North Carolina briefly escaped the Bottom 25 last week after improving to 2-1 behind wins over Charlotte and Richmond. But the return Power Four competition brought a return to reality for the Tar Heels, who were alarmingly lifeless in a 34-9 Week 4 loss at UCF.
UNC mustered just 217 total yards and forced only two UCF punts in a game the Knights controlled from start to finish. After the dismal display, Tar Heels have been outscored 82-23 in two games against power conference opposition. That’s bad news since the final eight opponents on North Carolina’s schedule are ACC foes.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that UNC misses ACC stalwarts like No. 2 Miami, No. 8 Florida State and No. 16 Georgia Tech. But the Tar Heels’ ineptitude against UCF did nothing to suggest they’ll be racking up victories against the league’s middle and lower tiers.
However, something will have to give in Week 6. That’s when the Tar Heels square off with Clemson in a battle of stunningly disappointing ACC squads. The Tigers extended their stay in the Bottom 25 another week by losing 34-21 to Syracuse in Week 4.
This year’s Bottom 25 formula has been tweaked to ensure fair representation from across the sport. Each of the Power Four leagues gets an automatic bid to the Bottom 25 each week, and a total of 10 Power Four schools must be represented.
College football rankings: Oklahoma, Indiana vault into top 10 in CBS Sports 136 after notable Week 4 wins
Chip Patterson
Bottom 25 Rankings
^ Joined Bottom 25 this week
The ACC tier
Saturday’s Bottom 25 showdown between Northwestern and UCLA is significant for both teams, as it marks the best chance that either will have to earn a conference win. If the Bruins lose, the first winless season in program history will become a distinct possibility.
25. North Carolina^
24. Stanford^
23. Northwestern (22)
22. Boston College (21)
21. Clemson (25)
Florida’s folly
Florida is 1-3 and the filling in a Mountain West sandwich this week after another offensively lifeless showing in a 26-7 loss at Miami last week. With six games still to come against top-15 opponents, the Gators’ troubles may just be getting started. Quarterback DJ Lagway is back in a walking boot, and Billy Napier on a scalding seat. But hey, basketball season begins Nov. 6!
20. Kansas State (19)
19. Eastern Michigan (4)
18. Nevada^
17. Florida (20)
16. Air Force^
Hope for the Hokies
Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors is reportedly meeting next week to consider upping the athletic department budget by $47.1 million. That’s great news for the Hokies’ hopes of hiring a decent coach. But it’s not going to help the woebegone 2025 team, which is heading into an ACC slate that features games against the league’s four highest-ranked teams in the CBS Sports 136.
15. Virginia Tech (5)
14. Northern Illinois^
13. Charlotte^
12. Akron (2)
11. Middle Tennessee (12)
Beaver bummer
The changing tides of college football have quickly eroded Oregon State’s competitive footing. Just three years removed from beating No. 10 Oregon 38-34 in a Pac-12 thriller, the Beavers are floundering amid conference realignment and have dropped three straight against the Ducks. Oregon dominated its rival 41-7 last week as the Beavs fell to 0-4.
10. Louisiana^
9. Ball State (11)
8. Arkansas State (14)
7. UCLA (13)
6. Oregon State (18)
Crashing Cowboys
Rock bottom got rockier for Oklahoma State in a 19-12 loss to in-state foe Tulsa. The Cowboys had won 10 straight over the Golden Hurricane dating back to 1998, but Tulsa and first-year coach Tre Lamb proved too much for the Pokes, who have now dropped 11 straight games against FBS foes.
