Five Of The Most Disappointing College Football Teams This Season
There are some supremely disappointed fanbases in college football right now.
The 2025 college football season has been one of the most volatile years in recent memory, from both an on and off the field perspective.
Between the insane coaching carousel (including the recent Sherrone Moore fiasco) and the wildly unexpected upsets throughout the season, this year will go down as one for the history books.
But with every crazy college football season, there are victims left in the wake of the chaos.
These are five teams who succumbed to the crushing expectations placed upon them in the preseason, and whether they were good teams with bad luck or just lousy to begin with, their seasons were disappointing all the same.
Let's re-open some healing wounds, shall we?
5. Arizona State Sun Devils (Preseason Rank: 11th)
Although Kenny Dillingham and company finished the season 8-4 – which is still a respectable season in Tempe, historically speaking – the Sun Devils failed to live up to the expectations of repeating as Big 12 champs and returning to the College Football Playoff.
It's even more disheartening when you see the smattering of all-conference contributors up and down this ASU roster as well as the production that will be walking out the door this winter, including guys like quarterback Sam Leavitt (portal) and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (draft).
As long as Dillingham is still the head coach, I don't think the window is necessarily closed, but they will have to replace a lot of "dudes" to get back to where they want to be and erase this sour taste from the mouths of Sun Devil fans in 2026.
4. Florida Gators (Preseason Rank: 15th)
There weren't many teams hotter than the Gators at the end of last season, as Florida reeled off four straight victories to close the year, including two against ranked opponents.
So when the preseason AP Poll had Sun Belt Billy and the boys ranked in the top-15, it made perfect sense, especially when you considered what they returned as far as proven production.
A five-star gunslinger of a quarterback, highly rated wide receivers, a veteran offensive line with a punishing running attack, and a defense that had one of the highest havoc rates in the country.
All the pieces were in place, which made the fall even more breathtaking.
The Gators dropped out of the rankings entirely by mid-September and had fired their coach the following month.
When you take into account the expectations in place from the preseason, this was one of the most disappointing years in recent memory in Gainesville.
3. LSU Tigers (Preseason Rank: 9th)
When you go from a preseason top-10 team to firing your coach within two months, you know you're not living up to expectations.
That's exactly what happened to the LSU Tigers, as the team was seen as a national championship contender as recently as October.
The Bayou Bengals spent plenty of money in the portal to try and get this roster over the edge, and they had what they thought was a championship caliber QB in Garrett Nussmeier, but a trio of losses at the midway point of the season spelled doom for their playoff chances and their coach.
After an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M, Brian Kelly was relieved of his duties (which some of us totally saw coming) in a now-infamously messy separation.
But, hey, they landed Lane Kiffin, so they got that going for them.
2. Clemson Tigers (Preseason Rank: 4th)
From one Tiger to another, Clemson and LSU actually played each other in week one of the season, with the latter coming out on top over the former in a tight contest.
The matchup was seen as a sort of playoff preview, and while only LSU ended up firing their coach, Dabo Swinney hasn't been much better for Clemson.
The Tigers had all the pieces in place to make a deep run and were seen as national title darlings by many, hence their top-five preseason ranking.
But quarterback Cade Klubnik once again failed to live up to expectations, and a defensive line that was supposed to have several NFL Draft picks on it couldn't carry an inconsistent offense to the promised land.
From championship expectations to fighting for a bowl berth, not many teams were more disappointing than Clemson in 2025.
Speaking of disappointing.
1. Penn State Nittany Lions (Preseason Rank: 2nd)
This was going to be the year everything fell into place in Happy Valley.
A veteran QB, weapons galore from the transfer portal, a coach with something to prove, a swarming defense with an experienced defensive coordinator, I could go on and on, but you get the point.
There's a reason the Nittany Lions were ranked 2nd in the AP Poll heading into the season. It just seemed like the stars were aligning for Penn State.
Then the games got played.
After a disappointing loss at home to Oregon had PSU fans wondering if James Franklin would ever get over the hump, the avalanche occurred.
Back-to-back losses to Big Ten doormats UCLA and Northwestern sent Franklin packing, but the losses continued to mount.
By the end of the season, Penn State limped to a 6-6 record, a far cry from the national championship hopes they had in August.
This has to be one of the most disappointing seasons for any team in recent memory. The Nittany Lions were favorites to win the Big Ten and potentially a natty in the process.
But, time makes fools of us all, and many who predicted a Penn State parade now have to settle for a Pinstripe Bowl, coincidentally against the number two team on this list.
Life comes at you fast, college football fans.