College football rankings: Colorado sinks in The Bottom 25 after blowout loss to Air Force

25. Miami (OH) 1-1 The RedHawks rebounded from a season-opening loss to Kentucky with a 31-14 win over Robert Morris. This week’s game against Cincinnati will be a lot more difficult. (Last Week: 22) 24. ULM 1-1 The Warhawks haven’t had many reasons to celebrate in recent seasons, so a 35-7 win over Nicholls should be cherished. Also, if they stay within a point of Alabama this week, we know they’ll end up in the AP Top 25 Poll. (7) 23. Boston College 0-2 The Eagles are averaging 233.5 yards per game through two games. That’s not only the worst in the ACC; it’s 56.6 fewer yards per game than the next-worst team, Georgia Tech. (Not Ranked) 22. Middle Tennessee 1-1 A rather wild start to the season for the Blue Raiders, no? They open with a 44-7 road loss to James Madison and then go on the road again but beat Colorado State 34-19. Who knows what to expect in the home-opener against Tennessee State? (8) 21. Central Michigan 0-2 The loss to Oklahoma State to start the year was expected. The 38-24 home loss to South Alabama wasn’t. The Chips should rebound against Bucknell this week, but they’ve still got Penn State looming before conference play begins. (NR) 20. Akron 1-1 It’s always something of a self-own when you call yourself the Zips and get shutout. Akron fell to Michigan State 52-0, and if the Spartans are putting up 52 on Akron, what might Tennessee do this week? (NR) 19. Eastern Michigan 1-1 It wasn’t hard to see the 49-21 loss at Louisiana coming after the Eagles struggled to get past Eastern Kentucky. Nor is it hard to see another loss coming this week at Arizona State. (NR) 18. Rice 1-1 Playing McNeese State was much easier than playing USC. The Owls cruised to a 52-10 win, with TJ McMahon accounting for five touchdowns. Next, the Owls face a tough home test against Louisiana. (4) 17. UConn 1-2 I don’t think the Huskies will win many more games than they have recently, but they’ve looked a lot more competitive so far. Will that still be the case after road games against Michigan and NC State? We’ll see. (17) 16. Army 0-2 Army is here because it’s yet to win a game, but I don’t anticipate it sticking around. It lost by 10 to a good Coastal Carolina team and took another good team in UTSA to overtime before succumbing. It’s better than the record says it is. (NR) 15. Kent State 0-2 Like Army, Kent State is a victim of its schedule. The Golden Flashes are masochists, and after losing to Washington 45-20 to start the season, they lost to Oklahoma 33-3 on Saturday. I expect them to pick up a win against Long Island, but they get Georgia after that, so they’ll be here a few more weeks. (21) 14. FIU 1-1 The Panthers are off this week following a 41-12 loss at Texas State and will return to action in two weeks at Western Kentucky. But I don’t care about any of that. I’m staring at that game against New Mexico State on the first day of October and salivating. (NR) 13. UTEP 1-2 The Miners got off the snide with a 20-13 win over New Mexico State in The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of Last Week. They’ll look to make it complete the Land of Enchantment sweep this week when they host New Mexico. (6) 12. Georgia State 0-2 Don’t worry about the Panthers. They’ve looked feisty in losses to South Carolina and North Carolina, and I think they have a defensive front that will give plenty of Sun Belt teams trouble. It’ll give No. 4 Charlotte problems this week too. (NR) 11. Buffalo 0-2 I can’t help but notice that Kansas is off to a 2-0 start with a road win over West Virginia under Lance Leipold, while Leipold’s old program is off to an 0-2 start and lost at home to Holy Cross. I wouldn’t expect things to improve much at Coastal Carolina this Saturday. (NR) 10. Utah State 1-2 Utah State won the Mountain West last season, but that already feels like a long time ago. The Aggies followed their 55-0 loss to Alabama with a 35-7 loss to Weber State. Yes, the Aggies turned the ball over four times, which didn’t help, but Weber State had three turnovers! And it still beat Utah State by 28! That’s not great! (13) 9. UMass 0-2 This week is huge for the Minutemen because they’re hosting Stony Brook. Not only is it their first home game of the season, but it’s their last home game until Oct. 8. Also, it’s against an FCS opponent, which means it might be the most realistic shot at a win this year. (11) 8. Bowling Green 0-2 OK, so maybe Eastern Kentucky is good? A week after giving Eastern Michigan hell, the Colonels pulled off their FBS upset by beating Bowling Green 59-57 in a seven-OT thriller. Now, I’m not sure anybody in their right mind would request seven overtimes between Bowling Green and Eastern Kentucky, but like those socks you got from your aunt for your birthday, just because you didn’t need them doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy them. (15) 7. Ball State 0-2 At this point, I would like to call to your attention that the MAC has 12 teams, and Ball State is the eighth of those 12 to be ranked in The Bottom 25 this week. That’s two-thirds of the league. That’s why the MAC is The Bottom 25’s Official Conference of September. (9) 6. New Mexico State 0-3 The Aggies are 0-3, but they’ve had chances to win in two of those three losses, including Saturday’s 20-13 loss to UTEP. Will they be able to hang with Wisconsin? Probably not, but it’s not like the Badgers have played like superstars this season. (5) 5. Colorado 0-2 I made the mistake of betting Colorado to cover the spread against Air Force. The basic premise was that the Buffs were a Power Five team and three-score dogs to a service academy. Well, a 41-10 loss later, and I’m not betting the Buffs again in 2022. I’m sure an awful run defense won’t have trouble stopping Minnesota this week! (25) 4. Charlotte 0-3 The 49ers aren’t good. They lost to Maryland 56-21, but the final score is a little generous. The Terrapins were up 21-7 after the first quarter and 35-14 at halftime. Maryland called off the turtles in the second half. Will No. 12 Georgia State do the same when Charlotte travels to Atlanta for The Bottom 25 Game of the Century of the Week!? (3) 3. Navy 0-2 It will be another long season for Navy. Delaware was probably the most winnable game of the season, and it lost 14-7 in its opener. Memphis dominated it 37-13 this week. The option always poses a threat against anybody, but looking at the rest of the schedule, there don’t seem to be many obvious candidates for a win outside of Temple on Oct. 29. (2) 2. Colorado State 0-2 Jay Norvell is off to a rough start at Colorado State. The 51-7 loss to Michigan wasn’t a surprise to anybody. But the 34-19 home loss to a Middle Tennessee team that lost by 37 to James Madison the week before? Yikes. Now the Rams must go on the road and face the Washington State team that beat Wisconsin last week. (10) 1. Hawaii 0-3 The next couple of weeks will be crucial for Hawaii. With Duquesne this week and New Mexico State the week after, these could prove to be the best chances at wins this year. If they lose both games, it’s a near certainty this team will be a contender for the Bottom 25 title this year. Hell, it probably will be, regardless. (1)