| RANK | TEAM (FINAL RANK) | RECORD | RETURNING STARTERS | SCHEDULE STRENGTH |
| 71 | NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 6-5 | 18 | 106 |
| Senior RB Thomas Hammock (1,096 yards in 2001) carries a 3.50 GPA in marketing |
| 72 | ARIZONA STATE | 4-7 | 12 | 26 |
| Neither QB -- freshman Chad Christensen or sophomore Andrew Walter -- inspires confidence |
| 73 | TOLEDO (23) | 10-2 | 12 | 10 |
| Freshmen Quinton Broussard and Astin Martin vie to replace MAC No. 2 alltime rusher Chester Taylor |
| 74 | KENTUCKY | 2-9 | 11 | 12 |
| Junior Jared Lorenzen is the Wildcats' No. 2 career passer (behind Tim Couch), with 5,866 yards |
| 75 | TCU | 6-6 | 15 | 89 |
| Senior LB LaMarcus McDonald had a conference-best 25 tackles for losses, fourth in the nation |
| 76 | MIAMI (OHIO) | 7-5 | 15 | 64 |
| Top 2001 MAC freshman Ben Roethlisberger led all freshman QBs in yards (3,105) and TD passes (25) |
| 77 | UNLV | 4-7 | 14 | 71 |
| Senior QB Jason Thomas is fully recovered from shoulder woes that thwarted his '01 Heisman hopes |
| 78 | VANDERBILT | 2-9 | 14 | 22 |
| New coach Bobby Johnson faces his old team, Furman, in Vandy's second game, on Sept. 7 |
| 79 | UAB | 6-5 | 12 | 68 |
| S Chris Brown and CB Dio Hill are the only starters back from the nation's top rushing D (57.3 yards) |
| 80 | KANSAS | 3-8 | 12 | 46 |
| From OU to KU: Former Sooners offensive coordinator Mark Mangino is the new head man in Lawrence |
| 81 | INDIANA | 5-6 | 15 | 29 |
| New coach Gerry DiNardo's last gig was with the XFL's Birmingham Thunderbolts |
| 82 | BALL STATE | 5-6 | 17 | 101 |
| Senior Marcus Merriweather is only the second Ball State RB with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons |
| 83 | SMU | 4-7 | 16 | 107 |
| New coach Phil Bennett was Kansas State's defensive coordinator for the past three years |
| 84 | SOUTH FLORIDA | 8-3 | 18 | 88 |
| Senior QB Marquel Blackwell has the name and the game for a dark-horse Heisman run |
| 85 | CALIFORNIA | 1-10 | 18 | 33 |
| Coach Jeff Tedford, formerly the offensive coordinator for rival Oregon, has a massive rebuilding job |
| 86 | AIR FORCE | 6-6 | 10 | 84 |
| Senior RB Leotis Palmer (516 yards) is one of three returning starters on offense for the Falcons |
| 87 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 3-8 | 13 | 44 |
| New coach Tom Craft is the first former Aztec player to head the team since Bob Breitbard in 1945 |
| 88 | BAYLOR | 3-8 | 15 | 37 |
| The Bears have lost 29 straight Big 12 games; best shot this year is against Kansas at home on Oct. 5 |
| 89 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | 5-6 | 11 | 81 |
| Senior LB Bryan Lape led the MAC with six forced fumbles in 2001 |
| 90 | TROY STATE | 7-4 | 16 | 104 |
| The road to perdition? Away games: Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa State and Mississippi State |
| 91 | KENT STATE | 6-5 | 14 | 105 |
| QB Joshua Cribbs became the first I-A freshman to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards |
| 92 | TULANE | 3-9 | 18 | 92 |
| Junior RB Mewelde Moore surpassed 1,250 rushing yards and 60 catches in 2001, a I-A first |
| 93 | RUTGERS | 2-9 | 17 | 60 |
| The Scarlet Knights scored just 36 points in Big East play, five fewer than Miami's per-game average |
| 94 | AKRON | 4-7 | 10 | 85 |
| If senior Brandon Payne's knee is 100%, he'll be one of the best backs in the MAC |
| 95 | TEMPLE | 4-7 | 17 | 42 |
| Senior lineman Dan Klecko (6 1/2 sacks in 2001) follows in the footsteps of his dad, former NFLer Joe |
| 96 | NORTH TEXAS | 5-7 | 20 | 108 |
| All-conference safeties Craig Jones and Jonas Buckles combined for 128 tackles and seven INTs |
| 97 | NEW MEXICO STATE | 5-7 | 9 | 103 |
| Senior Robert Canidate, younger brother of St. Louis Rams RB Trung Canidate, starts at left corner |
| 98 | WYOMING | 2-9 | 16 | 54 |
| Junior QB Casey Bramlet must improve on last season's numbers: nine TD passes, 20 INTs |
| 99 | ARMY | 3-8 | 10 | 99 |
| Senior end Clarence Holmes is Army's sack leader for a career (nine) and a season (seven in 2001) |
| 100 | NEVADA | 3-8 | 17 | 72 |
| RB Chance Kretschmer (1,732 yards) became just the second freshman to lead the nation in rushing |
| 101 | UTEP | 2-9 | 16 | 97 |
| Sophomore LB Robert Rodriguez (a WAC-best 137 tackles) is one of 10 returning defensive starters |
| 102 | RICE | 8-4 | 8 | 93 |
| The top five rushers (but only one O-line starter) are back for last year's No. 2-ranked ground attack |
| 103 | CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 3-8 | 18 | 94 |
| Sophomore safety James King blocked seven punts and one extra point in 2001 |
| 104 | LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE | 3-8 | 16 | 96 |
| Junior WR Fred Stamps is a first-class deep threat, with 43 catches for 663 yards last year |
| 105 | EASTERN MICHIGAN | 2-9 | 10 | 109 |
| Five candidates battle to replace QB Kainoa Akina, who transferred to Hawaii |
| 106 | HOUSTON | 0-11 | 13 | 79 |
| Mismatch of the year: the Cougars in Austin against the Longhorns on Sept. 21 |
| 107 | SAN JOSE STATE | 3-9 | 7 | 50 |
| CB Melvin Cook is the only starter back from the nation's No. 115-ranked D (500.8 yards per game) |
| 108 | DUKE | 0-11 | 12 | 18 |
| College football's longest active losing streak (23 straight entering '02) could end on Sept. 28 at Navy |
| 109 | BUFFALO | 3-8 | 12 | 111 |
| The Bulls have never been favored in a I-A game; that should change Sept. 14 when they host UConn |
| 110 | OHIO | 1-10 | 9 | 90 |
| Senior CB David (Bop) White is the MAC's active leader in interceptions, with 11 |
| 111 | TULSA | 1-10 | 15 | 86 |
| The Golden Hurricane hosts No. 1 Oklahoma in the season opener; last year the Sooners scored 58 |
| 112 | LOUISIANA-MONROE | 2-9 | 18 | 115 |
| Sonnier days ahead? Junior LB Maurice Sonnier (79 tackles, 5 sacks) is a Butkus Award candidate |
| 113 | UTAH STATE | 4-7 | 15 | 63 |
| Former walk-on Kevin Curtis, a senior wideout, led the nation last year with 9.1 receptions per game |
| 114 | NAVY | 0-10 | 12 | 95 |
| Hosting UConn on Nov. 16 assures the Midshipmen that they won't have another winless season |
| 115 | CONNECTICUT | 2-9 | 18 | 100 |
| After traveling to Miami on Oct. 5, the Huskies may want to reconsider joining the Big East in 2005 |
| 116 | ARKANSAS STATE | 2-9 | 16 | 117 |
| Average age of the coaching staff is 35 years, four months, tied with Tulane for the nation's youngest |
| 117 | IDAHO | 1-10 | 10 | 91 |
| The Vandals travel to Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 21 for college football's Mr. Irrelevant game |
