Portal:Sports/Selected article/August 2008

The Bottom 10 is a week-by-week regular season ranking of the worst ten college football teams in the NCAA Division I FBS from ESPN.com. Placement on the rankings is somewhat arbitrary based on the sportswriters whim with the coveted "Number 5 spot" normally reserved for who the writers consider to be on the losing end of the biggest upset of the week, such as Clemson's most lopsided defeat in a home-opener in school history to start the 2003 season.

It is not uncommon events or groups other than teams to receive a ranking, such as the 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team non-conference schedule--the schedule received the ranking, not the team. Another often-used favorite is the term "Directional Michigan" which is used to reference a group of schools in the state of Michigan.

The Chicago Tribune credits the original idea to Los Angeles sportswriter Steve Harvey approximately 30 years before ESPN began using the term. ESPN now publishes the rankings "With apologies to Steve Harvey."

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