Yard Dash: Seven College Football Teams Whose Seasons Are Dying—or Already Dead

Key Points:

• Ohio State, ranked No. 1 early in the season, has fallen to 6–3 with defensive struggles and special teams failures, marking their worst losing streak since 2004 and jeopardizing their College Football Playoff chances.
• LSU, initially ranked No. 7, is now 6–3 with no quality wins, facing fan dissatisfaction after losses including a heavy defeat by Alabama, and must win upcoming games against Texas and Tennessee to salvage their season.
• Ole Miss and Missouri have both declined from their peak rankings, with Ole Miss suffering heavy losses and losing CFP viability, while Missouri missed a key win against Texas and faces a challenging schedule ahead.
• Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas A&M are experiencing significant downturns, with Michigan firing their offensive coordinator, Nebraska in a four-game losing streak and staff turmoil, and Texas A&M struggling offensively despite a strong start.
• Teams like Oregon, USC, and South Carolina have rebounded from midseason slumps to remain in the playoff hunt, with South Carolina notably surging from early doubts to become a strong contender in the SEC.
• The current College Football Playoff projection features Georgia, Utah, UCLA, Notre Dame, Miami, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Wake Forest, BYU, and Boise State, with several other teams like South Carolina and Oregon also under consideration.