The college football rankings where being No. 1 is the worst. Our team performance grades for Week 2 take a look at the worst teams of the week and season.
Most weekly college football rankings center on the Top 25 teams in the country. However, it’s also interesting to explore the other end of the spectrum, as we do each week in our search of the Terrible 10.
Instead of relying on simple opinion based on an often-deceiving final score, we dive deeper into the numbers using the CFB Winning Edge Team Performance ratings to determine which 10 teams actually played the worst in a given week, as well as the season to date. Team Performance ratings use a scale of 60-100.
A wide variety of factors are taken into account when assigning an overall game grade to all 130 FBS teams. Points are awarded and subtracted based on turnovers, net yards per play, points per possession, and strength of opponent, among others. The weight applied to each team’s opponent helps to explain the omission of Nevada (which ranked No. 109 out of the 120 FBS teams that took the field in Week 2) and Central Michigan (No. 106) from this week’s Terrible 10 though the Wolf Pack lost 77-6 to a strong Oregon squad and the Chippewas were manhandled 61-0 by Wisconsin.
As a result, the teams below were truly the worst performers of Week 2 of the 2019 college football season:
The Turnover Pencil grabbed headlines for Akron in Week 2, and quarterback Kato Nelson threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, but the Zips still suffered a 31-20 home loss to UAB. Akron struggled to run the football (1.2 yards per carry) and surrendered 319 passing yards and four touchdowns to Blazers quarterback Tyler Johnson III.
There were warning signs in Morgantown when West Virginia beat James Madison 20-13 in Week 1 while managing just 34 rushing yards. Things got worse in Week 2 as the Mountaineers were held to just 32 yards on 30 carries – an ugly average of 0.9 per attempt. The two-game average of 1.14 yards per carry is worst in the nation.
New Mexico State posted the lowest Team Performance rating in the nation in Week 1Â against Washington State. The reward? A trip to Tuscaloosa. Though the Aggies actually earned a slightly better game grade compared to last week, the team still suffered a -5.46 deficit in net yards per play, which was the third-worst of Week 2 behind Central Michigan (-6.02) and Nevada (-5.60).
Like New Mexico State, FAU has drawn a tough non-conference schedule. And like the Aggies, the Owls have struggled to keep pace with stronger opponents. FAU surrendered 574 yards of total offense to a true freshman quarterback making his first career start, and though the Owls held Dillon Gabriel to just seven completions on 19 attempts, the Knights averaged 13.1 yards per pass attempt and 32.8 yards per completion. FAU also allowed 312 rushing yards (6.6 yards per attempt) and five touchdowns on the ground.
Head coach Chris Ash had to feel good about the way Rutgers responded to an early deficit in Week 1, rallying to Massachusetts 48-21 while posting a solid 83.57 Team Performance rating. But the Scarlet Knights won’t see many more opponents like the Minutemen – especially in Big Ten play. Iowa held Rutgers to just 9-for-26 passing for 41 yards (an ugly 1.6 yards per pass), and 84 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights also lost the turnover battle 3-0 and converted on just two of 14 opportunities on third down.
The UTSA offense – which ranked 129th in yards per play (3.91) last season – showed signs of like in Week 1 while beating Incarnate Word 35-7. Unfortunately, the Roadrunners reverted to 2018 form against Baylor. UTSA managed just 266 total yards and 4.03 yards per play, both of which are misleading because 144 of those yards came on a pair of second-half touchdown drives totaling 20 plays after the Roadrunners had fallen behind 49-0. The defense also allowed 1.02 points per play, second-worst of the week behind Nevada (1.04)
San Jose State allowed 256 rushing yards to Tulsa in a 24-16 loss. On the surface, that’s not a horrific total. However, it’s worth noting the Golden Hurricane was the worst rushing team in the country in Week 1, having been reduced to -73 rushing yards on 25 carries by Michigan State. San Jose State also struggled to stop Tulsa through the air, allowing 10.1 yards per pass attempt. Overall, the Spartans were out-gained 539-348.
UNLV looked great offensively in Week 1, averaging 7.32 yards per play and posting a net average of 3.06 yards per play in a 56-23 victory over Southern Utah. The Rebels took a huge step back in Week 2, losing to Arkansas State 43-17 while managing just 4.41 yards per play (300 yards total), including just 4.3 yards per pass attempt. For reference, Northwestern currently ranks No. 130 in FBS with 4.3 yards per pass this season.
The Rice defense looked much improved in its 14-7 loss to Army in Week 1. However, Wake Forest exposed the Owls Friday night while racking up 513 yards of total offense and averaging 8.27 yards per play. Rice, which dealt with a scary injury to starting quarterback Wiley Green during the 41-21 home loss, was out-gained by an average of 3.82 yards per play and 0.37 points per play.
Massachusetts became the second FBS team to lose to an FCS opponent this season, so it’s no surprise to see the Minutemen No. 1 on this week’s worst teams in college football rankings. And, as you’ll see below given the Minutemen’s performance against Rutgers in Week 1, UMass has been the lowest-rated team in the country so far in 2019.
