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College football rankings: West Virginia kicks off first Bottom 25 of 2023 season after blowout at Penn State – CBS Sports
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It was just last December that Colorado earned the dubious distinction of being the first power conference program to win the Bottom 25 championship since CBS began handing out the award to college football’s worst team in 2013. What a difference one offseason can make. After wallowing under the weight of a 1-11 record and a -349 point differential last season, the Buffs are actually ranked in the latest AP Top 25 — coming in at No. 22 — after Week 1.
It turns out being featured in our weekly Bottom 25 can actually be a springboard to national relevance. Speaking of which, there are a couple of teams with the potential to be one-and-done in the first Bottom 25 of 2023 if all goes well in Week 2. Boise State came in at No. 4 this week after getting thrashed at Washington, but the Broncos went 8-0 in the Mountain West last season and should make their way out of these rankings soon.
Coastal Carolina shouldn’t be here long, either. Coach Jamey Chadwell is gone, but quarterback Grayson McCall is back and the Chanticleers have enough talent to remain a bowl team under first-year coach Tim Beck. As for the power conference teams seen here — Northwestern, Virginia, Indiana and West Virginia — each face long roads to respectability. Don’t be surprised if a couple of them are continually present here in 2023.
And finally, after years as the QB1 of the Bottom 25, Tom Fornelli has passed the baton to me, David Cobb, this season. We’re still using Tom’s power rankings to determine the order, but the written jabs are all mine.
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