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 current 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 7 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 |
| 47.9 |
2 |
| 47.6 |
3 |
| 46.4 |
4 |
| 45.6 |
5 |
| 45.5 |
6 |
| 45.0 |
7 |
| 44.6 |
8 |
| 43.6 |
9 |
| 42.8 |
10 |
| 42.6 |
11 |
| 42.0 |
T12 |
| 41.2 |
T12 |
| 41.2 |
14 |
| 40.8 |
15 |
| 40.8 |
16 |
| 40.0 |
17 |
| 38.6 |
18 |
| 38.5 |
19 |
| 38.3 |
20 |
| 38.1 |
Duke Blue Devils (↓-)
Toledo Rockets (↑10)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (↓4)
UNLV Rebels (-)
Tulane Green Wave (↑7)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (-)
Boise State Broncos (↓6)
Auburn Tigers (↑11)
Georgia State Panthers (↑10)
South Carolina Gamecocks (↑1)
UAB Blazers (↑28)
Ole Miss Rebels (↑9)
UCLA Bruins (↓1)
Cincinnati Bearcats (↑10)
Texas Longhorns (↓8)
Pittsburgh Panthers (-)
Florida Atlantic Owls (-)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?
Through seven weeks of the 2025 college football season, the 
Wake Forest Demon Deacons have drawn the most attention from game officials.
The ACC member has a 3-2 record in Year 1 of the Jake Dickert era despite having the worst score nationally, at 47.9 points according to our formula.
Across the 136-team FBS, Wake Forest is worst for penalty yards per game (86.4) and 133rd in penalties committed per game (9.4), speaking to the lack of discipline in Winston-Salem this football season.
Outside of the Triangle, the 
James Madison Dukes (47.6 score) are second on our list.
Duke (46.4 score), Toledo (45.6 score) and Louisiana Tech (45.5 score) rounded out our top five in the most updated rankings across the FBS, while Texas Tech (45.0 score) and UNLV (44.6 score) were next in line.
Evidently, being undisciplined on the field isn't the deal-breaker it used to be for a team's record.
Each of the teams mentioned above are .500 or better, with the Toledo Rockets (3-3) being the lone team at .500 even. Duke and Louisiana Tech are 4-2, JMU is 5-1 and the Red Raiders and Rebels are 6-0 apiece in the Big 12 and Mountain West this year.
Of those teams, the 
Texas Tech Red Raiders have the best 2026 CFP championship betting odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, at +1700. They hold -175 odds of winning the Big 12 in 2025, speaking to the talent that head coach Joey McGuire has assembled in Lubbock this year.
The Red Raiders has a wrecking crew of players, leading to a cavalcade of penalties. But so far, all of those yellow flags have done little to impede Texas Tech's progress in 2025.
Bookmark RotoWire's Heisman Trophy odds as the season rolls along.
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 for all games played. 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.
