We spend a lot of time talking about the best teams in college football, but little do we recognize the absolute ineptitude it takes to be one of the worst teams in college football. Some have posited that it takes just as much luck and “skill” to go winless as it does undefeated. Even a broken watch is right two times a day, right? Well, in that spirit, I’ve decided to scroll through the FBS, conference by conference, and look at the worst of the worst.
The Worst Team In Every FBS Conference
American: UConn Huskies (1-5) – A seven point win over Rhode Island is the only win the Huskies have on the 2018 season. In American conference play, they’re 0-3, but they’ve been pushed around by just about everyone they’ve played this season. On defense, they’ve given up a staggering 322 points – that’s 56.3 per game. 49 points are the fewest they’ve allowed in a game this season. That’s absurd! Their 20.3 points scored per game are also dead last in the conference. This one’s clear, ladies and gentlemen.
ACC: Louisville Cardinals (2-5) – North Carolina technically has a worse record at 1-4, but they at least have an ACC win under their belt. The Tar Heels beat a competitive Pitt team that nearly upset Notre Dame last weekend. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 0-4 in the ACC. In three of those four conference losses, they were beaten pretty handily, too. It’s not like they’ve been playing the giants of the ACC either – their losses have come to Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Boston College. They still have Clemson and NC State on their schedule, not to mention a season finale against Kentucky. This team is so bad, you can’t help but wonder if the Bobby Petrino magic has officially worn off.
Big 12: Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) – I wanted so badly to say Kansas was back after the 2-1 start and dominant victories over Central Michigan and Rutgers. But, alas, Big 12 play started, and the Jayhawks went 0-3. Unfortunately, it does not appear like Kansas is back, and I’m looking at their remaining schedule. Doesn’t look like there are any opportunities for another win this season for a Jayhawks team that is giving up 37.3 points per game in Big 12 play.
Big Ten: Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-6) – Yikes. Nebraska was never supposed to be this bad. Looking at the remaining schedule, this could be an 0-12 football team. Scott Frost has successfully produced the worst Cornhuskers team of all time. How long before questions start popping up about his future in Lincoln?
C-USA: UTEP Miners (0-6) – Poor UTEP. As if going winless wasn’t bad enough, they’re looking putrid on offense to boot. They’re averaging an anemic 16.5 points per game. The bright side? Five C-USA teams have allowed more points than UTEP on defense. Still, they’re the only 0-6 team in the conference. But, hey – it’s been so bad in El Paso lately that the fact that they probably aren’t the worst team in the entire FBS feels like a moral victory.
MAC: Bowling Green Falcons (1-6) – Is anyone else surprised by how bad the MAC is this year? I mean, it’s 6-1 Buffalo and 5-2 Western Michigan and that’s it. Usually, you see one of the MAC teams sneaking around the top 25 by this point, but nope. The conference is down this year. Giving up 47.6 points per game, Bowling Green is the worst of the bunch. They’re winless in MAC play, though Kent State and Central Michigan are right down there with them.
Mountain West: San Jose State Spartans (0-6) – The worst of the Mountain West and it’s not even close. Winless in conference play – winless overall. This is just a bad football team. They’ve been outscored by 114 points in their six losses. Despite a close 44-41 loss to the surprising Hawaii, they’re awful. That may be the only game they can even remotely call a win this season.
Pac-12: Oregon State Beavers (1-5) – UCLA gets out of the basement with their big win over Cal last weekend. So, it’s down to the bottom-dwelling Beavers in the Pac-12. They’re 0-3 in the conference and have been outscored by nearly 100 points in their five losses. The thing is…it’s not going to get any better for Oregon State. This week against Cal may be their last chance to get another win this season, but I’d put my money on 1-11 for this squad. Yikes.
SEC: Arkansas Razorbacks (1-6) – Boy, the Razorbacks are bad. You can certainly see the vision for Chad Morris, but the execution has failed miserably. That’s not to say he’s a failure, mind you. It’s just going to take some time. Arkansas changed their style of offense and defense both this offseason. This team has shown some fight this season, and at this point in the rebuild, that’s what you like to see. Still, they have given up 160 points to SEC opponents and they’re 0-4 in the conference for it. Getting thrashed by North Texas doesn’t help their case.
Sun Belt: Texas State (1-5) – If they had a conference win, I probably wouldn’t put them here. But, they’re 0-3 in Sun Belt play, so I can’t in good conscience put any other team here. Arkansas State is also winless in the Sun Belt, but they’re 3-3 overall and appear to be in contention for a bowl game. So, this distinction belongs to the Bobcats at least for now, though they’re only -43 in margin of defeat. They’re only losing by 8.6 per game, so it stands to reason that this competitive team will steal a win or two this season. Looks like the Sun Belt is going to be a three-team race between Texas State, South Alabama, and Georgia State for ‘worst team in the conference’ honors.
So, who takes the honor as the absolute worst team in college? I’m giving that one to San Jose State.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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