Predicting When Every Undefeated College Football Team Will Lose

Undefeated seasons are always the goal in college football. Win every game, and a national championship may follow.

Lifting that trophy, however, does not require an unbeaten campaign. Although no two-loss Football Bowl Subdivision team has celebrated a national title in the past decade, six of the 10 champions had a regular-season blemish.

Through five weeks of the 2021 season, only 17 unbeaten teams remain. Since several of those programs have a head-to-head matchup, the number is guaranteed to drop. Upsets will take out a handful of others, too.

Our task is identifying when the first fateful result will arrive—if ever.

Unranked Group of 5 Teams

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Sincere McCormick

UTSA Roadrunners (5-0, Conference USA)

In their final game of October, the Roadrunners head to Louisiana Tech. Though the Bulldogs have a 2-3 record, they've lost to Mississippi State, unbeaten SMU and North Carolina State by a combined 10 points. It's a tough road matchup for UTSA, which can reach 7-0 with victories over Western Kentucky and Rice.

Wyoming Cowboys (4-0, Mountain West)

Tight wins opposite Montana State and UConn aren't exactly impressive, and wasting a 26-point lead at Northern Illinois before a late touchdown doesn't help Wyoming's perception. Celebrate 4-0, but a loss is likely in Week 6 on the road at Air Force.

Ranked Group of 5 Teams

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No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0, American)

In a dream scenario, Cincinnati crashes the College Football Playoff. That possibility—though not yet likely—is steadily becoming more realistic. The key matchup to watch is Nov. 20 when SMU comes to town and can play the spoiler role. But let's wander out on the limb: Cincinnati loses in the CFP.

No. 10 BYU Cougars (5-0, Independent)

The rest of October is a daunting slate for BYU. After hosting Boise State, the Cougars head to Baylor and Washington State. They close the month against Virginia. We'll peg the Oct. 16 road trip to Baylor as the first loss, but it's a challenging month.

No. 15 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5-0, Sun Belt)

If a loss is going to happen, the Oct. 20 journey to Appalachian State is the most logical moment. However, give us Coastal Carolina to finish undefeated and win the Sun Belt. Yet, the Chanticleers won't be joining Cincinnati in the CFP.

No. 24 SMU Mustangs (5-0, American)

SMU's offense is thriving with Oklahoma transfer Tanner Mordecai, who has guided the Mustangs to 42.6 points per game. That prolific attack gives them a chance to stay undefeated for a while. The main concern is the upcoming back-to-back on the road against Houston (Oct. 30) and Memphis (Nov. 6), and we're circling the trip to Houston as SMU's first letdown.

No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs (4-0, Mountain West)

The Aztecs travel to Air Force and host Fresno State to end October. That's about as difficult as possible in the Mountain West this season. Fresno State is our choice to upend SDSU thanks to a high-end offense, but Air Force is fully capable of taking down Brady Hoke's squad one week earlier.

ACC and Big Ten Teams

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Blake Corum

No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0, Big Ten)

If the Hawkeyes get past Penn State, can anyone stop a CFP trip? Wisconsin and Northwestern have declined sharply, the rest of the Big Ten West is uninspiring and Iowa's defense is spectacular anyway. We're expecting a 2015-like run from the Hawkeyes, ending the regular season 12-0 before a loss to—spoiler: Ohio State—in the Big Ten championship game.

No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, Big Ten)

Given the predicted 12-0 run from Iowa, that requires a Penn State loss to the Hawkeyes. But, hey, good news is next?

No. 9 Michigan Wolverines (5-0, Big Ten)

This uncomfortable feeling is a result of projecting Michigan to reach 9-0, a streak that would include wins over Nebraska, Northwestern, Michigan State and Indiana. The run concludes, though, when the Wolverines travel to Penn State on Nov. 13. Their limited offense is concerning against a superb Penn State defense.

No. 11 Michigan State Spartans (5-0, Big Ten)

Disrespekt is back! Michigan State should continue its unexpectedly awesome start and hit 7-0 after victories at Rutgers and Indiana. Michigan comes to East Lansing on Oct. 30 and can ruin the perfection. Let the #disrespekt fuel you, Spartans fans.

No. 19 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-0, ACC)

Since the Deacs' competition level has been below average, we're steadily learning more about Wake Forest. While it's tempting to highlight the Oct. 23 trek to Army, we're giving the Demon Deacons some benefit of the doubt. They'll wrap up October at 8-0 before suffering loss No. 1 at North Carolina on Nov. 6.

Big 12 and SEC Teams

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Wan'Dale Robinson

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0, SEC)

Not since 2008-09 has Alabama put together back-to-back undefeated runs through the regular season. That trend ends with a 12-0 record in 2021, but a loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game follows. Don't get worked up just yet, though.

No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, SEC)

There may be a 12,000-word, self-indulgent column that is all about Georgia's defense in the future. We'll see. In the meantime, the smothering unit can propel the Dawgs to 13-0 and the No. 1 seed in the CFP. But on the biggest stage, a revenge-fueled Alabama takes down Georgia for the national championship.

No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, Big 12)

This offense is nowhere close to even the lowest expectations. After one-possessions wins against Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia and Kansas State, the Sooners' first letdown seems inevitable. They fall to rival Texas in Week 6.

No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0, Big 12)

Can you imagine if Texas beats OU and Oklahoma State in consecutive weeks? The resurgence of "Is Texas back?" storylines will be flying off the internet shelves. If the Pokes navigate Texas, however, a trip to Iowa State—which has an unmistakable trend of overcoming bad Septembers—will be their first loss.

No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (5-0, SEC)

Perhaps the most chaotic result imaginable is Kentucky strolling into Athens and upsetting Georgia on Oct. 16. Right when we're growing confident in team perceptions, UK blows it up! Unfortunately, that's not our prediction. Besides, dogs are better than cats.

Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.