Colorado State football makes unwanted return to 'Bottom 10' rankings after 0-2 start
By Kevin Lytle Fort Collins Coloradoan 9/15/2022
Nowhere to go
but up, right?
That's what
those in and outside the program hope (and, to be fair, expect) for the
Colorado State football program.
National
pundits have put the Rams back in the Bottom 10 following a loss last week to a
Middle Tennessee team who was populating the depths of those rankings prior to
the game.
The good news
for CSU? After this week's tall task at Washington State (a team receiving
votes in the more desirable top 25 polls), the Rams have games that are
winnable (on paper, against some other teams considered near the bottom).
More good news?
CSU made an appearance in the Bottom 10 last season after a Week 2 loss to
frequent Bottom 10 occupant Vanderbilt but the Rams quickly responded with wins
in three of the next four games. Of course, the wheels came off the Steve
Addazio bus after that.
To the very
unofficial and largely snarky rankings...
ESPN
The famous
Bottom 10 ranking from the World Wide Leader has CSU at No. 8, but really it's
a shared ranking with rival Colorado (also 0-2).
"Most in
the Centennial State will agree that it is total ram doo-doo that Colorado State
no longer plays Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Showdown," writes Ryan McGee. "Most in the Mile High
State agree that it is a pile of buffalo caca that the best the teams could do
was schedule home-and-homes sporadically over the next two decades."
CBS Sports
The site goes
all-in on the bottom tier, doing a full bottom 25 ranking. CSU comes in at a
harsh No. 2, even ahead of (or behind?) Colorado.
"Jay
Norvell is off to a rough start at Colorado State," writes Tom Fornelli. "The 51-7 loss to
Michigan wasn't a surprise to anybody. But the 34-19 home loss to a Middle
Tennessee team that lost by 37 to James Madison the week before? Yikes."
In a funny
twist, another CBS Sports writer, Jerry Palm, has the Rams as a bowl
team. Palm currently projects CSU to face Tulsa in the Frisco
Bowl.
Other notables
The good news
for CSU is there are familiar faces in the rankings. And let's be real, part of
the bottom ranking for the Rams is because of where old friend Steve Addazio
left the program.
Hawaii is No. 1 in CBS Sports' ranking and No. 2 in ESPN's. The Rams host Hawaii Oct. 22. Utah State is No. 10 in CBS Sports' ranking and the Rams host those Aggies Oct. 15.
New Mexico is
on ESPN's "waiting list." The Lobos visit Fort Collins Nov. 25.
It's probably a
safe bet that the Rams won't be in the Bottom 10 by the end of the season as
the schedule turns much more favorable after this week.
