Another incredible season has come and gone. Hundreds of games were played and incredible storylines were formed. Twenty different teams competed across the eight states that border Missouri. Some had incredible seasons and contended for titles, while others were punching bags week in and week out. Usually, I am here to look at how each team did over the course of the season, but today I will do it a little differently. Instead of going in my usual order, I will review each team in order of biggest disappointment to biggest surprise of the season. 

Coming in with the award for the biggest disappointment of the season without a shadow of a doubt has to be the Arkansas Razorbacks. In 2021, the Hogs went 9-4. The next season, they dipped a little  to 7-6, but with K.J. Jefferson and Raheim Sanders returning, the sky seemed to be the limit for them, at least for their offense.hat ended up being as far from the truth as possible. The Hogs finished a terrible 4-8 and their offense seemed completely stagnant. The low of their season came with a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State. After that game, they beat Florida on the road 39-36 and it seemed like hope was alive again, but they followed it up with a mediocre Auburn team beating them an astoundingly 48-10. The worst thing for the Razorbacks was they were so close. They only had three losses by more than a touchdown and if they could have closed out those three games, would have been 9-3 with marquee wins over teams like Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. Sadly for them, the season did not end that way. K.J. Jefferson has left for UCF and Sanders has moved across the conference to South Carolina. The future looks bleak for Arkansas especially considering they have to play five opponents next season that finished with more than 10 wins. 

Just barely above them was Middle Tennessee. MTSU has been a respectable group of five team that was coming off of an 8-5 season that included a bowl win and a 45-31 win over Miami in Hard Rock Stadium. In the Blue Raiders second game this season, they went punch for punch with Missouri and only lost by four points. After a performance like that, the season looked promising, but they only sputtered from there. They finished 4-8 with losses to teams like Colorado State who did not make a bowl and Sam Houston State who was in their first year as an FBS team. Like Arkasnas, they showed flashes of greatness. They only had three losses by more than a touchdown. They seemed to show promise on both sides of the ball. For example, the Blue Raiders went round for round in an offensive shootout with CUSA champions LIberty in a 42-35 loss or in their barn burner against 10 win NMSU when they lost 13-7. That did not seem to be enough though as 18 year head coach RIck Stockstill was fired after being one of the longest tenured head coaches in the FBS. After a disappointing season, it does not look like it will get much better down the road. 

Next up was the Vanderbilt Commodores. Finishing with just two wins, the only thing that keeps them above the former two teams is the fact that Vanderbilt never really has any expectations to begin with. They did show some promise at the end of last year, getting multiple conference wins for the first time since 2018, including wins over Florida and Kentucky. This season they started 2-0 with wins over Hawaii and Alabama A&M, but that is where the fun stopped. They dropped ten straight games to finish winless in SEC play for the third time in four years. They had one close loss to UNLV, but every other game felt like a blowout with their next closest loss being to Auburn by 16. Overall it was not a very good season but do not worry Vandy faithful, baseball season is right around the corner. 

Next up was the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois started 7-1 last season before losing four of their last five. After the loss of multiple key players including the Brown brothers, a dip was expected, but not like this. Illinois went 5-7 and the five wins they did get they barely managed to string together, not having a single win by more than six points. They seemed lost the whole season and never managed to get anything going. They did have an impressive win over Toledo to start the year, a team that got 11 wins, but needed a miracle to win that game. After that, nothing really stuck out outside of their win over an eight win Maryland team. They got close at a few instances, losing their last two games by a combined four points, but did not make a bowl game and sat at home in December once again.

Nebraska was a team that did not have a lot of expectations surrounding them, but their disappointment came because of what happened during the season. Coming in with new head coach Matt Rhule, Husker fans were filled with cautious optimism, but sitting at 5-3 to start the year off, they thought  maybe the season they had been waiting on would come sooner than expected and they could get to their first bowl game since 2016, the longest drought in the power five. They would lose all four of their last games; one in overtime, and the other three by three points each. The Huskers lost another five one score games this season, a popular trend in Nebraska, as if they had won all of their one score games, they would have won the last three Big 10 West titles. The one thing that keeps Nebraska higher on this list is the fact they have hope. Despite being 5-7 and missing a bowl game once again, this is the best first year Matt Rhule has ever had at a school. In his first year at Temple, the Owls went 2-10, his final year there, they went 10-3 with an AAC title with him. With Baylor, they had a singular win over Kansas as well as losses to lower level opponents like Liberty and UTSA, two years later, he took the Bears to a Big 12 Championship game as well as a Sugar Bowl appearance. If history is any indication, the future should be bright for the Huskers. 

The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes were a team that did not have a lot of expectations going into the year, but after a 4-8 year, it is hard to not be a little big dissapointed after a 4-8 season. The year that they made it to the AAC championship game has never really been able to be emulated, and Tulsa suffered their second straight losing season. They had a number of embarrassing losses including four games that were lost by 32 or more points as well as losing to a Charlotte team that finished 3-9. While they showed some spark at the end of the year with four one score games, including going punch for punch with ranked reigning conference and former Cotton Bowl champions Tulane, they went 1-3 in that stretch, and it was just too little too late. There is a little bit of hope as next season they only have to play 3 teams that finished above .500 this year, while this year they played three in their non conference slate alone. They do lose a lot in the transfer portal though, so if this team can turn around is just a question that only time can answer. 

Kentucky finished about middle of the pack for the second straight year. Starting out 5-0, including a dominating win against Florida, it looked like they might have had a shot at being something special, but the season fell apart from there. They went 1-5 over their next six and sat at 6-5 as they prepared to play No. 10 Louisville. The season went out with a huge bang though as they beat their rivals 38-31 to knock them out of playoff contention and clinch a winning season. They ended up heading to the Gator bowl and lost to Clemson in one of the best games of the season 38-35. The season had some highs and some lows and things to build on. While they lost six games, five of those losses were to ranked teams with 3 of them being to teams that finished a combined 35-5. They do lose star running back Ray Davis next year to the draft and have a very tough schedule next season. Kentucky has not missed a bowl game since 2015, so a solid season is expected next year. 

Coming off of an incredible season with a win over rival Alabama and an Orange Bowl victory, Tennessee was expected to contend both in the SEC and nationally. Sadly for Volunteer fans, that did not happen in the slightest. In their first conference game of the season, they got throttled on the road by Florida 29-16. The Gators finished 5-7. They won the rest of the games on the schedule against teams that they were better than and picked up some solid wins against teams like Kentucky and Texas A&M, but never seemed to get that marquee win as they lost to all the top opponents they played. They got a huge bowl victory though over a 10-win Iowa team shutting them out 35-0. All things considered after their loss to Florida, they finished well as the worst team they lost to from then on was Mizzou, a team that finished 11-2. The question for the future is can they get back to the point of beating the top teams that they did in 2022. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has looked promising and the future does look good in Knoxville.

Western Kentucky had been one of the top teams in the CUSA for the last few seasons, but with teams like UTSA, UAB,and  FAU amongst others leaving, the conference looks like it would be theirs to run through. Unfortunately for them, conference newcomers like Jacksonville State, New Mexico State and Liberty stepped up greatly and all took down Western Kentucky and finished with nine or more wins. Western Kentucky did great throughout the season not losing to a team that finished worse than 9-4 and had an incredible season from quarterback Austin Reed. The peak of their season though came in their bowl game, they were down early 28-0 against former conference foe Old Dominion and it seemed like Reed opting out of the game was going to take its toll. Caden Veltkamp balled out though, throwing five touchdowns and leading the team back to win 38-35. Their non conference schedule next season is quite difficult including teams like Toledo and Alabama, but the future looks bright for the Hilltoppers.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were one of the most head scratching teams in the 2023 season. On one hand, they won ten games, made the Big 10 Championship, beat all three of their rivals with wins over Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Nebraska, and were ranked the grand majority of the season. They had one of the strongest defenses in the country holding opponents on average to under 300 yards and 15 points per game. But on the other hand, they just looked bad. Their offense was abysmal putting up an embarrassing 235 yards per game and their best win coming against a Wisconsin team that finished just 7-6. They were outscored by the three ranked opponents they played by a horrid 92-0. They also lost to a 6-7 Minnesota team 12-10. The Golden Gophers did not score a touchdown the whole game. The biggest hits for the future of the Hawkeyes come in two phases. The first is the restructuring of the Big 10. The Big 10 is eliminating divisions which means the Big 10 west will not exist and thus cannot be won. The best teams in the Big 10 during the east and west era were all in the eastern division, so making it back to the title will be very difficult. On top of that, the Hawkeyes lose star cornerback and punt returner Cooper DeJean to the NFL. The biggest upside for them is the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. On top of that they have been consistent winners not having a losing season since 2012. The season seemed overall like a success, but there are a lot of things that could be built upon.

Arkansas State is a team that has been an absolute punching bag the last two years under Butch Jones with a combined 5-19 overall record. Much was expected to be the same this season especially after being outscored an astounding 110-3 in their first ten games, the season looked bleak. After that though, the team really seemed to lock in winning three straight games, all of which they scored more than 31 points or more. Going 2-3 over the next five, they sat at 5-5, they needed one more win to get to their first bowl game since 2019. Facing off against a Texas State team that was one of the biggest surprises of the year, they put on their best performance winning an astounding 77-31 win over the Bobcats. Sadly for Red Wolf faithful, this would be their last win as they would close their regular season finally as well as their bowl game. The future does look bright though as they pull in some strong transfers including a pair of four stars. 

Northern Illinois was a team with a history of success including a conference title just two years ago, but last year was an embarrassment. They went 3-9 including a loss to Akron, one of the worst teams in the country, 44-12. This season was a roller coaster this year. It started off with a bang going on the road and beating an ACC foe in Boston College. They followed that up though with four straight losses including a loss to FCS Southern Illinois. They went 4-2 over their next six to get to bowl eligibility and went on to beat another Border Eight team in Arkansas State 21-19 to get their first bowl victory since 2011, a year they also beat Arkansas State in the postseason. Next season is a toss up as in the last four years they have had two years with seven or more wins but also two years with three or less, but needless to say, this season was a success for the Huskies.

After a 4-8 season, only winning one game in conference play, the future looked bleak for Iowa State and Matt Campbell’s seat was warming up, and after a 1-2 start including a loss to MAC team Ohio 10-7, it looked like it would be another embarrassing season. The following week they beat an Oklahoma State team that would play in the Big 12 title game, but as the Cowboys were coming off of a 33-7 loss to South Alabama, that win did not look that impressive. They then lost by 30 to Oklahoma, but after that things really started to take off for them. They rattled off three straight wins before closing out the season 2-2. The best point of the year came when they took down rival Kansas State in a snowy shootout 42-35 to clinch a winning season for them. While they lost their bowl game, and this season was a far cry from the Big 12 championship appearance and Fiesta Bowl win from 2020, they look substantially better than they did last season.

Kansas State had some expectations coming into the season, but losing players like Deuce Vaughn and Adrian Martinez, not many teams expected to repeat as Big 12 champions. All things considered though, the team played very well. Led by quarterback Will Howard, this team was a contender all season long. They only suffered four losses the whole season and all were by eight points or less. Most of them were strange circumstances too. Their loss to Missouri was due to Harrison Mevis nailing a 61 yarder as time expired, their loss to Texas was because of a shanked PAT that led to them to losing in overtime, and their loss to Iowa State was partial because of the horrid weather conditions. After star quarterback Will Howard announced he would be leaving the Wildcats, their chances of winning the Pop Tart Bowl seemed bleak as they would face off against an NC State team that was looking to win their tenth game. Backup Avery Johnson balled out, recording three touchdowns on the night, two in the air, and one on the ground. Especially with Oklahoma and Texas leaving for the SEC, things are looking very good in Manhattan. 

Memphis was a team that had decently high expectations on the year, but after a 7-6 season there was a good bit of fear. Looking back on the season, they were nothing short of incredible. They finished the year 10-3 with all three of their losses coming to teams that finished at worst 11-3. Not only did they have nothing but quality losses, but they also had some very good wins, while granted the coaching staff shifted a lot as the year went on, they did have an early season win over Boise State, the team that went on to win the Mountain West Championship. Their best win came in their season finally. As a substantial underdog to Iowa State, a team that just managed to have a whopping fourteen yards per play against Kansas State, they played their hearts out in the Liberty Bowl. The Tigers went for over 500 yards in a wild 36-26 win to get to double digit wins. AAC Champion SMU will exit the conference for the ACC next season, which could open the door for a phenomenal year for the Tigers next year. 

Under first year head coach Brent Venables, Oklahoma majorly disappointed going 6-7 losing to teams like Baylor, Texas Tech, West Virginia and more. Many people were confident of the Sooners performance in 2023, but there was also a lot of fear. Needless to say, the Sooners did not disappoint. They beat their win total from last season very very quickly starting out 7-0 including a thrilling 34-30 victory over Texas who was ranked number three in the country at the time and would go on to win the conference and make the college football playoff. The Sooners did hit a bump though as they lost two straight part way through the season to Kansas as well as to rival Oklahoma State in what could very possibly be the final Bedlam matchup for quite some time. They won the last three games of their regular season though to finish the season 10-2. The season ended on a low note as they lost in the Alamo bowl to Arizona 38-24, but an asterisk has been attached to that in a lot of ways because of a large amount of opt outs, namely star quarterback Dillon Gabriel that announced he would be taking his talents to Big 10 country and will play with the Oregon Ducks next year. Moving to the SEC next season will prove difficult with six teams on their schedule having won 10 or more games last season, but being one of the premier programs in college football, the Sooners should be up for the challenge. 

Last year, the Kansas Jayhawks went 6-7 with a bowl loss. For most programs, this would be a major letdown, but for a program with almost zero football history, this was incredible. With a large amount of returning production as well as an incredible coaching staff, people were optimistic, and the Jayhawks had their best season in sixteen years. The team went an astounding 9-4, and while they took a bad loss to Texas Tech, their other three loses were very high quality, coming to reigning conference champion Kansas State as well as the two teams that made in to Arlington this year; Oklahoma State and Texas. The high of the season came on October 28 when they hosted 7-0 Oklahoma and beat them in a shootout of epic proportions 38-33. This was the first win against the Sooners since 1997. The team also managed to not only make a bowl game, but won against UNLV 49-36 to mark their first bowl victory since 2008. Kansas looks to be an early frontrunner in the new Big 12 next year and a new era has dawned in Lawrence, Kansas. 

The ending of the 2022 season was incredibly disappointing for Oklahoma State fans. After starting out 6-1 and being as high as number seven in the polls, the world came crashing down finishing just 1-5. At the beginning of the season, things looked bleak once again for Cowboys fans as in their third game of the season they got blown out by South Alabama 33-7, and followed that up by losing 34-27 to an Iowa State team who finished last in conference play in 2022, but from that point on, the Cowboys absolutely locked in. They won their next five games including wins over the reigning Big Twelve champions, number 23 Kansas and rival, number 10 Oklahoma. They were putting up absurd offensive numbers, especially on the ground behind freshman sensation and eventual Doak Walker award winner Ollie Gordan. They hit a massive roadbump as they got blown out by conference newcomer UCF 45-3, but it did not phase them as they won out the rest of the regular season, got to 9-3 and clinched a spot in the Big twelve championship game. Despite taking the loss, they beat old Big Twelve foe Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl to finish the year with double digit wins. With Mike Gundy coaching again and Ollie Gordan returning, the future looks very good for the Big Twelve runner ups. 

While they finished on a low note, the season that the Louisville Cardinals had was nothing short of incredible. The Cards had been largely mediocre since joining the ACC, never finishing with more than nine wins, even when they had Heisman quarterback Lamar Jackson running plays for them in 2016. With first year head coach Jeff Brohm coming over from Purdue, there was a level of optimism, especially with how easy their schedule was. They started out 6-0 and became one of the first bowl eligible teams in the nation and notched a win over number 10 Notre Dame in dominating fashion 33-20. They were on top of the college football world before being knocked down by a terrible Pitt team 38-21. They got back on the horse though, winning their next four. They sat at 10-1 and had clinched a spot in the ACC championship, number nine in the country, and a shot at the college football playoff. Things derailed though as they lost their final three games to Kentucky, Florida State, and their bowl game to USC. Despite the low notes, the season was a huge success for the Cards. They had never reached the conference championship and had never hit 10 wins as a member of the ACC. Their schedule is a bit difficult next season having road matchups against Notre Dame and Clemson, but after the year they had at Louisville people should be very excited. 

Despite all of the surprise stories across the country, teams that beat expectations, and programs that silenced the doubters, nobody, and I mean nobody, shattered expectations in the way that Northwestern did. The previous two seasons, Northwestern had won a total of four games, only two in conference play. Over the summer of 2023 though, things got even worse. A hazing scandal swept across Evanston resulting in a large amount of coaching changes including the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. David Braun took over and the program was left basically for dead. The program was expected to win one, maybe two games, and there would not have been much surprise if they went 0-12. After six weeks though, they were 3-3. They only had one somewhat decent win over Minnesota, but people were still surprised. The Wildcats wanted more though, and put their foot on the gas through the end of the year. They went 5-2 throughout the rest of the season and beat teams like Maryland, Wisconsin, and capped off the season with a win against the reigning Pac-12 champions, Utah, in the Las Vegas Bowl. This program had almost no hope this season, and despite all of that, went 8-5 and won a bowl game and without question, was the most surprising team of 2023.

1. Memphis (10-3) (2-0)
2. Oklahoma (10-3) (2-2)
3. Oklahoma State (10-4) (3-1)
4. Iowa (10-4) (3-1)
5. Louisville (10-4) (0-1)
6. Tennessee (9-4) (3-0)
7. Kansas (9-4) (3-2)
8. Kansas State (9-4) (1-2)
9. Western Kentucky (8-5) (1-0)
10. Northwestern (8-5) (1-2)
11. Northern Illinois (7-6) (1-2) 
12. Kentucky (7-6) (1-1)
13. Iowa State (7-6) (2-4)
14. Arkansas State (6-7) (0-3)
15. Nebraska (5-7) (3-1)
16. Illinois (5-7) (0-4)
17. Tulsa (4-8) (1-1)
18. Arkansas (4-8) (0-0)
19. Middle Tennessee State (4-8) (0-1)
20. Vanderbilt (2-10) (0-2)