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Our Five: Worst divisions in college football

sam cooper
College football writer
Miami head coach Mark Richt calls out during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami head coach Mark Richt calls out during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

If you look at the landscape of college football, you’ll see a lot of mediocrity. Even in the College Football Playoff rankings, once you get past the top 12 or so teams, it becomes a jumbled mess of two-and three-loss teams without much separation between them. That reflects in the divisional standings across the country, too, where you see teams like Arizona, Pitt and Northwestern in contention for divisional crowns.

With that said, we’ve decided to look at the worst divisions in college football for this week’s Our Five. Because comparing the quality of a Sun Belt division to the Big Ten would not exactly be fair (we love you, Fun Belt), these are listed in alphabetical order and not ranked.

Previously on Our Five: 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

ACC Coastal

Where do we start here? The preseason Coastal favorite, Miami, is a complete mess. The Hurricanes have lost three straight and scored a combined 39 points in the process. Another team expected to compete was Virginia Tech, but the Hokies are a measly 4-4 on the year including a loss to Old Dominion — ODU’s only win of the year. That opened the door for Virginia, but the Cavaliers lost at home to Pitt, which now leads the Coastal at 5-4 overall, but 4-1 in ACC play. If Pitt loses to Virginia Tech this weekend, we could be in for chaos with the Hokies, Virginia and even Georgia Tech still in the mix. Oh, and don’t forget about one-win North Carolina. Yuck.

Big Ten West

Like the Coastal, the Big Ten West is led by a team that hasn’t even clinched bowl eligibility yet. This time, it’s Northwestern. The Wildcats (5-4, 5-1 Big Ten) have the edge in the division over Wisconsin (6-3, 4-2), Purdue (5-4, 4-2) and Iowa (6-3, 3-3) which is still somehow ranked No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The bottom of the division — Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota — is a combined 4-14 in Big Ten play. And two of those wins came over the floundering Gophers, who recently fired their defensive coordinator after giving up 55 points to Illinois.

Minnesota head coach P. J. Fleck looks at the scoreboard during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Minnesota head coach P. J. Fleck looks at the scoreboard during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

MAC East

Buffalo, now 9-1 (6-0 MAC), is having a triumphant season. But after the Bulls and Frank Solich’s Ohio Bobcats (6-3, 4-1), things go downhill quickly in the MAC East. Miami (Ohio), Akron, Kent State and Bowling Green are a combined 10-26 this season with Bowling Green bringing up the rear at 1-8. The only win for the Falcons, who already fired head coach Mike Jinks, came over FCS Eastern Kentucky by just seven points.

Pac-12 South

Here’s a division that is mediocre from top to bottom. Utah (6-3, 4-3), tied with USC and Arizona at 4-3 in league play, technically leads the South because it beat both the Trojans (5-4, 4-3) and Wildcats (5-5, 4-3), but a first divisional title for the Utes is no sure thing. Utah just lost starting quarterback Tyler Huntley in a loss to Herm Edwards’ Arizona State Sun Devils (5-4, 3-3), a game that put ASU right in the thick of things. On top of that, Colorado (5-4, 2-4) and UCLA (2-7, 2-4) are not out of the race. Yes, a 2-7 Bruins team can still technically win a share of the division crown. As The Athletic detailed, a six-way tie is actually possible. At least that will provide some excitement — even if the football isn’t great.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, right, tries to get defensive back Rayshad Williams into the game during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA won 31-30. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, right, tries to get defensive back Rayshad Williams into the game during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA won 31-30. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Sun Belt West

At 19-26 combined, the Sun Belt West has the worst winning percentage (.422) of any division in the country. UL Monroe, winners of three straight, now sits in first place at 5-4 (3-2 Sun Belt) with UL Lafayette and Arkansas State tied for second at 2-3 in SBC play. The Warhawks still have the Ragin’ Cajuns and Red Wolves left on the schedule, so the division is hardly decided. This is the first season with a Sun Belt title game. The team that emerges from the West will likely be a significant underdog with Troy, Georgia Southern and App State duking it out in the East.

Also considered: AAC West, C-USA West, MAC West

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