The Penn State Nittany Lions quickly went from preseason national championship contenders to a team that will be lucky just to make it to a bowl game, with a 6-6 record suddenly seeming more like a pipe dream than a realistic goal at this stage in the 2025 season.
But for as much as they've struggled, having yet to beat a Power Four opponent more than two months into the season, several other teams that received almost just as much preseason hype have fallen far short of their own national championship expectations.