RotoWire.com is breaking down the most penalized college football teams during the 2025 season. Your source for the best college football betting promos will update this weekly for the most up-to-date stats, to see which teams are the most disciplined. Using TeamRankings.com, we ranked teams based on a discipline score, which is found by taking Penalties per game + Penalty yards per game and dividing it by two. [(Penalties per game + penalty yards per game)/2]
Here's where things stand through Week 3 of the college football season. Check out our CFB futures odds page too.
2025's Most Penalized College Football Teams: Weekly Rankings & Analysis
Rank | Team | Discipline Score |
1 |
| 63.5 |
2 |
| 60.8 |
3 |
| 53.5 |
4 |
| 50.9 |
5 |
| 50.8 |
6 |
| 50.3 |
7 |
| 49.8 |
8 |
| 47.8 |
9 |
| 46.8 |
10 |
| 44.8 |
11 |
| 44.7 |
T12 |
| 44.5 |
T12 |
| 44.5 |
14 |
| 44.4 |
15 |
| 43.8 |
16 |
| 43.3 |
T17 |
| 42.3 |
T17 |
| 42.3 |
19 |
| 41.8 |
T20 |
| 41.0 |
T20 |
| 41.0 |
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (-) 
UNLV Rebels (-) 
James Madison Dukes (↑1) 
UCLA Bruins (↑11) 
SMU Mustangs (↑51) 
Pittsburgh Panthers (↑39) 
Mississippi State Bulldogs (↑1) 
Toledo Rockets (↑2) 
Florida Atlantic Owls (↑9) 
App State Mountaineers (↓6) 
Texas Longhorns (↑1) 
UCF Knights (↑2) 
Florida Gators (↓9) 
Tulane Green Wave (↑10) 
USC Trojans (↑13) 
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (↑5) 
Miami (OH) RedHawks (-) 
Duke Blue Devils (↑12) 
Old Dominion Monarchs (↑12) 
Tennessee Volunteers (↑16) 
Missouri State Bears (↓1) This combination of stats is brought to you by RotoWire.com, where we give you a snapshot of the best U.S. sportsbooks so you can decide where to wager.
Who Are America's Most-Penalized CFB Teams?
Bringing home the top spot when it comes to America's most penalized team this season is Sonny Crumbie's Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, who managed to rout New Mexico State by a final score of 45-14 to improve to 2-1 for the year, despite committing 11 penalties in the contest, while committing the second most penalties per game (11.5).
Overall, the Bulldogs' discipline score of 63.5 was the top figure nationally, ahead of the UNLV Rebels (60.8 score), JMU Dukes (53.5 score) and the UCLA Bruins (50.9 score), with the Dukes committing the most penalties per game this season across the FBS, at 12.0, while UNLV is third overall, at 10.5 and UCLA ranks in a tie for fourth, at 10.0.
Throw in the SMU Mustangs, who have a discipline score of 50.8, and you have the five most penalized college football teams of the season covered, as the ACC program is currently averaging nine penalties and 92.5 penalty yards per game this year in Dallas.
The rest of the FBS top 10, penalty wise, includes the Pittsburgh Panthers, who check in with a discipline score of 50.3, while the Mississippi State Bulldogs (49.8 score), Toledo Rockets (47.8 score), FAU Owls (46.8 score) and the App State Mountaineers (44.8 score) fill out the list through three weeks of college football action.
Looking forward, none of the teams near the top of the CFP title odds board at FanDuel Sportsbook are in the top 10, though the team currently ranked 11th (the Texas Longhorns, at 44.7) are fifth nationally on the New York-based operator's list, at +750.
Bookmark RotoWire's Heisman Trophy odds as the season rolls along.
College Football Penalty Rankings Q&A
Q: What are the most penalized college football teams in 2025?
A: Each week of the 2025 season, RotoWire updates its rankings of the most penalized college football teams using penalty data from TeamRankings.com. Teams are ranked by their discipline score, which combines both penalties per game and penalty yards per game. The teams with the highest scores are considered the most penalized and least disciplined.
Q: How is the discipline score calculated?
A: The discipline score is designed to balance both the frequency of penalties and their impact. The formula is: (Penalties per game + Penalty yards per game) / 2. This ensures that a team that commits a lot of penalties and/or racks up significant yardage losses, gets reflected properly in the ranking.
Q: Why do penalties matter in college football?
A: Penalties can change the outcome of games. They can stall offensive drives, extend opponents' possessions and swing momentum. Teams that consistently rank among the most penalized often struggle in close games, while disciplined teams are more likely to avoid costly mistakes in high-pressure situations.
