There is nothing quite like college football in the fall. The pageantry and passion are unparalleled in the world of sport. With less than two months until the Week 1 kickoff, every single program carries an air of expectation and excitement. Some, of course, will be more successful than others. We’ve surveyed the entire college landscape to bring you our initial College Football Power Rankings for the 2021 season. Where does your favorite team land in our CFB power rankings of all 130 FBS teams?
College Football Power Rankings | 116-130
Let’s get this party started!
130) UMass
The UMass Minutemen haven’t had a winning FBS season since 1904. Furthermore, they’ve won just one game in the past two seasons. As D:Ream once sang, things can only get better. However, their chances of getting substantially better seem remarkably slim.
Although UMass could have a new quarterback in Tyler Lytle and return nine defensive starters, last season’s top receiver — Samuel Emilus — has left alongside their best player in massive offensive tackle Larnell Coleman. The season finale against New Mexico State could be season-defining for both teams.
129) New Mexico State
A seven-win season in 2017 is the shining light in a tunnel of darkness for the New Mexico State Aggies. They missed the 2020 college football season but managed to schedule two games amongst the FCS spring season. Unfortunately for the Aggies, that came with mixed results. An expected win over Dixie State was tempered by a 43-17 loss to Tarleton State.
Their success, or lack thereof, will rest with the winner of the quarterback battle between JUCO transfer Jonah Johnson and redshirt freshman Weston Eget.
128) Old Dominion
The Monarchs didn’t see the field in the 2020 season. However, the last time they did, they went 1-11 and had the 127th-ranked offense in the nation. Since then, they’ve installed a new head coach in former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne. They’ve also bought in several Power Five transfers, plus former UCF quarterback D.J. Mack.
Despite this, an all-around inexperienced roster combined with a tough out-of-conference schedule — Wake Forest, Liberty, and Buffalo — could see Old Dominion struggle to escape the CFB doldrums.
127) Akron
After a winless 2019 campaign, Tom Arth’s Akron team at least managed to secure a win over Bowling Green last time out. However, the Zips finished in the bottom 10 for both offense and defense last season and desperately need an offensive spark.
JUCO transfer running back Teon Dollard impressed with 666 yards and 6 touchdowns; he will be key to any offensive success behind a young offensive line that at least has a year of experience together now. The Zips have a brutal schedule that sees them face Auburn and Ohio State before conference play begins.
126) UConn
The last time the Huskies hit the field, they went 2-10 with the 128th-ranked defense and 120th-ranked offense. Plenty has changed with a year away from the field, most noticeably UConn’s departure from the AAC to be the nation’s seventh independent football program.
Importantly for the Huskies, they return their workhouse running back Kevin Mensah, who has consecutive 1,000-rushing-yard seasons. They have must-win games against Holy Cross and Yale. Meanwhile, a midseason matchup with UMass could see their first three-win year since 2017.
125) UNLV
Driven by the second-best recruiting cycle in the 2020 class, expectations were high for Marcus Arroyo’s first season at UNLV. However, the Rebels fell to an 0-6 record last year. Their offense ranked just 120th and the defense fared little better, ranking 115th.
With uncertainty as to who will line up under center, the offense will need to lean on super-senior running back Charles Williams, who topped 1,200 yards in 2019. Eastern Washington, Arizona State, and Iowa State is a tough start, but a trip to New Mexico is the defining game of their campaign.
124) New Mexico
On paper, the New Mexico Lobos’ two wins in 2020 didn’t represent a huge leap from the previous season in Danny Gonzalez’s first year in charge. However, the former ASU defensive coordinator had the offense running at a higher gear by the end of the year.
Outgunning Fresno State in the season finale was a big boost, and they add former Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson into the QB room. The Lobos lose their top linebacker but return their pass-rush and interception leaders. Wins over Houston Baptist, New Mexico State, and UNLV are a must.
123) Bowling Green
It feels like a long time since Dino Babers led Bowling Green to a 10-4 record, the Falcons’ last winning record. Babers headed to Syracuse following that 2015 season, and ironically it’s a quarterback that makes the opposite journey, Drew Gunther, who probably gives Bowling Green their best chance of success.
The Falcons ranked 127th in both offense and defense last season as they went 0-5 last season. As a result, they can only get better, right? If they can’t beat Murray State and Akron, head coach Scot Loeffler may be in trouble.
122) UTEP
There were plenty of positives to come out of 2020 for UTEP. The Miners’ three wins were the program’s most since 2016, and they narrowly missed out on another in the season finale at North Texas. However, two wins over FCS competition and another over an 0-10 Louisiana-Monroe team isn’t quite all that.
UTEP returns 9-touchdown running back Deion Hankins to a ground game that is undoubtedly the strength of the offense. If the defense can produce more consistently, four wins may not be out of the question.
121) Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks have routinely been the whipping boys of the Power Five over the past 10 years. They’ve failed to break three wins since 2009 and are a program coming off another defeated season.
The departed Les Miles is replaced by former Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold, whose Bulls team cracked the College Football Top 25 last year. However, an immediate transformation may be a step too far for a team ranked in the bottom 10 for both offense and defense last season.
120) Rice
Does incoming quarterback Luke McCaffrey catapult the Owls up the College Football Power Rankings? The former Nebraska quarterback will play behind an offensive line that returns all their starters and a head coach in Mike Bloomgren (his brother’s coach at Stanford).
If the mobile quarterback can help elevate the Rice running game and the defense performs like it did in wins over Marshall and Southern Miss, there could be the makings of a surprise. There are a lot of “ifs” and “coulds” involved in that outcome, however.
119) Utah State
Remember when Jordan Love took Utah State to an 11-2 record and their highest ranking since 1961? Those were good times, weren’t they Aggies fans? Last season was about as far removed from that as possible. Although a whole new coaching staff should provide some cause for optimism, there are still plenty of question marks on both sides of the ball.
While they avoid a trip to the “Smurf Turf” with Boise State coming to Logan, they must travel to Washington State and reigning Mountain West champion San Jose State.
118) Wyoming
If the adage “defense wins championships” holds true, Wyoming should be in contention for a Mountain West title this season. They ranked 24th in the nation last season and return a ton of talent. They also return an exciting running back duo in Xazavian Valladay and Trey Smith, who can run the rock behind a strong offensive line led by Kerry Cryder. However, the offense struggled last season due to inconsistent quarterback play and a failure to convert in key situations.
Being on the road at Boise State and MAC contenders Ball State is far from ideal.
117) FIU
The Panthers have just four winning seasons since entering the FBS in 2004. Additionally, last season’s 0-5 record was the second time they’d failed to win a game in their short history. Although running back D’Vonte Price averaged 6.8 yards per carry last season, there are far too many offensive uncertainties for FIU at this point. While the running game was the positive last season for the offense, the defense was gashed on the ground too easily last season.
They face just one team ranked below them in our College Football Power Rankings, posing a problem when looking for where the wins will come from.
116) Northern Illinois
One of the most inexperienced teams in college football last season, the Huskies failed to win for the first time since 1997. They’ve been a perennial contender in the MAC. However, even with a year of experience under their belt, it feels like a stretch for Northern Illinois to immediately return to contention in 2021.
Rocky Lombardi didn’t manage to get it done in the Big Ten, but could the Michigan State transfer help drive the Huskies up our College Football Power Rankings as the season progresses?