Most disappointing college football teams of 2016

Rich Rodriguez's team didn't particularly have high expectations coming into 2016 but certainly expected better than a 2-5 start. Granted, the Wildcats lost to BYU by two points and fell to undefeated Washington in overtime. A bowl looks almost out of the question.

Bret Bielema's team is having a decent year at 5-3, but the Razorbacks haven't taken the leap forward that they wanted after getting votes in the polls during the preseason. His team has big losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn. The Razorbacks have Florida and LSU in their next two games.

Bowling Green finished 7-1 in the MAC last season, but the Falcons have done a complete 180 this year with former head coach Dino Babers leaving for Syracuse. Their only win so far this season came against North Dakota, 27-26, and they've allowed 77 points twice this season.

Tommy Tuberville's team has failed to take a step forward so far, though there is still time. The Bearcats finished 7-6 last season and have started this season 4-3.

The Seminoles were No. 4 in both polls in the preseason and opened the year with a huge win vs. Ole Miss. They've lost twice since then, including a brutal 63-20 loss at Louisville. It's safe to say that Jimbo Fisher's team is out of the College Football Playoff conversation with Clemson and Florida still ahead on the schedule.

Georgia fired Mark Richt because it wasn't contending for national championships. Meanwhile, new head coach Kirby Smart has started 2-3 in the SEC, including a brutal one-point loss at home vs. Vanderbilt. The growing pains were expected with freshman quarterback Jacob Eason, but this has been a worse year than fans hoped.

Houston opened the year No. 15 in the AP Poll before taking down Oklahoma in Week 1. Greg Ward Jr. and company won their next four games before losing 46-40 at Navy and suffered a shocking 22-point loss at SMU. Head coach Tom Herman still remains the hottest commodity in college football, but the Cougars certainly won't compete for the College Football Playoff.

Les Miles ensured fans that the Tigers would open up the offense this season, and the team then proceeded to lose 16-14 to Wisconsin in Week 1. LSU beat Mississippi State by only three points at home, and Miles was fired after losing 18-13 to Auburn the following week. The Tigers haven't lost since then, and they have the talent, led by all-world back Leonard Fournette, to compete with any team in the country. That won't happen in the College Football Playoff, however, with two losses under their belt.

The Spartans opened the season No. 12 in the AP Poll, but fans knew this would probably be a rebuilding year. They've taken rebuilding to the extreme with their early results, losing five straight games and going 0-4 in the Big Ten.

It's become quite clear just how important Dak Prescott was to the Bulldogs with this year's results. After going 9-4 last season, Mississippi State is just 2-5 with close recent losses at BYU and Kentucky. It only gets tougher with Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss still on the schedule.

Mizzou fell short of making a bowl game last season but expected to rebound under new head coach Barry Odom and promising quarterback Drew Lock. The season is going in a tailspin after losing on homecoming week 51-45 to Middle Tennessee State, making the Tigers 2-5.

The safety of head coach Brian Kelly's job has been questioned with the team's 2-5 start to the season. The Irish have been a disaster defensively, allowing over 30 points four times. They opened the year ranked 10th in the AP Poll.

The Sooners hoped to return to the College Football Playoff with quarterback Baker Mayfield still under center, but those hopes were quickly dashed with a 10-point loss to Houston in Week 1. The Sooners also took a pounding two weeks later against Ohio State but have righted the ship at 5-2.

Quarterback Chad Kelly is missing some of his most prominent weapons from last season, but the Rebels still expected better than a 3-4 start. The team began the year ranked 11th but lost to Florida State, Alabama, Arkansas and LSU.

Could head coach Mark Helfrich's job be on the line? The Ducks made the inaugural College Football Playoff but suffered an embarrassing defeat to TCU in the Alamo Bowl last season and are on a five-game slide this year. They've shown no semblance of defense, allowing 50-plus points in three straight games.

What a difference a quarterback can make. The Cardinal hasn't been able to find steady quarterback play after losing Kevin Hogan at the end of last season and has lost three of its last four games. Christian McCaffrey has had a disappointing and injury-plagued season, but Stanford's schedule does open up the rest of the way.

TCU had major turnover on offense but still opened the year ranked 13th in the AP Poll. However, the Horned Frogs started the year just 4-3, including rough losses vs. Arkansas and Oklahoma. A visit to Baylor in two weeks is another tough test.

With the talent the Vols brought back this season, anything short of a winning the SEC East would be considered a disappointment. They stand to very possibly fall short after losing at Texas A&M in double-overtime and getting clobbered vs. Alabama. They also opened the year with a fortunate overtime win vs. Appalachian State and beat Georgia on a Hail Mary.

Head coach Charlie Strong's team looked like it'd answered fans' prayers with a 50-47 double-overtime win against Notre Dame in Week 1. Unfortunately, Notre Dame wasn't very good, either. The Longhorns are now 3-4, and have allowed over 40 points four times. Strong could be on his way out if the Longhorns don't turn things around quickly.

The Red Raiders lack of defense is nothing new, but this is a bit excessive. Texas Tech is now 3-4 and has allowed 43.9 points per game, second worst in the FBS. There's no telling what could happen ahead with games against TCU, Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor. The possibility of a second straight bowl isn't looking great.

Ranked 16th in the AP Poll to open the year, UCLA had a heartbreaking overtime loss at Texas A&M in Week 1. From there, the Bruins have had very mixed results but currently stand at 3-5 and close out the year with a tough slate. Sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen has also missed time with a shoulder injury.

USC had one of the toughest schedules in the country on paper entering the year, and the Trojans haven't exactly shined. They were demolished 52-6 by Alabama in Week 1 and took two more losses with visits to Stanford and Utah. They stand at just 4-3 after beginning the season ranked 20th in the AP Poll.