Our Five: The most disappointing college football teams of 2018
Can you believe the 2018 regular season is already over? Well, for the most part. There are just a few weather-related makeup games on tap Saturday as conference championship games take place.
So this week is a good time to take a look at five of the most disappointing teams of the season. They all began the season in our preseason top 25 and all of them were nowhere to be found in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings.
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Previously on Our Five: Best rivalries, Best Group of Five teams, worst divisions, surprises from first CFP rankings, best players not to win the Heisman, underrated teams, disappointing teams, coaches on the hot seat, biggest upsets, surprise undefeated teams, turnover celebrations, traditions
5. Florida State (No. 19 in our preseason poll, 5-7 record): We’ve piled a lot on the Seminoles this year. They’ve looked disjointed, unorganized and downright undisciplined in Willie Taggart’s first season. There was a strong possibility that FSU would take a while to adjust after Jimbo Fisher’s departure, but a ragged 5-7 season was not what many people were expecting. While Taggart gets some blame for the way Florida State played at times in 2018, it’s clear that there wasn’t the level of talent that we’re used to seeing on Florida State’s roster.
4. USC (No. 20, 5-7): Clay Helton is back for 2019 as USC enters the offseason without a bowl game for the first time since 2000. While Helton is staying as head coach the team announced significant changes to his coaching staff on Tuesday with offensive coordinator Tee Martin and three other assistants not returning for next season. Freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels won USC’s starting job at the beginning of the season but didn’t show the progress you expect from a highly touted freshman quarterback.
3. Michigan State (No. 11, 7-5): We figured the Spartans would have one of the better offenses in the country with the return of QB Brian Lewerke, RB L.J. Scott and WR Felton Davis among the myriad starters returning from the 2017 season. Boy, were we wrong. The Spartans averaged fewer than five yards a play on offense and scored just 19.8 points per game. Just five teams scored fewer points per game than the Spartans did. The defense was the 18th-best in the country in points per game, but when your average game is 19.8 to 18, you’re going to have a season that’s close to .500.
2. Miami (No. 9, 7-5): The turnover chain faded into the back as Miami’s turnover margin wasn’t nearly what it was in 2017. We warned how fluky turnovers are in our Miami season preview. Perhaps we should have heeded our own advice. After Miami ended the 2017 season forcing 14 more turnovers than it committed, the Hurricanes forced 24 turnovers and committed 21 in 2018. The Hurricanes fumbled 11 times and quarterbacks Malik Rosier and N’Kosi Perry combined for 10 interceptions.
1. Wisconsin (No. 6, 7-5): The Badgers were a trendy playoff pick for many people before the season. We had Wisconsin just outside the playoff but that doesn’t mitigate the disappointment of a bad season for the Badgers. The team lost players due to injuries and suspensions in 2018, and the quarterback play was really bad. Alex Hornibrook threw 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while Jack Coan had four TDs and two picks as he subbed for Hornibrook when he was injured. At least Jonathan Taylor is still really, really good. Taylor averaged over seven yards a carry and scored 15 touchdowns. He’ll break 2,000 yards in the Badgers’ bowl game.
Honorable Mention
Louisville (2-10): No one expected Louisville to contend for an ACC title. But man, was this season a disaster. The Cardinals fired Bobby Petrino during the season as Louisville ended the year a remarkable 1-11 against the spread. A 2-10 record is bad enough, but when you keep underperforming Vegas’ expectations, you know you’ve had a truly awful season.
Navy (3-9): The Midshipmen entered the 2018 season with five-straight winning seasons. That all went out the window in 2018. Navy’s 3-9 record is its worst record since a 2-10 campaign in 2002. The defense was the culprit this season, allowing nearly 35 points per game.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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