A new season means a clean slate for all of college football, erasing all the storylines, accolades and disappointments from the 2024 whiteboard.
Some teams are more than eager to cut their losses and start anew, specifically programs that didn’t reach the postseason and play in a bowl game. To qualify for bowl eligibility, a team must win six or more games against FBS teams and secure at least a .500 record. If not enough teams become bowl-eligible, teams that go 5-7 will be used to fill slots.
Each FBS conference has a group of teams that didn’t go bowling and watched from the sidelines. Yet, a fresh start in 2025 means another crack at the piñata.
Here’s one school from each FBS conference that didn't make a bowl game in 2024 that could in 2025.
ACC — Florida State (2024 record: 2-10 overall, 1-7 ACC)
Everything that could’ve gone wrong in 2024 did for Florida State.
Posting a 2-10 record, the program’s worst in 50 years, the CFP hangover was unbearable for the Seminoles. They lacked consistency on both sides of the field, especially under center with three different quarterbacks trying their luck throughout the campaign.
The upcoming season serves as an opportunity to write a new story and wash away last year’s rock-bottom-like feeling. FSU brought in Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos to lead the offense and are threaded with other transfers throughout the roster.
Getting to six wins won’t be easy, though, as Florida State will be tested against ACC foes like Miami and Clemson and SEC opponents Alabama and Florida at the start and end of the season, respectively.
But, don’t expect another dismal season like 2024 again for the Seminoles.
American — Florida Atlantic (2024 record: 3-9 overall, 1-7 AAC)
The biggest acquisition for the Owls during the offseason wasn’t a player, but a new shot caller in Zach Kittley, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Texas Tech.
The 33-year-old has energized the offenses he’s laid his hands on, helping produce 457.3 yards and 34.8 points per game in his seven seasons as an offensive coordinator.
Kittley’s plan to take FAU to that level of firepower? Add 2024 Conference USA Player of the Year in Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who threw over 3,000 yards last year, and pick up his right-hand man in wideout Easton Messer.
Florida Atlantic faces high roster turnover from last season, but a brand new offense alongside four opponents that finished with four or less wins in 2024 could be beneficial in the team’s race toward six wins.
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Big 12 — Kansas (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 4-5 Big 12)
Last November was magical for the Jayhawks, beating three consecutive ranked opponents after an abysmal start to the season. They were a field goal away from winning five straight that would’ve made them bowl eligible.
Their blowout loss to Baylor to end the season was a punch in the gut, but it could give the program motivation entering 2025.
Kansas has a lot of new faces on both sides of the pigskin, including at the offensive and defensive coordinator positions. The biggest loss was running back Devin Neal, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
But there is hope. They return starting quarterback Jalon Daniels, who’s heading into his sixth season for the Jayhawks, and five of their nine conference opponents won five or less games in 2024.
Kansas and Utah are the two programs that could be vying for bowl contention after not making it last year, and coincidentally, they will match up in each’s final game of the regular season on Nov. 28.
Big Ten — UCLA (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten)
Two words: Nico Iamaleava.
The Bruins added arguably the top quarterback transfer this offseason in Iamaleava, sending Appalachian State transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, who was projected to start for UCLA, to Tennessee.
It doesn’t get more NFL trade-like than that.
The move gives the Bruins, who faced a lot of turnover from last season, a strong foundation. Iamaleava, a Long Beach, Calif., native, helped lead the Volunteers to a 10-3 record and the program’s first CFP appearance in 2024. They added a few other playmakers on offense from the portal and hired offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, who was a co-offensive coordinator at Indiana, who also reached the CFP in 2024.
Questions still lie on the defense, losing most of its production from last season, and UCLA is scheduled to play three teams ranked in USA Today’s preseason Coaches Poll. Yet, with a talented and experienced quarterback like Iamaleava under center, the Bruins’ ceiling rises.
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Conference USA — UTEP (2024 record: 3-9 overall, 3-5 CUSA)
The Miners have a bag of tricks from their 2024 roster that they carry in 2025 and added multiple game-changers from the transfer portal that make bowl eligibility a real possibility.
Wide receiver Kenny Odom, a 2024 All-CUSA Second Team member, and Charlotte running back Hahsaun Wilson headline the offense. The defense lost top linebacker Nate Dyman due to a season-ending injury at the end of July, but features defensive tackle KD Johnson and South Carolina State transfer Ashaad Hall.
The difference-maker in UTEP’s success will be at the quarterback position. 2024 starter Skyler Locklear will battle Southern California and Boise State transfer Malachi Nelson, a former five-star recruit, for the starting spot.
The road to six wins won’t be easy, considering the Miners play at Texas and the CUSA’s top four finishers in conference standings last year, but they have the talent to do it.
MAC — Eastern Michigan (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 2-6 MAC)
Eastern Michigan shot out of a cannon in 2024, starting 5-2 with a bowl game in their sights.
However, the Eagles would never make it to that stop, losing five straight to end the season. To make matters worse, three of these losses were one-score games. That's a brutal way to end a three-year bowl eligibility streak.
That makes the motivation clear for EMU in 2025. Some of the biggest returning names include wideout Terry Lockett Jr., who finished with 660 yards and five touchdowns last year, and defensive end Jefferson Adam, a Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List nominee. They brought in Maryland transfer Cameron Edge and Michigan State and Coastal Carolina transfer Noah Kim to fight for the starting quarterback position.
The Eagles have won five to seven contests in seven of the last 10 years, consistently teetering the line of bowl eligibility, and could be in for a similar rodeo in 2025.
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Mountain West — Hawai'i (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 3-4 MWC)
Hawai’i has been knocking on the bowl contention door the last two seasons, coming up just short both times.
But there’s a few reasons why they could make it over the hump in 2025. The Rainbow Warriors return most of their experience from 2024 — unlike most other teams on this list — on offense and defense. They dipped into the portal for some pieces, but multiple key contributors are suiting up again.
Quarterback Micah Alejado is the other argument. Although the redshirt freshman didn’t get much playing time last season, he made the most of his opportunity against New Mexico, completing 37 of 57 passes for 469 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Alejado’s electric performance won’t be easy to replicate, but it provides optimism for what to expect from the projected starter and how good Hawai’i could be.
The other team that fits the bill for seeking bowl eligibility is Air Force, which plays the Rainbow Warriors on Sept. 27 at home.
SEC — Auburn (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 2-6 SEC)
The Tigers shot themselves in the foot in 2024, losing a nonconference meeting to California at home, 21-14, early in the season. Auburn ultimately finished 5-7, missing bowl game contention by one win, making that loss stick out like a sore thumb.
The positive of it all? The program hasn’t finished consecutive seasons without securing bowl eligibility since 2000.
That puts the odds in the Tigers favor, and outside of their four nonconference games, four SEC matchups are against teams that won seven or fewer games in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
But there’s a catch: Auburn hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2019. The Tigers' road to the postseason is in front of them, it’s just a matter of themselves making it down that path.
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Sun Belt — Old Dominion (2024 record: 5-7 overall, 4-4 Sun Belt)
The Monarchs' collection of returnees from last season may be enough to lift Old Dominion to its third bowl game in program history.
Quarterback Colton Joseph is back to build on his eight starts in 2024 behind an experienced offensive line. The defense gets back linebacker Jason Henderson, the school leader in career tackles who missed 11 games last season due to a left knee injury. Alongside Henderson will be linebackers Koa Naotala and Mario Thompson in the middle of the field — two players who stepped up in his absence.
An area to keep an eye for Old Dominion is the offense’s weapons department, a place they hit the transfer portal to shore up its holes.
On the plus side, four conference opponents combined for a 17-30 record in 2024.
