The 2024 College Football bowl season is almost upon us, and teams across the country will be preparing for one final game.

Although there are plenty of teams that made bowl games this year, there are still those that missed out on the six-win mark. No team wants to finish below .500, and most that did this season will be looking to improve next year.

As we take a look at the teams that didn't make a bowl this year, let's see which ones should be better in 2025.

Houston Cougars

Willie Fritz has had a down first year with the Cougars. Although the expectations were high for him heading into 2024 after massive success at Tulane, Houston finished 4-8 on the season.

However, there is reason to believe the Cougars should improve next season. Quarterback Zeon Chriss, who started in Houston's last seven games, should be back in 2025 along with leading receiver Stephon Johnson and running back Re'Shaun Sanford II.

Although Houston's offense struggled this season, averaging only 14 points per game—close to last in the nation—the defense was pretty solid. The Cougars entered Championship Saturday tied for 26th in total defense and 28th nationally in passing defense.

Fritz has only once had back-to-back losing seasons as a head coach. Aside from his first two years at Tulane, the Green Wave never finished below .500 the rest of his career there. Houston should be on the up in 2025.

Arizona Wildcats

Despite entering 2024 with high expectations, Arizona struggled under first-year head coach Brent Brennan and finished 4-8. In their first season in the Big 12, the Wildcats' only two conference wins came over Utah and Houston.

However, one reason why Arizona is expected to improve is the return of quarterback Noah Fifita. Despite rumors that the signal-caller would transfer, he is reportedly expected to return to Tucson in 2025.

Even during Arizona's down year, the 21-year-old finished with 2,958 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. We'll see how he adjusts to losing his leading receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, to the NFL draft this offseason. Defensively, the unit ranks 109th, and that will have to improve next season.

Brennan is expected to bring in a new offensive coordinator for Arizona in 2025. Although the hire has yet to be named, the offense should improve, assuming Fifita returns.

Florida State Seminoles

It's hard to describe how quickly the Florida State Seminoles have fallen off in 2024. After going 13-0 and winning the ACC last season, they limped to a 2-10 finish in 2024 with lone wins coming against Cal and Charleston Southern.

As expected, head coach Mike Norvell is making major overhauls to his staff this offseason.

Florida State has already hired former UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to lead the offense.

Although the 59-year-old struggled to turn the Knights into a contender in the Big 12, he's credited with implementing the up-tempo, read-option at Auburn, where he coached the likes of Cam Newton and Tre Mason.

On defense, Norvell has hired Tony White, who is coming over from Nebraska. Under the 45-year-old, the Cornhuskers finished as a top-20 defense in back-to-back seasons.

The big question is who will be FSU's quarterback in 2025. Freshmen signal-callers Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek are expected to return in 2025, and this year's class includes 3-star QB Kevin Sperry.

Don't be surprised if FSU gets a quarterback from the transfer portal around whom Malzahn can build.

The coaching changes Norvell has made should get Florida State back on track. If not, expect major questions to arise surrounding his future there.

Wisconsin Badgers

After a 7-5 record in Luke Fickell's first season at Wisconsin, the Badgers struggled in 2024 and finished 5-7. They even closed out the year on a five-game losing streak.

However, the team had some unfortunate luck early in the campaign, when it lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending knee injury.

Wisconsin turned to backup Braedyn Locke, who finished with 1,936 yards and 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. The Badgers struggled overall offensively, ranking tied for 107th in scoring offense, putting up just 22.6 yards per game.

As a result, they are looking for a new offensive coordinator to replace Phil Longo. Fickell is targeting Kansas OC Jeff Grimes, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

There is a chance Van Dyke could return in 2025, but other quarterback options include Locke or 2024 signee Mabrey Mettauer, or adding a quarterback from the portal.

With better luck at quarterback and defensive improvement, the Badgers should have a much better season in Fickell's third year.

Utah Utes

Utah had a surprisingly down season in 2024, finishing 5-7, including losing seven out of its last eight games. Four of those losses were just one-score games, too.

The finish was just head coach Kyle Whittingham's third losing season dating back to his first season in Salt Lake in 2005.

Utah had been tipped to top the Big 12 this season. A big reason for that was the return of starting quarterback Cam Rising, who suffered a brutal season-ending injury at the end of his 2022 campaign.

However, the 25-year-old played in just three games this season, and he was ruled out for the rest of the year in October with a hand injury. Isaac Wilson struggled under center in his place, throwing for 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Defensively, Utah struggled in the back half of the season, giving up an average of 22 points per game in its last seven losses.

Whittingham has a 167-86 overall record at Utah, but he's weighing whether to return after the 2024 season. If he does, Utah should get back on track in 2025.

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas finished 2024 just one win away from bowl eligibility at 5-7.

The fact that it even came close to making a bowl was impressive after starting 2-7 on the season.

However, the Jayhawks rattled off three straight wins over ranked opponents: Iowa State, BYU and Colorado. They became the first FBS team with a losing record to have three straight wins over ranked opponents.

In the last week of the season, though, Kansas went on the road to face a much-improved Baylor team and lost 45-17 to miss out on bowl eligibility.

However, with the strong finish to 2024 and the return of some key players, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic for the team in 2025.

For starters, starting quarterback Jalon Daniels is returning for 2025. The Jayhawks star had his best season of his career this year, throwing for 2,454 yards with 14 touchdowns, despite also throwing a career-high 12 interceptions. He rushed for 439 yards and six touchdowns.

Although Kansas has to replace a ton on offense aside from Daniels, head coach Lance Leipold should get the Jayhawks back on track in 2025.

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue had a horrific season in 2024, finishing 1-11 and capping off the year with a blowout 66-0 loss to in-state rival Indiana.

Although Boilermakers athletic director Mike Bobinski previously expressed confidence in Ryan Walters, the head coach was fired last week.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Sunday that UNLV head coach Barry Odom will be the next Boilermakers head coach.

The 48-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Rebels in the Mountain West, going a combined 19-8 over two years. He led UNLV to a MWC title game this season, too.

UNLV is Odom's third head coaching stint—he started at Missouri, but his time there didn't pan out. He went 25-25 over four seasons, and he was fired after the Tigers' 6-6 finish in 2019. But he has found the winning formula at UNLV.

Expectations at Purdue are much lower than they are at Missouri. If Odom can keep the Boilermakers around the seven- or eight-win mark consistently every year, it'll be a major improvement.

Odom will likely bring plenty of players and staff members with him from UNLV.