Biggest Disappointments of the 2024 Season
Last week, I went over some of the top teams that overperformed their preseason expectations, so today, I want to highlight the teams that significantly underperformed this season (All win total data via Vegas Insider)
Florida State Seminoles
Preseason win projection: 9.5
Current record: 1-9
Florida State came into the season with the best odds to win the ACC. However, since they kicked off their season in Ireland with a loss to Georgia Tech, they have been the single worst Power 4 team in football. It has been an embarrassing season for the Seminoles after going 13-0 last year, they have only managed to notch one win all season long this year. The season will end with no bowl bid and certainly no CFB Playoff appearance. They have easily been the most disappointing team in college football this year.
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Preseason win Projection: 9.5
Current record: 5-5
What a fall from grace for the reigning National Champions. The Wolverines accomplished a perfect season last year, going 15-0 and winning it all. While sure they lost some key talent (specifically at the QB position) and their head coach, I don’t think anyone expected them to be this bad. Were they a preseason lock for the playoffs? No. But I think most CFB fans and experts expected them to be far better than this. It will be interesting to see how Michigan responds to this fall from the top next season.
Utah Utes
Preseason win projection: 9.5
Current record: 4-6
Utah came into the Big 12 as one of the favorites to win the conference. However, the Cam Rising injuries just kept piling up for the Utes, and they were unable to overcome the loss of their star QB. The team has continued to lose throughout the season, only being able to win four total games all year. I think, as previously mentioned, a lot of these losses can be attributed to injuries, but even so, this is a far worse season than Utah was expected to have.
Kansas JayHawks
Preseason win projection: 8.5
Current Record: 4-6
The Jayhawks came into the season as a serious Big 12 contender. For the first time in as long as I can remember, Kansas fans were very hopeful for a football season. They returned star QB Jaylon Daniels and star RB Devin Neal, who were expected to be one of the best backfields in the sport. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, things went south fast this season, five of their first six games. They’ve kind of turned the season around, even notching a win over top 10-ranked BYU, but it’s safe to say this wasn’t the season experts and fans were expecting for Kansas.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Preseason win projection: 7.5
Current Record: 3-7
I had such high hopes for the Cowboys coming into this season. They were returning the second most talent among all FBS teams and had a pretty successful 2023 campaign. However, the Cowboys have not been able to live up to expectations and have been an extremely disappointing team this season. After starting the season out 3-0, they have lost seven consecutive games. The QB position has been the biggest flaw for Oklahoma State, as they have not been able to get any consistency out of the position. With such high hopes, it’s been a very disappointing season for Oklahoma State.
