For teams that haven’t sniffed the Top 25 during the season, it’s interesting to see where they stack up against other underachieving teams in the country.
In the CBS Sports 130, every team is ranked from #1 (the 11-0 Ohio State Buckeyes) to #130 (1-11 Massachusetts). For what’s it worth, I disagreed with both, ranking LSU as a clear #1 and the dismal, 0-11 Akron Zips as #130.
The West Virginia Mountaineers came in as the 94th ranked team in nation. With a 4-7 record, the Mountaineers certainly have not had a great season, but they certainly should be ranked higher in this (absolutely meaningless) poll.
A 4-7 record in the Big 12 is far more respectable than a 4-7 record in the American Athletic Conference. The Houston Cougars, for instance, are ranked 85th with the same 4-7 record and inexplicably shot up 12 spots in the rankings after beating 3-8 Tulsa. To say that Dana Holgorsen’s Houston team has had a better season than the Mountaineers is simply wrong.
Other noteworthy rankings include Texas Tech ranked 84th with a 4-7 record in the same conference, Troy University ranked 89th with a 5-6 record and Tulsa ranked just ahead of the Mountaineers with a 3-8 record. Kansas (3-8) is the only team ranked below West Virginia at 109th out of 130 teams in the country.
For a look at the full rankings: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/rankings/cbs-sports-ranking/
