This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where UTEP lands in my Ultimate 136.
UTEP ranking: 125
Last year’s ranking: 126
Top player: S Xavier Smith: Started 10 games for UTEP last season and led all defensive backs on the team with 78 total tackles; also had 5 pass breakups.
RJ’s take: Scotty Walden brought in former USC and Boise State QB Malachi Nelson and returns 21 players who got at least one start in 2024 as Miners. If Charlotte RB transfer Hahsaun Wilson can reach his 2024 average of 6.1 yards per carry and Nelson blossoms into the gunslinger that Lincoln Riley thought he recruited years ago, UTEP could climb up from three wins to four.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
UTEP Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+126) Under 5.5 (-154)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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