The highs and lows for a college football team each week of a season can be extreme, especially when a team picks up a huge win in a massive game. After a victory like that, a team is often put on a pedestal, crowned and praised by the media and fans, and at risk for falling for what Nick Saban has famously called “rat poison.” This extreme high after winning a big game can make a team susceptible to what is known as a “letdown spot.”
A letdown spot occurs when a team is coming off a big, emotional win and has to regroup the following week. In these spots, a team may be more susceptible to coming out flat, underperforming, or having a letdown in its next game.
This is something we have seen plenty of in this college football season. While we haven't seen a team completely lay an egg against a far lesser opponent, (think 2024 Alabama losing to Vanderbilt after beating Georgia) we have seen teams struggle when following up a massive win with a game against another very good opponent. What's interesting is that these teams haven't just fallen victim to the letdown spot and lost, they have been getting embarrassed in their following games.
The SEC has been filled with examples, and you can trace a trail back to when Lane Kiffin made his return to Oxford as Ole Miss took on LSU. Ole Miss won that extremely emotional and tightly contested matchup, only to follow it up by laying a dud on the road and losing by 24 points to Florida in the Swamp. Then just last week, with the Gators getting all the praise and attention, we saw Jon Sumrall’s team fall into the letdown trap and get stomped in a 45-17 loss to Missouri.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Mississippi State picked up one of the biggest wins in recent program history two weeks ago against Missouri before suffering a disappointing 56-23 loss to Alabama this past Saturday. Over in the Big Ten, Iowa pulled off a massive road win against Michigan on the final play of the game before facing Ohio State in Week 5 at Kinnick Stadium where the Hawkeyes ultimately lost by 17 points. However, I'm not so sure that one had as much to do with a letdown spot as it did with Ohio State just being a much better football team.
Letdown spots are nothing new in college football. It can be easy for a team to get too high or too low, especially when dealing with college athletes, and the trend is worth keeping an eye on given how prevalent it has been this season.
In Week 6, one team to watch will obviously be Missouri. The Tigers will host Texas A&M, giving us a chance to see whether the chain reaction of letdown spots dating back to LSU vs Ole Miss continues. Alabama will also have another colossal matchup when it takes on Georgia in Tuscaloosa, coming off their impressive win over Mississippi State.
Another team to keep an eye on this weekend is the Pitt Panthers. Pat Narduzzi’s team picked up a huge road victory over Virginia Tech on Friday night and earned a spot in the Top 25. Now they must turn around and face Bill Belichick and a frisky North Carolina team, and do so without their star quarterback Mason Heintschel who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the win over the Hokies.
Now not every team falls victim to a letdown spot, as we've seen plenty of teams string together multiple strong performances. However, I'd argue that one of the most impressive things a college football coach can do is bring his team back down to earth, keep everyone level-headed, and get his players to perform at a high level the week after a massive win. With another exciting slate of games ahead in Week 6 and plenty of football still left to be played, it will be interesting to see which teams can keep their momentum going and which ones fall victim to a letdown spot.
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