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 Louisiana-Monroe lands in my Ultimate 136.

Louisiana-Monroe ranking: 126
Last year’s ranking: 134
Top player: DB Carl Fauntroy: Started in nine games last season — recording 55 total tackles, 4 pass breakups, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble.

[ULM’s 2025 schedule]

RJ’s take: Bryan Vincent’s team wasn’t supposed to be any good last year. Then it rattled off five out of six wins in the first half of the year. The fact that the Warhawks finished 0-6 to end the year — one win short of getting a bowl game — shouldn’t matter, but it does. And then, they too were pillaged. 

Losing star running back Ahmad Hardy and his 1,300 yards on the ground to Missouri hurts, but the defense is mostly intact with 11 players who started games last year returning in 2025.

[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]

ULM Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+122) Under 4.5 (-150)

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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