The most disappointing College Football Team from each season over the last 20 years

The high honors in the offseason can often lead to brutal disappointment when the program underperforms expectations. Whether it's due to injuries, coaching woes, excitement not being met, or expectations not being met, a season can quickly crumble in a moment.

Each year, one team that's viewed as a National Championship front-runner crumbles, possibly falling out of the Top 25 in a stunning collapse. As the season approaches, here's a look back at the most disappointing college football teams from each year of the past 20 seasons.

The 2005 season was expected to be a massive season for Phillip Fulmer and the Tennessee Volunteers as they entered the season ranked 3rd in the AP Poll. The first four weeks proved to be a rollercoaster as the Vols beat UAB before losing to Florida before back-to-back wins over 4th ranked LSU and Ole Miss got the season back on track.

The season then went off the rails as Tennessee lost four straight games three of which were to Top 10 opponents in Georgia, Alabama, and Notre Dame. The final three weeks of the season brought wins over Memphis and Kentucky but, the Vols lost to Vanderbilt for the first time in 21 years ending the season below .500 for the first time in the Phillip Fulmer era.

Brady Quinn returned for the Fighting Irish after Notre Dame's 9-3 season setting the table for a massive season. During the first two weeks of the season Notre Dame picked up wins over Georgia Tech and Penn State setting the table for a pivotal game against Michigan. The Fighting Irish lost to the Wolverines but, ripped off 8 straight wins heading into the final week of the regular season with a chance to compete for the National Championship.

The Fighting Irish faced off against the 3rd ranked USC Trojans and got demolished 44-24 ending any hopes of earning a place in the BCS National Championship Game. After a loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame finished 17th in the AP Poll but, the blow out regular season losses to Michigan and USC kept this team from playing for the National Championship Game.

Heading into the 2007 season, Michigan was the 5th-ranked team in the Country coming off of an 11-2 season. As elite talents like 1st overall pick Jake Long, Quarterback Chad Henne, and WR Mario Manningham returned the expectation was that this team could win the Big Ten and compete for a National Championship.

The season got off to one of the most unbelievable starts as the Wolverines were stunned at home by FCS Appalachian State. The following week was another disappointing result as Oregon throttled the Wolverines 39-7 in Ann Arbor in the worst loss since the days of Bo Schembechler. The Wolverines then finally realized their potential, winning the next 8 games, but lost their final two regular season games, including "The Game," making it a disappointing year as a whole.

It's hard to find a team with higher expectations heading into a season than the 2008 Georgia Bulldogs as they entered the year ranked 1st in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll with 22 votes to win it all in each poll. The Bulldogs featured the fierce trio of Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and AJ Green on offense which was one of the best in the Country.

The Bulldogs ended up finishing the season with a 10-3 record, which makes it unfair to call this team a disappointment, but it truly is with the talent they had. The three losses came against Top 25 teams in Alabama (41-30), Florida (49-10), and Georgia Tech (45-42), as handling business against Georgia Tech, along with beating an Alabama team that had flaws, could've let this team play for a National Championship.

The 2009 College Football season marked the end of the USC Trojans' dynasty and the beginning of the end of their relevance in the National Championship race as they haven't returned to the point since. Pete Carroll's program entered the year ranked 4th in the AP Poll with Matt Barkley at Quarterback.

The Trojans started the year 2-0 with a massive win over 8th ranked Ohio State as it appeared the Trojans might find themselves taking home the National Championship once again. The very next week the high powered Trojans offense disappeared as the team lost to Washington. After ripping off 4 straight wins, the Trojans would drop games to Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona in a 5 week stretch ending any hopes of another National Championship.

Pete Carroll then announced, amid an NCAA investigation, he was leaving his dynasty behind, jumping to the NFL, leaving the program in ruin.

The Texas Longhorns entered the 2010 season as the 5th ranked team in the Country as everyone expected that Garrett Gilbert would carry forward the momentum the program had with Colt McCoy. The first few weeks of the season proved that may be the case as the Longhorns put together three straight wins over Rice, Wyoming, and Texas Tech.

The season then fell apart as Texas dropped back-to-back games against UCLA and Oklahoma, dropping the Longhorns out of the Top 25. Following an upset win over Nebraska, the Longhorns dropped 5 of their final 6 games, with the lone win coming over Florida Atlantic.

Coming into the season with National Championship expectations and finishing 5-7 with a 2-6 record in Big 12 play is truly as disappointing as it gets. The season proved to be Mack Brown's only losing season at Texas, making it such a bizarre year.

Coming off of a 12-2 season, the Oklahoma Sooners entered the 2011 season as the Nation's top-ranked team with quarterback Landry Jones back under center after his great season in 2010. For most of the season, the Sooners looked the part ripping off 6 straight wins including a pair of Top 25 wins.

Texas Tech gave the Sooners their first loss of the season, holding off a late 14-point rally by Oklahoma. Back-to-back wins over 10th-ranked Kansas State and Texas A&M brought the Sooners back into the Top 5 and the National Championship picture, but they'd lose to 25th-ranked Baylor, ending their hopes of winning it all. A loss to Oklahoma State gave the Sooners a 10-3 record to end what was a promising season which makes it hard to call the season a disappointment but, wasting a season where you were ranked 1st is always upsetting.

Lane Kiffin used the 2011 season to rehab his image as a Head Coach leading USC to a 10-2 season finishing 6th in the AP Poll. Ahead of the 2012 season, the AP Poll named the Trojans the team to beat. In the end, the Trojans would finish the season unranked after beginning the year with the top ranking in the Preseason AP Poll, since the 1964 Ole Miss Rebels.

The Trojans tumbled early, losing in week 3 to Stanford, but rattled off three straight wins, helping to climb back into the National Championship picture. A stunning loss to Arizona, followed by a loss to Oregon, where the Trojans allowed 62 points, would end up sinking any chance of making the National Championship. After bouncing back against Arizona State, the Trojans would add three more losses to their record, finishing 7-6.

Lane Kiffin had plenty to work with as Matt Barkley was a Heisman contender while Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, and Nelson Agholor were all NFL caliber players. The failures in 2012 would set Lane Kiffin up to be fired the following season, as he only made it 5 games in 2013.

Will Muschamp's third season at Florida was supposed to be the year that the Gators put it all together after finishing 10th in the AP Poll. The Gators started the year off where they left off, being ranked 10th in the preseason Top 25. After a poor offensive season the year prior, Muschamp made changes to the staff which gave the team hope for improvement.

As the Gators scored 65 points against Eastern Michigan to start the season, it appeared all the issues were solved before the Gators escaped with an overtime win over Kentucky. Alabama then demolished the Gators 42-21 but, they'd bounce back with a 10-9 win over Tennessee. The next two weeks would end Florida's season as they dropped games to LSU and Missouri before they dropped another two games in the final six games.

Given the elite top-tier talent Florida had with players like Dante Fowler, D.J. Humphries, Vernon Hargraves, and others, going 7-5 with a 4-4 record in SEC play was a massive disappointment. The season was the worst by the Florida Gators since the arrival of Steve Spurrier, making it one of the most frustrating years for Florida.

Heading into the 2014 season, the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked 4th in the AP Poll and 3rd in the Coaches Poll, gaining votes to win the National Championship. Trevor Knight showed flashes in 2013 behind Blake Bell which gave this team a great chance to win the Big 12.

The first four weeks were business as usual as the Sooners cruised to wins over Louisiana Tech, Tulsa, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Trevone Boykin and TCU upset the Sooners as the TCU defense scored a game winning Pick 6 with another late game stop which ended up dropping Oklahoma to 11th.

The next two games would bring split results as they won the Red River Rivalry but, lost to Kansas State. The season would truly be derailed when Trevor Knight got injured against Baylor giving the Sooners a 3rd loss on the year. The Sooners would go 2-2 over the final four games which ended the season in disappointment.

Going 8-5 on the year and 5-4 in Big 12 play in a season where the team was expected to compete for a National Championship is ultimately a disappointment. The disappointing part for Oklahoma is that the TCU game was there for the taking, as was the 1-point loss to Kansas State and the overtime loss to Oklahoma State, which could've changed the outlook on the year.

The Auburn Tigers entered the 2015 season as the 6th ranked team in the AP Poll after finishing 22nd the year prior. While the Tigers lost 20 key pieces to graduation or the NFL Draft, this team had a ton of hype as Jeremy Johnson replaced Nick Marshall at quarterback. Johnson entered the season with serious Heisman buzz but, it would turn out he'd only start three games for the Tigers.

There were signs this team may not be as good as advertised, as Auburn needed overtime to beat FCS Jacksonville State. LSU handed Auburn its first loss of the season in a 45-21 game that led to Johnson's benching. Mississippi State handed the Tigers back-to-back losses as Auburn could only manage 9 points in a 17-9 game. After Auburn showed signs of life with back-to-back wins, Arkansas and Ole Miss gave the Tigers another two losses. The final four weeks of the season would give Auburn a pair of wins over Idaho and Memphis but, Georgia and Alabama sent this team to a 2-6 record in SEC Play.

This season ended up being the classic example of what happens when a relatively unknown quarterback is given all of the hype on a team and doesn't deliver. Given how hyped Johnson was, Auburn was seen as a National Championship contender and his hype only lasting 3 weeks crushed the Tigers.

After a 9-3 season in Butch Jones' 3rd season in Knoxville, the Tennessee Volunteers appeared to be knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff. The offense returned 9 starters from the prior season, including Josh Dobbs and Alvin Kamara, while the defense returned 8 starters, headlined by Derek Barnett, giving the team a great chance to build upon their 9-win season.

The Volunteers almost instantly dropped from 9th in the AP Poll after needing overtime to beat Appalachian State, but started the year 5-0 with wins over Top 25 Georgia and Florida. The season then went off the rails when the Vols started with a loss to 8th-ranked Texas A&M. The Vols could've bounced right back and put themselves in the Playoff conversation with a win over Alabama, but the top-ranked Tide demolished Tennessee. Unranked South Carolina added insult to injury by sending the team to their third straight loss.

The Volunteers went 4-1 down the stretch of the season, final 5 games finishing 22nd in the AP Poll, but the season is a massive disappointment. Given the fact that Tennessee had every chance to put themselves in the Playoff race yet, they dropped three straight with the best roster Butch Jones had.

The Michigan Wolverines came off a 10-3 season, and heading into Jim Harbaugh's third season leading the Wolverines, they were ranked 11th in the AP Poll. Quarterback Wilton Speight returned, along with plenty of talent on defense, which gave the team a great chance to go on a serious run in the Big Ten.

The season started with 4 straight wins, rising all the way to 8th in the AP Poll, but Wilton Speight suffered a back injury in the Purdue game, which sidelined him for several weeks. The Wolverines dropped their first game to Michigan State without Speight as John O'Korn threw three interceptions. After beating Indiana in overtime, the Wolverines were demolished Penn State suffering a second loss.

The Wolverines ended up winning their next three games, working their way back into the Top 25, but they'd then end the season with three straight losses, defining the season. Finishing 8-5 with a 5-4 record in the Big Ten was a massive step back and a disappointing record but, losing Speight early in the year can be used as the excuse.

Coming off of a 13-1 season where they won the Orange Bowl, the Wisconsin Badgers entered the 2018 season as the 4th ranked team in the AP Poll. The team returned QB Alex Hornibrook, RB Jonathan Taylor, and several other key pieces to help the Badgers push for their first bid into the College Football Playoff.

After winning the first two games of the season, the Badgers got stunned in Camp Randall by the BYU Cougars, dropping them from 6th in the AP Poll all the way to 18th. Back-to-back wins over Iowa and Nebraska set the Badgers for a chance to move up in the poll with a win over Michigan however a loss put them on the brink of elimination in the Playoff race. A stunning loss to Northwestern ended any hope of winning the Big Ten and making the Playoff before losses to Penn State and Minnesota down the stretch.

The Badgers haven't had many chances to go on a run to the College Football Playoff which makes a season where they entered the year 4th and finished unranked a massive disappointment.

Heading into Jimbo Fisher's second season at Texas A&M, there was some hype around the Aggies, who entered the year ranked 12th in the AP Poll. Kellen Mond was coming off an exciting Sophomore season and had some exciting young pieces around him. In the end, the Aggies ended up finishing 8-5 with a 4-4 record in SEC Play which left them unranked in the AP Poll.

It's hard to fault the Aggies for their four losses as they came against 1st ranked Clemson, 8th ranked Auburn, 1st ranked Alabama, 4th ranked Georgia, and 2nd ranked LSU. The Aggies had several great chances to land the defining win of the Jimbo Fisher era yet, fell flat every time, which makes the season as a whole disappointing.

Coming off of one of the greatest seasons of All-Time where the LSU Tigers went unbeaten en route to the National Championship, the Tigers still had a ton of hype entering 2020 as the 6th ranked team in the Country. The Tigers were 1 of 4 teams to receive a vote to win the National Championship and the three other teams reached the Playoff.

The Tigers showed everyone they weren't that level of team to open the year with an embarrassing loss to Mississippi State, where K.J. Costello passed for an SEC record 623 Yards with 5 Touchdowns. Two weeks later, Missouri would beat LSU 45-41 which, two weeks after that Auburn outscored LSU 48-11 giving the Tigers a third loss. Losses to Texas A&M (20-7) and Alabama (55-17) would ensure that the Tigers finished their quest for back-to-back National Championships with a 5-5 record.

The LSU Tigers may have been a victim of too much preseason hype, as the Tigers had massive holes to fill, which likely means they were overrated. Ed Oregron's team also deserves some slack, as it was a weird season due to the pandemic.

In 2020, Iowa State finished the season ranked 9th in the Country after an impressive 9-3 season which led to the Cyclones being ranked 7th in the preseason poll ahead of 2021, the highest in program history. The Cyclones started the season with a close call against FCS Northern Iowa which instantly showed they may not be as good as everyone expected.

Iowa would hand the Cyclones a 27-17 loss, which knocked them from 9th in the AP Poll down to 14th. After beating UNLV, Baylor would knock the Cyclones out of the top 25, and they wouldn't return until the end of October. When Iowa State returned to the Top 25, it was short-lived as losses to West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Clemson over the final 6 games made this a disappointing year.

Looking back at this team, Iowa State may not ever have a more talented group as Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, Xavier Hutchinson, Charlie Kolar, and a few of the teams' other stars have all put together solid NFL careers.

The Texas A&M Aggies started the 2022 season as the 6th ranked team in the Country with one of the best rosters of the Jimbo Fisher era. Haynes King won the quarterback battle in a room with three Power 4 level starters and had a great group of weapons in Devon Achane, Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad III, and Ainas Smith. The defense had a great mix of veteran starters and Jimbo Fisher's highly touted recruiting class.

Everything went according to plan in Week 1 as the Aggies beat Sam Houston State 31-0 but, they'd instantly give their fanbase a massive reason for concern when they lost 17-14 to Appalachian State the following week. The fanbase was lured back in with back-to-back Top 25 wins over Miami and Arkansas before the team lost 6 straight games.

The 2022 season marked back-to-back years that Jimbo Fisher had the 6th-ranked team in the preseason and couldn't even finish in the Top 25, marking the beginning of the end for Fisher.

The USC Trojans fell just short of making the College Football Playoff in 2022 as they lost in the Pac 12 Championship dropping them from 4th in the College Football Playoff Top 25 to 10th. Coming off of that season there was plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the Trojans as they returned Caleb Williams coming off of his Heisman Trophy winning season.

After debuting at 6th in the AP Poll, the Trojans ripped off 6 straight wins behind their explosive offense. The season then fell apart over the next 6 games as Notre Dame and Utah handed the Trojans back-to-back losses before they dropped three straight games to Washington, Oregon, and UCLA.

Coming into the season as the projected 6th best team in the Country with a Heisman winner at quarterback and finishing with 5 losses over the final 7 games is a massive disappointment.

Coming off of a season where Florida State went undefeated in the Regular Season winning the ACC Championship yet, were left out of the College Football Playoff, Mike Norvell's team had everything to prove. Mike Norvell and his staff were tasked with replacing several key pieces but, the team was good enough to debut at 10th in the Preseason AP Top 25. The expectations were so high around the Seminoles in part due to their defensive line which was predicted to have several 1st round talents.

Almost instantly all of the hype around Florida State proved to be dead wrong as Georgia Tech beat the Seminoles in Ireland. When the Seminoles returned home the season only got worse as they dropped games to Boston College and Memphis before winning their first game against Cal. The win against Cal would be the Seminoles last win for awhile as they dropped 7 of their final 8 games.

As Florida State started the season as a Top 10 team with College Football Playoff expectations they were a massive disappointing as no one would've predicted a 2-10 season with just 1 win in ACC play.

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