No. 25 Oregon has already lost two games and quarterback Dante Moore, leaving the Ducks on the verge of College Football Playoff elimination this weekend against Nebraska.
In the span of only a few weeks, No. 21 LSU has gone from the toast of the town under coach Lane Kiffin to the bottom third of the SEC.
Relative to preseason and early-season expectations, the Ducks and Tigers could be the most disappointing teams of the first half of the 2026 season. But they’re not alone.
Ten teams stand out when evaluating the biggest busts at the year’s midway point. While these teams come from five different conferences, the majority hailing from the Big Ten and SEC:
No. 21 LSU (4-2)
Last weekend’s overtime loss to No. 17 Kentucky leaves LSU ahead of Auburn, South Carolina,
Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Arkansas in the SEC. In other words, the Tigers head into the second half of the year closer to the cellar than the conference championship game. Even if there’s plenty of time to rebound and rally into playoff form, the loss to the Wildcats and another first-year coach in Will Stein really robs LSU and Kiffin of credibility.
No. 25 Oregon (3-2)
Injuries have played a role. Moore’s primary backup, Dylan Raiola, played well in reserve against No. 15 Southern California but had one of the worst performances by a quarterback this century in last Saturday’s loss to No. 12 UCLA. The Ducks would probably need to run the table from here to get back into the playoff.
Texas A&M (3-3)
The No. 8 ranking in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll seemed more a reflection of last year’s breakthrough under coach Mike Elko and less an accurate reflection of what the Aggies brought to the table in a loaded SEC. But this has been a disaster: A&M is 0-3 in the league, quarterback Marcel Reed has taken a huge step back and Elko is voicing his frustration with fan sites that are critical of the program’s quick downturn. Six wins and a bowl berth might be too much to ask of the Aggies.
Michigan (3-2)
The offense is absolutely brutal to watch. While Bryce Underwood’s lack of development is a primary cause, there is also a lack of a defined identity under new coach Kyle Whittingham. Last year’s team dealt with an unbelievable amount of drama and controversy yet still went into the matchup against Ohio State with a chance at an at-large playoff berth. This year’s team might be lucky to win seven games.
Navy (2-3)
Navy has been one of the big letdowns in the Group of Six after finishing last year No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and in a three-way tie atop the American, knocked out of a championship game appearance only because of a loss to North Texas. This year’s team misses quarterback Blake Horvath and nose guard Landon Robinson, two of the program’s standouts under coach Brian Newberry, and could’ve used their experience in narrow losses to Florida Atlantic (38-30), Alabama-Birmingham (24-20) and Air Force (14-9).
Louisville (3-3)
This is more about where the Cardinals could be at the midseason mark. Each of their three losses have come by a field goal: 41-38 to No. 10 Mississippi, 30-27 to No. 23 Wake Forest and 31-28 to North Carolina State. Louisville could go perfect from here and finish with a national ranking and even play for the ACC championship, with some help. But the wins left on the field are hard to ignore.
Penn State (3-3)
Penn State will not be taking advantage of a friendly schedule in Matt Campbell’s first year. The Nittany Lions were perfect in non-conference play but have kicked off Big Ten action with home losses to Wisconsin and Southern California and a bloodbath loss at Northwestern. All of the offseason focus on the players Campbell brought along from Iowa State overlooked the exodus of talent James Franklin had recruited into the program.
Washington (3-3)
Washington is painful to watch. A dark-horse Big Ten contender heading into September, the Huskies were not placed alongside No. 5 Ohio State and No. 4 Indiana atop the conference power rankings but were viewed as an at-large playoff contender. That’s not happening. The Huskies had chances against Minnesota and USC but had no real shot against No. 16 Iowa, painting a dire picture of a second half that includes a run trip to Nebraska and games against Oregon and Indiana to end the year.
Vanderbilt (3-3)
Vanderbilt has not been able to build on last year’s record-setting 10-win finish and are very unlikely to reach bowl eligibility. (Even getting to 3-3 took a miracle against North Carolina State.) On the heels of uncompetitive losses to No. 1 Georgia and Ole Miss, the Commodores get Arkansas this Saturday and then close with Kentucky, No. 19 Mississippi State, No. 7 Alabama, Florida and No. 14 Tennessee.
Colorado (2-3)
Very few people expected Colorado to be any good, though the outlook changed after a very nice win against Georgia Tech in the opener. Losing 41-7 to Northwestern a few weeks later has triggered a meltdown in roster management, with Deion Sanders kicking several players off the team and then making an early quarterback change. There’s been no change. Despite the low preseason expectations, the Buffaloes land here for the sense that Sanders has exhausted all of the energy and good vibes from a nine-win 2024 season and is not long for Boulder.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon, LSU lead college football's 10 biggest disappointments from first half
