Once ranked sixth, Clemson has fallen to a 1-3 record, largely due to a struggling offense.
South Carolina’s season outlook is grim after a lopsided loss to Vanderbilt and with five top-13 opponents ahead.
Florida’s high preseason hopes have faded after a three-game losing streak, pointing toward another losing season.
Inevitably whenever college football speculation meets reality, the teams that overperform will be balanced by those that don’t live up to their billing, fair or not. This piece focuses on the latter group with the first month of the campaign officially in the books.
To clarify, this list of September’s biggest disappointments will not include teams that lost one of the month’s marquee contests. In other words, the likes of Texas, Penn State, Michigan and others that are currently below their preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ranking will not be included here. We’ll also give twice-beaten Notre Dame a pass for now, even if those close defeats have complicated their at-large playoff case.
No, these are the teams whose season’s might already be lost, with a long two months still to come. Here are the five biggest busts of September.
Clemson
Preseason ranking: 6. Current record: 1-3.
There can be no other choice to top this list. A one-score loss to LSU wasn’t cause for panic, but fans started to hear alarm bells when the Tigers needed a furious second-half rally to beat Sun Belt member Troy a week later. A walk-off loss at Georgia Tech followed by a listless outing against Syracuse has now all but eliminated Clemson from the ACC race. A punchless offense that was supposed to be improved is the main culprit, but the defense that is averaging just 2½ sacks a game and has just five takeaways through four games isn’t entirely blameless.
South Carolina
Preseason ranking: 13. Current record: 3-2.
There were warning signs when the return game helped mask a spluttering offense in wins against Virginia Tech and Championship Subdivision member South Carolina State. Even so, the 38-7 pummeling on the Gamecocks’ home field by Vanderbilt was sobering. Things didn’t get much better a week later at unbeaten Missouri. South Carolina did get off the SEC schneid against likely cellar dweller Kentucky, but the Gamecocks’ next five opponents are all ranked in the top 13, and the line’s inability to keep quarterback LaNorris Sellers from getting pounded doesn’t bode well.
SMU
Preseason ranking: 16. Current record: 2-2.
The good news for SMU is it is not a member of the Big 12. The Mustangs haven’t played an ACC contest yet, so things might still be salvageable given that league’s declining reputation. But SMU’s inability to get defensive stops against former Southwest Conference foes Baylor and TCU, the only two power-four teams faced to date, is a strong indicator that last year’s playoff appearance was a mirage.
Florida
Preseason ranking: 17. Current record: 1-3.
Like South Carolina, Florida’s preseason projection was based on the perception that last season’s promising finish was a sign that the offense, and quarterback D.J. Lagway in particular, would continue to make strides. A plethora of miscues and a three-game losing streak later, and the Gators are staring at another sub-.500 campaign. The defense, still statistically among the best in the SEC despite constantly being put in untenable positions, will at least make future opponents take notice.
Kansas State
Preseason ranking: 20. Current record: 2-3.
Maybe the Dublin curse is real. A three-point loss to Iowa State didn’t raise red flags on its own, but then a narrow escape against North Dakota portended setbacks against Army and Arizona. The Wildcats did right the ship a bit by beating Central Florida for their first Big 12 win, so things might not be 2024 Florida State level bleak. But September was a tough reality check for a team with conference title aspirations.