The Biggest Disappointments of the 2021 College Football Season So Far
Heading into Week 6 of the college football season, we have a pretty good idea of which teams are legitimate contenders and which are not. There were a number of teams before the season that had high expectations—LSU, USC and Wisconsin, to name a few—but they've drastically underperformed through five weeks.
While we've had a record 34 AP Top 25 teams lose in 2021, it doesn't make it any less disappointing for these eight teams that have already fallen far short of what they wanted to achieve this year.
Let's run through the biggest disappointments so far this season.
Florida Gators
1 of 8
The expectations surrounding Florida weren't sky-high heading into this season since they lost most of their starters on offense. But after nearly upsetting No. 1 Alabama at home in Week 3, those expectations were raised. Florida looked like one of the few teams in the country that could hang with the top-ranked Tide. Had the Gators not missed an extra point in the second quarter, they could've forced the game into overtime.
Instead, Florida fans could only walk away from the 31-29 loss with optimism for the rest of the year.
But just two weeks later, Florida went on the road and laid an egg against unranked Kentucky. The Gators' 20-13 loss in Lexington was the first road loss in the series since 1986. Their offense looked conservative, and the team had a whopping 15 penalties for 115 yards on the night. Eight of those were false starts on the offense, too. A blocked kick returned for a touchdown in the third quarter gave the Wildcats a lead they never lost for the rest of the night.
The biggest question for Florida moving forward will be if it has enough motivation for its remaining seven games. The goal to repeat as SEC East champions looks highly unlikely. Florida upsetting Georgia is a tall task, and the Dawgs stumbling in the East looks even more unlikely. Florida's biggest remaining games include a road game at LSU on Oct. 16 and No. 2 Georgia in Jacksonville one week later. The Gators end the season at home against in-state rival Florida State.
If Florida ends the season without double-digit wins, it'll mark head coach Dan Mullen's second consecutive season failing to do so.
Clemson Tigers
2 of 8
Clemson entered this season as the preseason No. 3-ranked team and an ACC and College Football Playoff favorite. But about halfway through the 2021 season, the Tigers look far from the playoff contender it's been for the last five years.
Clemson is 3-2 after opening its season with a 10-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Even with the loss, Clemson still had the chance to make it into the playoff if it ran the table. But in Week 4, those chances were ruined with the 27-21 upset loss to an unranked NC State. Clemson had won the last eight straight against NC State and lost its first game to an unranked team since 2017. The loss also dropped the Tigers out of the AP Top 10.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who had high expectations replacing Trevor Lawrence this season, has also underperformed. The sophomore had as high as +825 odds to win the Heisman in August. But through five games, Uiagalelei has thrown for just 793 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also been sacked 10 times on the year, while Clemson's rushing attack is averaging just 147.4 yards per game. As a whole, the unit ranks in the 100s nationally in the vast majority of statistical categories, including touchdowns, total yards, passing yards per game and points per drive.
Clemson rebounded last week with a 19-13 win on the road against Boston College, but it needed a goal-line stop to do so. The loss to NC State drastically hurts its ACC title game chances. The Tigers are currently third in the ACC Atlantic behind No. 19 Wake Forest and NC State. The Demon Deacons are riding a three-game ACC win streak, defeating Florida State, Virginia and Louisville over the last few weeks. Wake, which plays at Clemson on Nov. 20, appears to be the divisional favorite in the ACC.
This season would mark the first in six years without Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, if these standings hold. That would be a far fall for Clemson from the preseason's No. 3 team.
Miami Hurricanes
3 of 8
The Canes entered the season with a lot of potential. Miami was returning nine starters from its offense last season, including quarterback D'Eriq King.
King, who averaged 244.1 yards per game last season, suffered a knee injury in Miami's bowl game against Oklahoma State. But he was cleared to play ahead of Miami's Week 1 game against Alabama, and Miami checked in at No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll. But the Tide went to the locker room with a 27-3 lead and didn't let off the gas in the second half.
Miami's 44-13 blowout loss was a foreshadowing of the season to come. In Week 2, the Canes nearly lost to Appalachian State at home, kicking a 43-yard field goal with 2:04 left to ultimately win it 25-23. The Canes dropped to 1-2 against Michigan State in Week 3, though, losing 38-17. Miami then rebounded against FCS Central Connecticut State at home, winning 69-0 to get back to .500.
But the struggles continued in Week 5 against Virginia. Miami trailed the entire game, but the Canes offense got the ball back with 5:28 to go and down 30-28 in the fourth. Miami managed to drive down to Virginia's 14-yard line, where UVA called a timeout with 1:37 left. Instead of attempting to score a touchdown, Miami ran three straight run plays for no gain to drain the clock ahead of a 33-yard field-goal attempt. Of course, the kick doinked off the left upright to give Virginia the victory.
"Got to put him in a better situation. Offense has got to score," Miami running back Cam'Ron Harris said after the game. "We shouldn't have put him [kicker Andres Borregales] in that situation."
Of course, kicking a field goal is easier than scoring a touchdown. But it's a head-scratcher as to why Miami didn't at least attempt a shot or two in the end zone. The loss dropped Miami to 2-3 on the season. With seven ACC games left on the schedule for the Canes, things might get even worse for head coach Manny Diaz in this third season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Iowa State Cyclones
4 of 8
The Cyclones had a historic season in 2020. Iowa State finished first in the Big 12 standings at the end of the regular season and lost 27-21 to Oklahoma in the conference's title game. The Cyclones capped the year off with a 34-17 victory over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 9-3. The Cyclones checked in this year as the preseason No. 7 team, matching their program high in the final Playoff rankings last season.
The preseason hype was dulled a bit in Week 2 with a 27-17 loss to in-state rival Iowa in which the Hawkeyes got 20 points as a result of four takeaways. The home loss was disappointing, but the Cyclones were still in the mix in the Big 12.
That is until Week 5, when the No. 14-ranked Cyclones were upset by Baylor on the road. Iowa State's only lead of the game was 7-0 early in the first quarter, and Baylor was up 21-13 at halftime. Iowa State had a chance to comeback on the last drive of the game, but the Cyclones' two-point conversion attempt resulted in a Brock Purdy interception, sealing Baylor's 31-29 victory.
Iowa State's 1-1 conference record puts it in joint-fifth in the Big 12 standings behind Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State. With three regular-season games remaining against all three conference leaders, it seems unlikely the Cyclones are a threat to make it to a consecutive Big 12 title game.
This certainly is a letdown from the magical season the Cyclones had just a season ago.
Wisconsin Badgers
5 of 8
Wisconsin's 2020 season was paused early due to COVID-19 issues that caused a couple of games to be cancelled. But the Badgers rebounded well and finished the season 4-3, capped off with a bowl victory over Wake Forest. The defense was among the best in the Big Ten, and the Badgers returned seven starters from that unit heading into 2021.
There were hopes this season of seeing some improvement for an offense that finished 103rd in total offense last season. Starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who struggled with a shoulder injury in 2020, was also back, along with most of his offensive line. But through five weeks of the season, the preseason No. 12 Badgers are 1-3. Wisconsin has lost to Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan so far this season, and the offense is mostly to blame.
The unit ranks 116th in scoring offense, averaging just 18.5 points per game. Mertz has struggled quite a bit, throwing for just two touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Two of those interceptions resulted in pick-sixes against Notre Dame, too. Wisconsin's QB situation might be getting even worse, too. In the third quarter last week against Michigan, Mertz left the game after taking a big hit, suffering a chest injury.
Backup Chase Wolf wasn't much better replacing him, throwing an interception in the third quarter of the 38-17 loss. Mertz was taken to the hospital to be evaluated but was released on Saturday evening. Mertz is currently listed as questionable heading into this week vs. Illinois.
Wisconsin's rushing game isn't helping much, either. The Badgers have just five rushing touchdowns all season, and they're averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Defensively, Wisconsin has actually held up impressively despite its offense not being able to keep it off the field. The Badgers rank third in the nation in total defense, allowing just 249 yards per game. Wisconsin has remaining games against Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota among others left on its schedule. If the offense keeps playing like it has been, it might be hard for Wisconsin to even finish at .500.
Texas A&M Aggies
6 of 8
The Aggies checked in at No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll. TAMU came into this season fresh off a 9-1 season capped off with an Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina. It looked as if the Aggies were one of the few teams that might be able to contend for the SEC West with Alabama.
But the Aggies have opened SEC play with an 0-2 record, featuring back-to-back losses to No. 16 Arkansas and unranked Mississippi State. Texas A&M was an eight-point favorite heading into last week's game against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State won 26-22, capped off with a safety while sacking Aggie quarterback Zach Calzada in the end zone. The Aggies defense gave up 408 passing yards and a season-high 24 points.
Texas A&M's offense has struggled to score points, ranking 101st in scoring offense. The offense has been dealing with an injury at quarterback, too. Aggie starting quarterback Haynes King suffered a fractured leg against Colorado in Week 2. Backup Calzada, a sophomore, has thrown for five touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. Running back Isaiah Spiller, who had over 1,000 rushing yards a season ago, has just two touchdowns.
Texas A&M still hasn't even reached its toughest part of its schedule yet, either. The Aggies play No. 1 Alabama on Saturday and still have games remaining vs. Auburn and Ole Miss. This 0-2 conference start comes on the heels of head coach Jimbo Fisher signing a four-year extension that makes his contract worth over $90 million. $90 million.
LSU Tigers
7 of 8
LSU may be just a couple seasons removed from a national title, but head coach Ed Orgeron officially looks to be on the hot seat. The preseason No. 16 Tigers opened the season with a 38-27 loss to the then-unranked UCLA Bruins. The win was highlighted with UCLA football's Twitter account epically trolling Orgeron's "Sissy Blue" comment he directed toward a UCLA fan who heckled him as he walked into the stadium.
The Tigers won their next three games, including a road win over Mississippi State in Week 4. But that momentum was thwarted last week against Auburn in a 24-19 home loss, the first Auburn win at LSU since 1999. LSU even had a 13-0 lead in the second quarter, but Auburn scored 10 unanswered points to go in down three at halftime.
LSU made two field goals in the third quarter to take a 19-10 lead, but Orgeron's defense gave up two costly touchdowns in the fourth quarter. LSU's inability to score touchdowns cost it dearly against Auburn. In fact, three of LSU kicker Cade York's field goals came on drives that sputtered inside Auburn's 14-, eight- and five-yard lines.
"It's just every time we try to run the football we get stuffed," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said after the game. "We have to find some new ways to block and we have to find some people that are going to block."
LSU's rushing offense ranks 128th—second to last in the nation this season—averaging an abysmal 70.6 yards per game. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 23.0 points per game, good for 58th in the nation. LSU's secondary allows 248 yards per game in the air, and that unit took a huge hit earlier this week with the announcement that cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who is a projected first-round NFL draft pick next year, is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
The loss to Auburn brought LSU to 3-2 on the season, and with games still remaining against Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama, things are only likely to go more downhill from here. LSU's 5-5 finish last season paired with a losing 2021 season might be enough for the Tigers to move on from Orgeron.
USC Trojans
8 of 8
USC entered this season coming off a 5-1 record in 2020. The Trojans won the Pac-12 South and made it to the conference title game against Oregon, losing 31-24. At the start of this season, the Trojans checked in at No. 15.
Things went downhill quickly for USC, however. In Week 2, USC lost 42-28 to an 0-1, unranked Stanford that was far from close throughout. The loss was so bad that it prompted USC to fire head coach Clay Helton in his eighth season as head coach. Helton was let go after compiling a 46-24 record in Los Angeles.
As USC looks for Helton's replacement, the Trojans have continued to struggle under interim head coach Donte Williams, dropping a home game against Oregon State 45-27. The Trojans rebounded last week and beat Colorado 45-27, but the two losses take USC out of the Pac-12 title game conversation. USC still has conference games remaining against Utah, Arizona State and UCLA, to name a few.
The Trojans have struggled on offense all season. Through five games, USC averages just 33.4 points per game, despite averaging 439.2 yards per game. It'll be interesting to see what USC does at quarterback moving forward. Starter Kedon Slovis left the Week 3 game against Washington State, and backup Jaxson Dart came in and threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-14 win.
But Dart suffered a meniscus injury the week after, which gave the job back to Slovis, who then threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Jose State. Dart returned to practice this week, so we'll see who gets the edge at QB.
Any time a head coach gets fired early in the season, it's a good indication that the team is underperforming its expectations.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
