Texas Tech is no Longer No. 1 in the College Football Villians Rankings

A lot has transpired these past couple of weeks in college football, and the word "villain" has been thrown around to label coaches, teams, and others.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This off-season, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said, "We embrace that villain role. We run to that." Over the past few months, the Brendan Sorsby saga has led to the Red Raiders being labeled the villains of college football, but circumstances have changed in recent weeks as other football programs have made noise, and not in a positive way.

Now in reality, there are more appropriate words than "villain" that can be used to describe these college football teams, like teams that college football fans are the most annoyed by, most irritated with because they get special treatment and/or favorable calls, or even the most despised teams for whatever reasons college football fans have towards them.

Here are the top four villain-labeled college football programs entering week two of play.

No. 4 Notre Dame

When the decision was made to forgo a post-season bowl game after missing the College Football Playoff, resentment boiled over and debate across the sport ensued and cemented their place as the college football team that whines and complains until they get their way. They are the lone major football program to fully join a conference, and some fans are not thrilled by them getting a ton of hype and a No. 4 preseason ranking. The main reason they are in these rankings is that they are the only team to receive an automatic bid in 2026 if they rank among the top 12 teams.

In other words, the Fighting Irish will be able to receive an automatic bid as an independent if it's ranked inside the top-12 teams without having to play a Big Ten or SEC conference schedule. They play six ACC schools, but their strength of schedule for the 2026 season is ranked No. 48 according to ESPN, while the only Big Ten or SEC school to have a "weaker" SOS per ESPN is Penn State. College football fans in general feel Notre Dame gets away with playing by their own rules, and they have done nothing to disprove it at this time.

No. 3 Texas Tech

As we have well documented this off-season, the Red Raiders spent more money on their team than most football programs, including Big Ten and SEC teams in the country last season, and were criticized for trying to buy their way into the nation's elite. That, however, did not appear to be an adequate justification for their hatred. All they did was out-blue-blood the blue-blood programs. Non-Red Raider fans and college football fans in general were beginning to respect Texas Tech more and more. However, that changed this past late spring and early. They quickly took on the villain role throughout the off-season because of the ongoing saga of transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

As many already know, the NCAA found Sorsby ineligible after he admitted to betting thousands of times on sports, including his team's games, while he was a player on Indiana's football team. After Sorsby filed a lawsuit, a court in Texas issued an injunction allowing him to play. The college football and athletic community reacted strongly. The Big 12 conference and various schools got together and decided that they planned not to play the Red Raiders. The outcry grew too much for those involved, and Sorsby and Texas Tech agreed to part ways this past June. Tech's win-at-all-costs philosophy left them as college football's number one villains this summer. However, two other football programs have pulled ahead of the Red Raiders heading into week two play.

No. 2 LSU

LSU was able to sign football players who have been waived by NFL teams. There also was major pushback from the SEC with a near-unanimous vote by SEC presidents to ban such signings and give commissioner Greg Sankey the authority to punish teams who do it with very heavy consequences like Lane Kiffin and the Tigers. LSU didn't vote, apparently to keep the situation more calm.

The two main players in question are Dae'Quan Wright, a tight end who participated in NFL preseason camps with the Philadelphia Eagles and played in preseason games with the Cleveland Browns, and Zxavian Harris, a defensive lineman who attended NFL offseason and training camp with the New Orleans Saints. New eligibility disputes might see them back on collegiate football fields for actual games, according to a Louisiana judge. But after warnings from Clemson and a protracted legal battle with the SEC, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin chose not to include either player on the official game-day roster for the opener against Clemson.

Kiffin and LSU trying everything they can to get an advantage to win games has made them one of the top villains in college football entering week two play.

No. 1 Michigan

It wasn't overnight that Michigan football became the most infamous villain in college football. It happened over the course of years of high-profile off-field fights that ended in a shocking and heated finale to their 2026 season opener.

During the Jim Harbaugh era, Michigan's controversial head coach story kept going, especially after the 2023 Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. As the NCAA investigations went on, fans of the other team got more furious and accused the school of doing wrong and not following the NCAA rules during Harbaugh's tenure. Michigan didn't cooperate fully with the NCAA investigation, and they instead had players and university officials like the former university president and others who used words, mantras, and mottos like "bet" and made the battle cry "Michigan vs. Everyone." Their "us-against-the-world" attitude motivated them in part to win the national championship in 2023, but it also turned neutral fans against them and made them a team that other fans hated, besides the Ohio State and Michigan State fans.

So, this past weekend, the first game of Michigan's 2026 season was against Western Michigan, further solidifying its reputation as one of the villains of college football. Michigan was a big favorite going into the game against a MAC team from its state, but they fought hard the whole time, especially on defense. Almost at the end of the game, Michigan was down 12–7, and quarterback Bryce Underwood tried a first Hail Mary pass that was intercepted out of bounds just past the end zone. The players from Western Michigan began to celebrate what seemed to be one of their team's biggest upsets ever. But officials asked for a review and to look at the "official" game clock.

Big Ten officials who watched the replay said a Western Michigan player touched the ball after stepping out of bounds with one second left, which stopped the game according to NCAA rules. One last snap of the ball, and Underwood threw a second 47-yard Hail Mary to wide receiver JJ Buchanan in the end zone. It was a controversial win for Michigan, as the Wolverines won by a final score of 13-12.

The controversial win spread quickly through sports media and social media, making the perception between Michigan and the rest of college football even bigger. Some fans and neutral observers said it was clear that the broadcast clock hit zero before the ball went out of bounds. This led to accusations that Big Ten officials were trying to protect their star program at the cost of a mid-major underdog.

Many people didn't like Michigan's disputed end-of-game win over an unranked MAC opponent at home, as it was seen as a Big Ten school that is a big brand-name program and received favorable treatment from the referrees. They thought a Power Four conference power should have beaten Western Michigan without a miracle ending, and many fans, college football analysts, and media members believed the Wolverines got some extra help from the officials. After recent NCAA scandals and a highly controversial call against the refs to stop a giant upset at home, Michigan is fully being labeled as college football's biggest "villain" going into week two play.

Teams like Texas Tech embrace the villain role as a badge of honor in some respects, and Notre Dame just keeps quiet and doesn't acknowledge that they get any extra advantages over other teams. LSU doesn't ignore the fact that they get criticism, but that doesn't fully stop them from operating the way they currently are operating as they are heading into their game with Louisiana Tech. Michigan, with their new head coach Kyle Whittingham and newly named university president C. Cybele Raver, can help change the narrative by how they respond to the backlash they are receiving over the next couple of days. We will see how this plays out, but these are the rankings right now.

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