NCAAF Dirty Dozen: 49ers Failing to Strike Gold
Pair of Big Ten Teams Enter Rankings
While there is no change at the top of the Dirty Dozen rankings, both No. 3 Army and No. 4 FIU played their way out of the rankings. Among the newcomers is Indiana after losing to Rutgers for the second year in a row.
For just the second time this season and the first against a fellow Football Bowl Subdivision program, UMass is not a double-digit underdog according to the college football odds. Akron, another of the mainstays in the Dirty Dozen, is also a single-digit underdog in Week 9. They come in at No. 1 and 2 in the Dirty Dozen for the second week in a row, but perhaps that will be changing.
It is not all good news with Charlotte listed by the sportsbook as a 16½-point underdog against Rice while Nevada is a 24-point underdog at San Jose State.
Keep on reading to check out the teams trying to play their way out of the rankings that no team wants to be a part of.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
12. South Florida Bulls
It wasn’t too long ago when South Florida was sending players to the NFL and going to bowl games on an annual basis.
Things have certainly changed.
The Bulls have lost all six games against FBS competition this season following a 45-31 loss to Tulane when USF allowed 554 yards to the Green Wave.
South Florida is one of five teams to allow at least 40 points per game against FBS foes this season. The Bulls rank 128th out of 131 teams in both total defense and rushing defense.
South Florida (1-6, 0-3 in the American Athletic Conference) deserves some credit for scheduling games against Brigham Young, Florida and Louisville; those games and losses did little to prepare the Bulls for the conference slate.
Per the college football betting lines, Houston is favored by 18½ points against USF this weekend.
11. Indiana Hoosiers
The season began with such promise as a victory over Illinois was among the 3-0 start for the Hoosiers.
However, a loss to lowly Rutgers was the fifth loss in a row for Indiana.
Just two seasons ago, Indiana went 6-2 and almost upset Ohio State but things have unraveled rather quickly.
Indiana (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) has allowed more points than any other Big Ten team. Indiana is 12th in the Big Ten in both total offense and total defense.
The Hoosiers led Rutgers by 14 points thanks to a kickoff return for a touchdown before wilting.
Things figure to get worse before they get better with the next two games coming against No. 13 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State.
10. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern came out of the bye week and seemed ready to upset a Maryland team playing without injured quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.
The Wildcats led by 10 points in the second quarter. However, Maryland edged closer with a late field goal before halftime and then took the lead with 1:07 to go in the third quarter.
Just 12 seconds after Northwestern tied the game, the Wildcats gave up the go-ahead 75-yard scoring run before an interception ended any hopes of the Wildcats forcing overtime.
ALL TIED UP ❕❕@_LuhDrew x @NUFBFamily pic.twitter.com/TRH36RCCHM
— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) October 22, 2022
Northwestern (1-6, 1-3 Big Ten) has committed 18 turnovers, the most in the conference.
9. Colorado Buffaloes
Four turnovers, including one returned for a touchdown, ended any hopes of Colorado winning its second game in a row.
Oregon State had more than 200 yards both passing and rushing and rolled to the 42-9 victory.
The Beavers scored 14 points in a span of 11 seconds to turn a 21-3 game into a 35-3 lead for Oregon State. Only eight FBS teams average fewer rushing yards per game than the Buffaloes, so it was not a surprise to see Colorado held to 84 yards on 28 attempts against Oregon State as the Buffaloes fell to 1-6 and 1-3 in the Pac-12.
8. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
After being overwhelmed in a matchup against national title contender Alabama, the Warhawks posted a win over Louisiana-Lafayette. That was followed by narrow defeats to Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. That was enough to keep the Warhawks out of the Dirty Dozen.
It all came apart on Saturday when Louisiana-Monroe allowed 441 rushing yards in a 48-24 loss to Army.
ULM (2-6, 1-3 Sun Belt) has allowed 21 rushing touchdowns, six of them coming against Army. The Warhawks have five giveaways and no takeaways during its current four-game losing streak when ULM has allowed 162 points.
7. New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State was scheduled to play San Jose State. However, following the death of San Jose State freshman running back Camdan Wright, the game was postponed.
New Mexico State (2-5) has won two of its last three games against New Mexico and Hawaii, teams that are no stranger to the Dirty Dozen.
The offense ranks 128th out of 131 FBS teams with an average of 260 yards per game. There have been just three offensive plays of 40 yards or longer.
Something to consider for those who bet online: New Mexico State is favored by three points against UMass on Saturday.
The Aggies have been double-digit underdogs in their last 13 road games and haven’t been favored on the road since a 2018 win at UTEP.
6. Hawaii Rainbows
Hawaii (2-6, 1-2 Mountain West) was unable to build on a win over Nevada, the Rainbows’ first victory of the season against an FBS program. Facing a struggling Colorado State team, Hawaii led until Avery Morrow’s 10-yard run with 1:28 remaining gave the host Rams the 17-13 win.
Hawaii finished the game with just 257 total yards and had the game’s lone turnover.
The Rainbows led 13-3 at the end of the first half. Their five drives in the second half resulted in just 38 yards while giving up a pair of scoring runs to Morrow.
Only six teams allow more rushing yards per game than Hawaii.
5. Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada allowed only one offensive touchdown against visiting San Diego State and that was enough to be on the wrong side of a 23-7 game.
San Diego State returned a fumble for a touchdown on the second offensive play of the game and never trailed again.
Nevada managed just 35 yards on 21 carries and finished the game with just 227 yards in offense.
Nevada (2-6, 0-4 Mountain West) has lost six games in a row since opening the season with wins over New Mexico State and Texas State.
4. New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico (2-6. 0-4 Mountain West) has lost seven games in a row since opening the season with a 41-0 win over FCS Maine.
The Lobos were limited to nine points for the second week in a row as a two-win Fresno State team outgained New Mexico 510-138 en route to the 41-9 final.
Fresno State ran for 285 yards and four touchdowns as the Lobos allowed four touchdowns in a span of five drives in the second half to end any hopes of an upset.
New Mexico ranks 129th out of 131 FBS teams in total offense. The defense isn’t much better as opponents have come away with points in 20 of 21 drives that reach the red zone.
3. Charlotte 49ers
A difficult season became all the more challenging following a 34-15 home loss to Florida International.
FIU led 34-0 heading into the fourth quarter before Charlotte avoided the shutout with a touchdown run by Chris Reynolds and TD pass by James Foster.
Charlotte (1-7, 0-4 Conference USA) committed five turnovers and FIU scored touchdowns following two of the giveaways.
The 49ers are allowing more points per game (43.3) than any other FBS team. Charlotte has allowed eight plays from scrimmage of at least 50 yards, the most in the country.
2. Akron Zips
For the second week in a row, Akron flirted with a much-needed victory.
The Zips (1-7, 0-4 Mid-American Conference) jumped out to an early 10-0 lead but were unable to build on that advantage.
Kent State ran for 242 yards to hand Akron its seventh loss in a row. The Zips had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter. However, the next drive resulted in minus-16 yards.
Akron is 130th among 131 teams in rushing offense even after registering its second game of the season with more than 100 rushing yards.
1. UMass Minutemen
The good news is that UMass did not lose over the weekend. The Minutemen didn’t win either as there was no game on the schedule for the 1-6 squad. The better news could be upcoming games against New Mexico State, UConn and Arkansas State. The next three opponents are 5-16 against Football Bowl Subdivision competition this season so perhaps better results are coming.
Only Iowa is averaging fewer yards per game than the 243 yards UMass is putting up this season.
Saturday’s game between Massachusetts and New Mexico State features the teams with the worst passing ratings among FBS teams. They have combined for five TD passes and 18 interceptions. Ten of the top 16 tacklers for UMass are either freshmen or sophomores so perhaps some growth will be evident on that side of the ball for the rest of the season.
UMass’s only win so far is against Stony Brook, a Football Championship Subdivision team. Against FBS competition, the Minutemen have been outscored 221-64.
