– CFN Oregon State 2020 Team Preview

109 UTSA

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 33.53
2019 Ranking: 104
2018 Ranking: 93
2017 Ranking: 94
Biggest Positive: 1 Bad Loss
Biggest Negative: 15 Bad Wins
Analysis: Give UTSA credit for one thing despite the crash in the rankings over the last few years – it doesn’t lose to the miserable teams. The key in Conference USA is to not drop the games to the dregs, and the loss to North Texas – the only win of the Mean Green season – in 2015 is it. In this case, a Bad Win score of 15 isn’t that awful – you’re doing your job.
– CFN UTSA 2020 Team Preview

108 Georgia State

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 34.45
2019 Ranking: 116
2018 Ranking: 124
2017 Ranking: 126
Biggest Positive: 7 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 7 Bad Loss Score
Analysis: The Panthers’ run to a bowl game and a 7-6 season – with wins over Tennessee and Arkansas State – helped boost up the the program’s ranking despite the rough Attendance Score of 1.5 and horrible Bad Loss Score. Losing to Texas State last season hurts.
– CFN Georgia State 2020 Team Preview

107 South Alabama

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 34.70
2019 Ranking: 93
2018 Ranking: 87
2017 Ranking: 99
Biggest Positive: 6 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 28% conference winning percentage
Analysis: The Jaguars aren’t getting it done in the Sun Belt. They only have 15 FBS wins overall and can’t get enough big performances in conference play, but a win at Troy in 2017 and a victory over San Diego State on the road gave them a 2.5 Elite Win score to put a stop to the ranking freefall.
– CFN South Alabama 2020 Team Preview

106 Illinois

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 34.95
2019 Ranking: 101
2018 Ranking: 102
2017 Ranking: 95
Biggest Positive: 9.808 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 23% conference winning percentage
Analysis: The Lovie Smith era isn’t exactly taking off. Yeah, Illinois went to a bowl game last season, but the 17 FBS wins and a mere three Quality Wins aren’t getting it done. Getting almost 40,000 fans per game helps, and the APR Score is great, but the program doesn’t win enough Big Ten games.
– CFN Illinois 2020 Team Preview

105 New Mexico

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 35.00
2019 Ranking: 97
2018 Ranking: 96
2017 Ranking: 93
Biggest Positive: 1 Bad Loss Score
Biggest Negative: 33% conference win percentage
Analysis: The Lobos went to bowl games in 2015 and 2016, and everything fell off the map with with just two wins that weren’t against FCS or teams that finished with three wins or fewer over the last three seasons. The program has just one Mountain West win since late September of 2017.
– CFN New Mexico 2020 Team Preview

104 Eastern Michigan

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 36.64
2019 Ranking: 114
2018 Ranking: 122
2017 Ranking: 124
Biggest Positive: 23 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 1.41 Attendance Score
Analysis: It’s hard to move up too much when the attendance hovers around 14,000 a game and the team wins about 38% of its MAC games. However, the 23 wins for a program that struggled for so, so long is fantastic.
– CFN Eastern Michigan 2020 Team Preview

103 Tulsa

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 38.40
2019 Ranking: 112
2018 Ranking: 106
2017 Ranking: 82
Biggest Positive: 23 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 4.5 Bad Loss Score
Analysis: The Golden Hurricane are struggling to get to 20,000 fans a game in the stands, and the 4.5 Bad Loss Score is crushing, but the 2-10 season of 2014 isn’t on the books anymore so the ranking went up. Improving the 9.4 APR and the 48% conference winning clip would help.
– CFN Tulsa 2020 Team Preview

102 Nevada

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 39.51
2019 Ranking: 100
2018 Ranking: 112
2017 Ranking: 101
Biggest Positive: 9.714 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 1.82 Attendance Score
Analysis: It seems like the Wolf Pack should be a whole lot better than this. They have a not-horrible 26 wins over FBS teams and six Quality Wins, the Bad Loss Score of 5 and the mediocre attendance are a drag.
– CFN Nevada 2020 Team Preview

101 North Texas

Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 40.22
2019 Ranking: 94
2018 Ranking: 89
2017 Ranking: 102
Biggest Positive: 8 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 2 players drafted
Analysis: The Mean Green won 24 games over FBS teams over the last five years, and the eight wins over teams that finished with a winning record are great, but the 14 bad wins and 3.5 Bad Loss Score brought the ranking down.
– CFN North Texas 2020 Team Preview

2019 5-Year Program Analysis Rankings
Top 10 | 11-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100
Ranking Categories Explained

NEXT: CFN Five Year Program Analysis Rankings, The Top 100

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

College Football Elite Loss Rankings By Conference: 2020 CFN Five Year Program Analysis

Who had the most losses to top teams? In the CFN 5-Year Program Analysis, here’s the conference ranking of who had the most elite losses

Who had the most elite losses over the last five years? Here are the conference rankings of the teams and their losses to the best of the best – the defeats to the powerhouses on the slate.

Contact @PeteFiutak

They’re the big losses that hurt, but are forgivable. By conference, who had the most losses to the elite teams over the last five years?

An Elite Loss is a loss to a team that finished with two losses or fewer.

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ACC

1 Florida State 9

2 Louisville 8

T3 Georgia Tech 7

T3 Pitt 7

T5 Boston College 6

T5 Syracuse 6

T5 Wake Forest 6

T5 Virginia Tech 6

9 NC State 5

10 Miami 4

T11 Clemson 3

T11 Duke 3

T11 North Carolina 3

T11 Virginia 3

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American Athletic Conference

T1 Navy 9

T1 SMU 9

T3 Cincinnati 8

T3 Memphis 8

T3 Tulane 8

T6 East Carolina 7

T6 Tulsa 7

T6 USF 7

9 Temple 5

10 Houston 4

11 UCF 3

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Big 12

1 Iowa State 9

T2 Baylor 7

T2 TCU 7

T2 Texas Tech 7

T5 Kansas 6

T5 Kansas State 6

T5 Texas 6

T5 West Virginia 6

T9 Oklahoma 5

T9 Oklahoma State 5

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Big Ten

1 Maryland 12

2 Michigan 11

T3 Indiana 10

T3 Rutgers 10

5 Northwestern 9

6 Nebraska 8

T7 Illinois 7

T7 Wisconsin 7

T9 Michigan State 6

T9 Penn State 6

T11 Iowa 5

T11 Minnesota 5

T11 Purdue 5

14 Ohio State 4

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Conference USA

1 North Texas 4

T2 Charlotte 3

T2 Florida Atlantic 3

T2 Middle Tennessee 3

T5 FIU 2

T5 Marshall 2

T5 Old Dominion 2

T5 Southern Miss 2

T9 WKU 1

T9 Louisiana Tech 1

T9 Rice 1

T9 UAB 1

T9 UTEP 1

14 UTSA 0

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Independents

T1 UConn 6

T1 Notre Dame 6

3 Army 4

4 New Mexico State 3

T5 BYU 2

T5 UMass 2

7 Liberty 1

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MAC

T1 Kent State 4

T1 Miami Univ. 4

T4 Buffalo 3

T4 Ohio 3

T4 Central Michigan 3

T4 Eastern Michigan 3

T4 Northern Illinois 3

T9 Bowling Green 2

T9 Ball State 2

T9 Toledo 2

T9 Western Michigan 2

NEXT: MW, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

College Football Elite Loss Rankings 1-130: 2020 CFN Five Year Program Analysis

Who got hit with the most losses to top teams? In the CFN 5-Year Program Analysis, here’s the 1-130 ranking of who had the most elite losses

Who had the most elite losses over the last five years? Here are the 1-130 rankings of the teams and their losses to the best of the best – the defeats to the powerhouses on the slate.

Contact @PeteFiutak

Sometimes, a team should get a bit of a pass for losing a game.

While some schools and coaches – (cough) Michigan and Jim Harbaugh (cough) – aren’t allowed to lose to the elite of the elite teams, there should be a little bit of forgiveness if you just so happen to have the misfortune of facing to one of a season’s superstars.

Who had the most losses to the best teams over the last five seasons?

Elite Losses: defeats to FBS teams that finished a season with two losses or fewer. 

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– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews

130 UTSA

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 0
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: 130

T121 Arizona State

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T121 Boise State

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T121 Liberty

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T121 Louisiana Tech

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T121 Rice

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T121 San Diego State

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T121 UAB

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T121 UTEP

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

– CFN 2020 ACC Preseason Rankings

T121 WKU

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 1
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T109 Appalachian State

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T109 Ball State

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T109 Bowling Green

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T109 BYU

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T77

T109 FIU

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T77

T109 Marshall

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T118

T109 Nevada

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T109 Old Dominion

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T77

T109 Southern Miss

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T77

– CFN 2020 All-American Athletic Team

T109 Toledo

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T60

T109 UMass

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

T109 Western Michigan

5-Year Elite Loss Total: 2
2019 Elite Loss Total Ranking: T101

NEXT: Top 87 Elite Loss Rankings

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5