Bottom 60 (120-61)
120) Eastern Michigan Eagles (MAC) (39-138) – Through the first 15 seasons of the 2000s this is the only team who have yet to put together a winning season. They are also the only team included here to have less than 40 wins. They finished at 6-6 back in 2011, so at least they don’t have 15 straight losing seasons but 7 times they finished with 10 or more losses and in 2009 they didn’t win a single game.
119) Idaho Vandals (SUN) (41-138) – In 2009, as a member of the now defunct WAC, the Vandals managed to go 7-5 through the regular season and earned a Humanitarian Bowl invite. They proceeded to eke out a 43-42 victory over Bowling Green to finish at 8-5. It is their one and only winning season. Idaho leads the nation in losing 10 games in a season, which they have done 8 times.
118) Army Black Knights (IND) (45-134) – Another team with only one winning season, in 2010 they finished at 6-6 and won the Armed Forces bowl against SMU 16-14. The Black Knights have lost 10 games or more 5 times with a winless season in 2003.
117) New Mexico State Aggies (SUN) (48-134) – The Sunbelt conference has 2 teams among the bottom four, that’s pretty bad. The Aggies lone winning season (7-5) came back in 2003, before they started giving bowl invites to teams for just being average. They have 6 seasons of losing 10 or more and in 2005 they lost every game.
116) UNLV Rebels (MWC) (51-130) – The first team on the list to break 50 wins, They had a .500 campaign back in 2003, and in 2013 they went 7-5 and headed to the Heart of Dallas bowl where North Texas throttled them 36-14. The Rebels also have 6 seasons with 10 or more losses.
115) Duke Blue Devils (ACC) (58-124) – Duke has the honor of being the worst team from a Power 5 conference. They are the lowest raked team to have had a 10 win season and have been on a roll lately with 3 straight winning seasons (finishing their best season at 10-4 in 2013) and 4 straight bowl appearances. They have gone 1-3 in those bowl games, their lone win coming last season in the Pinstripe bowl beating Indiana 44-41. What really brings Duke down is the fact they are one of only two teams to have gone winless twice (2001 and 2006).
114) Buffalo Bulls (MAC) (55-124) – The MAC is the 2nd conference to have more than one team in the bottom 10. The Bulls have only 2 winning seasons (winning 8 games in 2008 and 2013), although they lost both bowl appearances. Of their 13 losing seasons, 5 of them were the 10 or more loss type. What gives Buffalo a little bump is that back in 2005 the 7-5 Bulls surprised an unbeaten #12 Ball State in the MAC championship game to earn a conference champion bonus. They are the lowest ranked team to have won a conference championship.
113) Tulane Green Wave (AAC) (57-124) – Tulane matches Buffalo with 2 winning seasons and 13 losing seasons, including three seasons of losing 10 or more. Their best season was way back in 2002 when Tulane finished at 8-5 including a win over Hawai’i in the inaugural Hawai’i Bowl.
112) Florida International Golden Panthers (USA) (45-98) – The Panthers have only been playing since 2004, so they lost 3 seasons to most of the other teams. Still, they’ve only managed 2 winning seasons out of 12, and 3 times they lost 10 or more, even having a winless season in 2006. On the bright side they have gone to two bowls and actually won the Little Caesars Bowl in 2010 pulling out a 34-32 victory over Toledo. That season they also earned a share of the Sunbelt title, where they resided for the first 9 years of their existence.
T110) Southern Methodist Mustangs (AAC) (61-121) – The Mustangs are the second team to appear from the AAC, and have been a mixed bag. While they’ve had only 10 losing seasons, which is less than the other teams in this section of the poll, half of those ten saw them losing 10 or more and even going winless in 2003. What helps SMU a bit is that they went 3-1 when they managed to appear in four straight bowls under June Jones between 2009 & 2012.
T110) Indiana Hoosiers (B1G) (61-118) – The second Power 5 team hails from the B1G conference and are the first to appear who have managed to amass 60 wins. The Hoosiers have only managed one winning season and that was back in 2007. They’ve lost 10 or more twice and lost both bowl games they’ve appeared in.
109) Texas-El Paso Miners (USA) (68-114) – The second team to appear from Conference USA, the Miners had back to back 8-4 seasons in 2004-5, but have only had one other winning season. They’ve had 3 seasons of 10 or more losses and have lost all four 4 bowl games that they’ve played in.
108) Vanderbilt Commodores (SEC) (64-117) – The worst team in the SEC has had only 3 winning seasons, including back to back 9-4 campaigns under James Franklin who has moved on to Penn St.. They’ve won 3 of the 4 bowl games they’ve participated in, but have also had 4 seasons of losing 10 games, back-to-back in 2002 & 2003, and then back-to-back again in 2009 & 2010.
107) Alabama-Birmingham Blazers (Defunct) (60-106) The Blazers disbanded their football program at the end of the 2014 season, but are still included here because they qualify by having played over 100 games. During their 14 years counted here, they put together only 2 winning seasons, 11 losing seasons and went 6-6 in their final year. UAB lost 10 or more twice and lost in their only bowl game back in 2004, 59-40 to Hawai’i.
106) Kansas Jayhawks (Big12) (65-116) – The Jayhawks barely edge out Iowa St. for the title of worst team in the Big12. They have 3 winning seasons, one of them (2007) winning 12 games, including an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech by a score of 24-21. On the other side of the coin, they have had 4 seasons with 10 or more losses, including a winless season in 2015. In non-BCS bowls, Kansas has gone 2-1. They are the first team to appear on the list that made a BCS bowl appearance (and the next team on the list that actually won a BCS bowl will not appear until slot 53) but are currently on a 7-season streak of winning only 3 games or less.
105) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (SUN) (65-114) – The 3rd Sunbelt team to be among the worst 20 teams, the Warhawks have only had one winning season so far this millennium. They have had three .500 seasons, and among their 11 losing seasons, two of them were 11 losses. They also lost their only bowl game, a 45-14 drubbing in the Independence bowl courtesy of the Ohio Bears. ULM did earn a share of the conference championship in the 2005 season, even though they finished at 5-7. That’s pretty pathetic.
104) Iowa State Cyclones (Big12) (71-114) – The Big12 becomes the first Power 5 conference to have two teams represented, contrast that with the PAC12, who has yet to have a team show up. The Cyclones are the first team to appear that have cleared the 70 win mark. Three of their 10 losing seasons were of the 10-loss variety, but the Cyclones have had 5 winning seasons. So far no team has even had 4, so how’d they end up this far down the list? There are two reasons for this. First the most wins they‘ve ever had in a season is only 7 and second, they have had terrible results in their bowl games losing 5 of 7. Only one other team (who has won more than one bowl game) has had less success in bowl games.
103) Temple Owls (AAC) (69-111) – Temple has 4 winning seasons, 10 losing seasons and one .500 season. They have had 4 seasons of 10+ losses, including a 0 win team back in 2005, but won 10 games for the first time last season (and did it again this season). They have a 1-2 bowl record.
102) Akron Zips (MAC) (66-114) – The MAC is one of only two conferences with three teams in the worst 20. Akron has had 4 winning seasons and 3 times have lost 10 or more. In 2005 they defeated Northern Illinois in the MAC championship game to earn a conference title. They are 1-1 in bowl games, winning their first bowl game ever last season against Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
101) Wyoming Cowboys (MWC) (67-113) – The Mountain West finally has their 2nd team appear. The Cowboys have 3 winning seasons, 11 losing seasons and twice they’ve lost 10. They have gone 2-1 in their bowl games. Wyoming’s best season was 8-5 in 2011, this season they have a chance to hit 9 wins for the first time since 1996.
T99) North Texas Mean Green (USA) (65-118) – 11 losing seasons, 4 times losing 10 or more, and only 4 winning seasons. They are 2-3 in their 5 bowl appearances, but what really helps the Mean Green from slipping into the “Worst 20” group is from 2001-2004 they won four straight Sunbelt titles. Those four titles match the total won by all teams ranked below them.
T99) New Mexico Lobos (MWC) (74-111) – The Lobos are the first team on the list to have had less than 10 losing seasons (they have only 8), and also the first to have a .400 winning percent. They’ve had 6 winning seasons, the most of any appearing on the list so far, but did have a 3-season stretch from 2009-2011 of finishing 1-11. The Lobos have only won 1 out of 6 bowl games.
98) Kent State Golden Flashes (MAC) (68-110) – The MAC’s 4th team to appear has had only 2 winning seasons, winning a team best 11 in 2012. They’ve had 12 losing seasons, losing 10 in 2005, and they lost in their only bowl appearance by 4 to Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com bowl.
97) Colorado Buffaloes (PAC) (74-114) – So the PAC finally has a team show up, and it is a team that spent 2/3 of the first 15 seasons in the Big12. The Buffs have had 4 winning seasons (winning 10 back in 2001), and 11 losing seasons (losing 10 or more 4 times). They are 1-4 in regular bowl games and that 2001 season saw them win a conference championship as well as a BCS bowl bid, where they were trounced 38-16 by Oregon in the Fiesta.
96) San Jose State Spartans (MWC) (71-111) – 11 losing seasons, back to back seasons of losing 10 or more in 2009-10, but then just 2 seasons later they won 11. They are 3-0 in bowl games and are the first to have appeared in more than one bowl game without a loss.
95) Florida Atlantic Owls (USA) (56-89) – The Owls began play in 2004 and have fared a bit better than the Golden panthers who joined the league with them. They’ve had one .500 season and 3 winning seasons, unfortunately the last one was back in 2008. They lost 11 in 2011; won both bowl games they’ve appeared in and also won a share of the Sunbelt crown in 2007.
94) Kentucky Wildcats (SEC) (74-108) – The SEC’s 2nd worst team has had twice as many losing seasons as winning ones, with back to back 2-10 seasons in 2012-3. They did have a stretch of 5 straight bowl appearances, winning the first three and losing the last 2. Kentucky is currently on a streak of 6 losing seasons.
93) Illinois Fighting Illini (B1G) (71-111) – The second worst team in the B1G have had 11 losing seasons including 3 seasons with 10 or more losses. They have 4 winning seasons and included among those is a 10-2 season back in 2001. Illinois won the B1G championship that season and an invite to the Sugar Bowl where they lost to LSU by 13. They have appeared in one other BCS bowl, the 2007 Rose Bowl where they were hammered by USC, 49-17. So they are the first team to appear on the list with more than one BCS bowl appearance, although they lost both, and the Fighting Illini are 2-1 in non-BCS bowl games.
92) Memphis Tigers (AAC) (78-106) – Memphis has had 9 losing seasons, 4 seasons of losing 10 or more, including three seasons in a row from 2009-2011. Of their 6 winning seasons, one of them (2014) saw them win 10 and claim a share of the American Athletic championship. The Tigers are 3-4 in bowl games.
91) Utah St. Aggies (MWC) (74-109) – When I first did these rankings back after the 2010 season; there were only 6 teams worse than the Aggies. Since then they have had quite a bit of success, including a WAC championship (in that conferences final season before disbanding) and have almost moved themselves out of the bottom 25%. They have had 4 winning seasons, all coming in a four-season stretch between 2011 and 2014 breaking the streak last season with a 6-7 finish. During that stretch they won 10 or more twice. Before the turn around, Utah State finished with 10 or more losses twice, back to back in 2006-7. They have appeared in 5 bowl games in a row and have won 3 of those 5.
90) Miami, OH RedHawks (MAC) (76-109) – These birds have been very erratic. They’ve had 9 losing seasons, 5 of which they lost 10 or more including a winless season in 2012. They’ve had 6 winning seasons, 2 of which saw them winning 10 or more and 2 MAC titles. They have a 2-1 bowl record.
89) Purdue Boilermakers (B1G) (82-104) – Purdue is the first team on the board to have won 80 games. They have had 6 winning seasons, a .500 season and 8 losing seasons. The Boilermakers have lost 10 or more twice and both of those seasons came since 2012. They are currently on a 4-season skid of winning 3 games or less, which is pretty bad considering they had not won less than 4 games during the first 11 seasons of the new millennium. They have made 8 bowl games winning only 3 of them.
88) Washington Huskies (PAC) (83-104) – The 2nd PAC school to appear and the first one that’s spent the entire 15 seasons in the PAC. The Huskies are the first team to appear who has more winning seasons than losing seasons, with 8 and 6 respectively. What hurts Washington is that 2 of their 6 losing seasons were the 10-loss variety, and in 2008 they lost all 12 games. They also have not had much success in the bowl games winning only 3 of 8.
87) Western Michigan Broncos (MAC) (83-99) - The first team to appear with less than 100 losses, the Broncos have had 6 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. Two seasons of losing 10 or more and have gone a pitiful 1-5 in their bowl appearances. That lone win came last season in coach PJ Fleck’ third season at the helm and he currently has them on a streak of 3 winning seasons in a row.
86) Ball State Cardinals (MAC) (84-98) - Back to back Maction means that now half the MAC teams have appeared in the bottom 35 slots. The Cardinals have had only 4 winning seasons (including a 12-2 season in 2008, and a 10-3 season in 2013), a pair of .500 seasons and 9 losing seasons (including a 2-10 season in 2009). They have lost all four bowl games they’ve played in.
84T) Rice Owls (USA) (81-102) - Rice earns the title of best team named the Owls. They have had six winning seasons and 9 losing seasons, two 10-win seasons and two 10-loss seasons. They had a 10 win season as recently as 2013, and have gone 3-2 in their 5 bowl appearances.
84T) Syracuse Orangemen (ACC) (75-108) - While the ACC offered up the first Power 5 team on the list, they are the last conference to offer up their 2nd. The Orangemen only have 4 winning seasons to their credit, and only one since joining the ACC in 2013. Their best season came in 2001 when they went 10-3 as part of the Big East. They’ve had 2 seasons of losing 10 or more, but what gives Syracuse a boost is having 2 Big East conference championships and going 4-1 in their bowl match-ups.
83) Virginia Cavaliers (ACC) (86-99) – The Cavaliers have 9 losing seasons and one 10-loss season. They’ve managed 6 winning seasons, their last one coming in 2011 and their best mark was 9-4 from 2007. They’ve split the 6 bowls they’ve accepted invites to.
82) Minnesota Golden Gophers (B1G) (90-98) – The first team on the list to post 90 wins; the Gophers have had 7 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. They won 10 in 2003, and lost 11 in 2007, otherwise they’ve bounced between 3 and 8 wins every season. They are the first team to appear on the list with double-digit bowl appearances, having played in 11, but winning only 4. In fact last season they snapped a 7 game losing streak in bowl games.
81) Washington State Cougars (PAC) (80-103) – The Cougars have only managed 4 winning seasons. They had three 10-win seasons in row to start this millennium but then went 11 straight years without another winning season until last year’s 9-4 campaign. They also had a 3 season stretch (from 2008-2011) that saw them lose 10 or more. During the good stretch they did earn a conference championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl, but took a 34-14 pounding from Oklahoma. In non-BCS bowl games they have gone 3-1. All of this adds up to Washington St. being the lowest ranked team to have had more than two 10-win seasons.
80) Ohio Bears (MAC) (91-96) – This MAC team is on the upswing. They have 7 winning seasons, 6 losing seasons and 2 seasons of .500 ball. They did have 2 seasons of losing 10 or more, but that was back in 2001 and 2003. They haven’t had a losing season since 2008 and had a 10-win season in 2011. The bad part for them is they have yet to win a MAC title and have lost 5 of their 7 bowl games.
79) Colorado State Rams (MWC) (86-101) – The Rams have been middle of the road, having 7 winning seasons, seven losing seasons and one .500 season. What they don’t have is a season of 10 losses, the first team to appear on the list without one. They have had 2 seasons of 10 or more wins, once in 2002, and again in 2014. They also have one Mountain West championship, but have only won 3 of their 8 bowl games.
78) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (USA) (53-59) – The Hilltoppers only started playing in 2007, so they barely qualify, but have done quite well in their short existence. 6 winning seasons compared to only 3 losing seasons. The main reason they aren’t ranked any higher is because those 3 seasons were all 10 losses or more and even include a 0 win season. Since those three terrible seasons they have put together 5 winning seasons in a row, going 12-2 last year including going unbeaten in conference play to capture the Conference USA title. They have won 2 of 3 bowl games including the last two in a row.
77) Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC) (84-100) – The Bulldogs are only the third SEC team to make an appearance and have had 7 winning seasons vs. 8 losing seasons. Currently, they’ve managed to put together 6 winning seasons in a row, including a 10 win season in 2014 that earned them a New Years Six bowl berth. Unfortunately for them they lost to Georgia Tech by 14. They did have a rough stretch at the beginning of the millennium, going six seasons without winning more than 3 games, including a 2-10 season in 2003. Mississippi State is 5-1 in non-BCS bowls, and are the first team to appear on the list with at least 5 bowl wins.
76) San Diego State Aztecs (MWC) (87-99) – San Diego State is another team on the move lately. They have 8 losing seasons (including 10 losses in 2008), but haven’t had a losing season since 2009. They have played in a bowl game every year since then, going 3-3. Also during that time they’ve had an 11-win season (just last year) and even earned 2 conference championships.
T74) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC) (83-100) – This is the last team on the list to have lost 100 games. They have had only 5 winning seasons, but one of those was a 10-3 season that netted them the ACC championship and an Orange Bowl invite where they lost by 11 to Louisville. They’ve also never had a season of 10 losses and have gone 3-1 in their non-BCS bowl games.
T74) North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) (94-94) – The first team on the list that aren’t below .500, the Tar Heels have 8 winning seasons and 6 losing seasons. They lost 10 in 2003, won 11 last season and have won only 3 of their 9 bowl games.
73) Arizona Wildcats (PAC) (88-97) – Arizona has split seven winning and losing seasons and have one .500 season. They didn’t have a winning season until 2008, and have had only one losing season since. They lost 10 in 2003, and won 10 in 2014, including a trip to the Fiesta bowl where Boise St. beat them by 8. Besides that bowl, they’ve won 4 of 6.
72) East Carolina Pirates (AAC) (93-95) – Another team to split winning and losing seasons 7/7 with a .500 season thrown in. They also have one of each 10-win and 10-loss, and 2 Conference USA titles. They haven’t fared as well since moving to the American Athletic Conference in 2014 and have the worst bowl record of any team winning more than once, managing only 2 of 9.
71) Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (USA) (89-93) – MTSU has 6 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. They won 10 in 2009, and only two seasons later dropped 10. They won 2 Sunbelt titles and since joining Conference USA in 2013, have yet to have a losing season. Their bowl performance has been poor, winning only 1 of 5.
70) Northwestern Wildcats (B1G) (96-90) – Northwestern is the first team to appear with a winning record, although they do have more losing seasons (seven) than winning ones (six). 2 of their 6 winning seasons saw them winning 10 (2012 and 2015). The worst stat for the Wildcats is they have only won once in 8 bowl games.
69) Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (SUN) (84-97) – The Ragin’ Cajuns have had 7 losing seasons, 3 .500 seasons, and only 5 winning seasons. They had only 1 wining season over the first 10 years, but put together a strong 4 year run of 9-4 seasons, winning 2 Sunbelt championships and going 4-0 in their bowls. They are the first team on the list to be unbeaten with at least 4 bowl wins.
68) Connecticut Huskies (AAC) (88-96) – The Huskies have 6 winning seasons, and 8 losing seasons, including a 10 loss season in 2014. They did manage to claim a share of 2 Big East titles and in 2011 they received a Fiesta Bowl invite where Oklahoma proceeded to slaughter them 48-20. In non-BCS bowls they hold a 3-2 record.
T66) Central Michigan Chippewas (MAC) (91-96) – The Chippewas have had more winning seasons than losing ones (8&6), have never had a 10 loss season and have put together two 10-win campaigns (winning 12 in 2009). They can claim at least a share of 3 MAC titles and their bowl record is 3-4. They have never won less than 3 and haven’t had a losing season since 2011.
T66) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (USA) (93-92) – These Bulldogs have had 7 each of winning and losing seasons plus one .500 season. Their worst season was 2006 when they went 3-10. They have 2 conference titles from their WAC days and have won 3 of 5 bowl games.
65) Air Force Falcons (MWC) (101-87) – The Falcons are the first team to appear who have 100 wins, also the first team with less than 90 losses, and also the first team to have had more than 8 winning seasons (they have 9). They have only 5 losing seasons but in 2013 they lost 10, followed by a 10-win season in 2014. Their bowl success has been very limited winning 3 and losing 6.
64) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (USA) (99-92) - The Golden Eagles are the first team to appear with double-digit winning seasons, with an incredible 12. They only have 3 losing seasons, all of them coming during an awful stretch between 2012 and 2014. Those three seasons saw them go 3-9, 1-11 and 0-12. Another thing holding them back is that 7 of their 12 winning seasons were only 1 win above .500, and they’ve only won more than 8 three times. They do have 2 conference titles and their bowl record is a mediocre 5-6.
63) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (AAC) (97-94) – The Golden Hurricane are either feast or famine. They have 8 winning seasons (including 4 times winning 10 or more making them the first on the list to have had more than three 10-win seasons), and 7 losing seasons (including three times losing 10 or more). They have two conference titles from their Conference USA days and a 5-4 bowl record.
62) Troy Trojans (SUN) (90-92) – The “other” Trojans have 7 winning seasons and 6 losing seasons and have never won or lost more than 9. They have claimed at least a share of 5 Sunbelt titles and have won only 2 of their 5 bowl games.
61) South Florida Bulls (AAC) (98-84) – USF has had 9 winning seasons and only 5 losing seasons, but in 2013 they went 2-10. Between 2005 and 2010, the Bulls went to six straight bowl games, followed by four straight losing seasons, before returning to a bowl last season. Overall they are 4-3 in those bowls, and are the highest ranked team without a 10-win season under their belt.
119) Idaho Vandals (SUN) (41-138) – In 2009, as a member of the now defunct WAC, the Vandals managed to go 7-5 through the regular season and earned a Humanitarian Bowl invite. They proceeded to eke out a 43-42 victory over Bowling Green to finish at 8-5. It is their one and only winning season. Idaho leads the nation in losing 10 games in a season, which they have done 8 times.
118) Army Black Knights (IND) (45-134) – Another team with only one winning season, in 2010 they finished at 6-6 and won the Armed Forces bowl against SMU 16-14. The Black Knights have lost 10 games or more 5 times with a winless season in 2003.
117) New Mexico State Aggies (SUN) (48-134) – The Sunbelt conference has 2 teams among the bottom four, that’s pretty bad. The Aggies lone winning season (7-5) came back in 2003, before they started giving bowl invites to teams for just being average. They have 6 seasons of losing 10 or more and in 2005 they lost every game.
116) UNLV Rebels (MWC) (51-130) – The first team on the list to break 50 wins, They had a .500 campaign back in 2003, and in 2013 they went 7-5 and headed to the Heart of Dallas bowl where North Texas throttled them 36-14. The Rebels also have 6 seasons with 10 or more losses.
115) Duke Blue Devils (ACC) (58-124) – Duke has the honor of being the worst team from a Power 5 conference. They are the lowest raked team to have had a 10 win season and have been on a roll lately with 3 straight winning seasons (finishing their best season at 10-4 in 2013) and 4 straight bowl appearances. They have gone 1-3 in those bowl games, their lone win coming last season in the Pinstripe bowl beating Indiana 44-41. What really brings Duke down is the fact they are one of only two teams to have gone winless twice (2001 and 2006).
114) Buffalo Bulls (MAC) (55-124) – The MAC is the 2nd conference to have more than one team in the bottom 10. The Bulls have only 2 winning seasons (winning 8 games in 2008 and 2013), although they lost both bowl appearances. Of their 13 losing seasons, 5 of them were the 10 or more loss type. What gives Buffalo a little bump is that back in 2005 the 7-5 Bulls surprised an unbeaten #12 Ball State in the MAC championship game to earn a conference champion bonus. They are the lowest ranked team to have won a conference championship.
113) Tulane Green Wave (AAC) (57-124) – Tulane matches Buffalo with 2 winning seasons and 13 losing seasons, including three seasons of losing 10 or more. Their best season was way back in 2002 when Tulane finished at 8-5 including a win over Hawai’i in the inaugural Hawai’i Bowl.
112) Florida International Golden Panthers (USA) (45-98) – The Panthers have only been playing since 2004, so they lost 3 seasons to most of the other teams. Still, they’ve only managed 2 winning seasons out of 12, and 3 times they lost 10 or more, even having a winless season in 2006. On the bright side they have gone to two bowls and actually won the Little Caesars Bowl in 2010 pulling out a 34-32 victory over Toledo. That season they also earned a share of the Sunbelt title, where they resided for the first 9 years of their existence.
T110) Southern Methodist Mustangs (AAC) (61-121) – The Mustangs are the second team to appear from the AAC, and have been a mixed bag. While they’ve had only 10 losing seasons, which is less than the other teams in this section of the poll, half of those ten saw them losing 10 or more and even going winless in 2003. What helps SMU a bit is that they went 3-1 when they managed to appear in four straight bowls under June Jones between 2009 & 2012.
T110) Indiana Hoosiers (B1G) (61-118) – The second Power 5 team hails from the B1G conference and are the first to appear who have managed to amass 60 wins. The Hoosiers have only managed one winning season and that was back in 2007. They’ve lost 10 or more twice and lost both bowl games they’ve appeared in.
109) Texas-El Paso Miners (USA) (68-114) – The second team to appear from Conference USA, the Miners had back to back 8-4 seasons in 2004-5, but have only had one other winning season. They’ve had 3 seasons of 10 or more losses and have lost all four 4 bowl games that they’ve played in.
108) Vanderbilt Commodores (SEC) (64-117) – The worst team in the SEC has had only 3 winning seasons, including back to back 9-4 campaigns under James Franklin who has moved on to Penn St.. They’ve won 3 of the 4 bowl games they’ve participated in, but have also had 4 seasons of losing 10 games, back-to-back in 2002 & 2003, and then back-to-back again in 2009 & 2010.
107) Alabama-Birmingham Blazers (Defunct) (60-106) The Blazers disbanded their football program at the end of the 2014 season, but are still included here because they qualify by having played over 100 games. During their 14 years counted here, they put together only 2 winning seasons, 11 losing seasons and went 6-6 in their final year. UAB lost 10 or more twice and lost in their only bowl game back in 2004, 59-40 to Hawai’i.
106) Kansas Jayhawks (Big12) (65-116) – The Jayhawks barely edge out Iowa St. for the title of worst team in the Big12. They have 3 winning seasons, one of them (2007) winning 12 games, including an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech by a score of 24-21. On the other side of the coin, they have had 4 seasons with 10 or more losses, including a winless season in 2015. In non-BCS bowls, Kansas has gone 2-1. They are the first team to appear on the list that made a BCS bowl appearance (and the next team on the list that actually won a BCS bowl will not appear until slot 53) but are currently on a 7-season streak of winning only 3 games or less.
105) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (SUN) (65-114) – The 3rd Sunbelt team to be among the worst 20 teams, the Warhawks have only had one winning season so far this millennium. They have had three .500 seasons, and among their 11 losing seasons, two of them were 11 losses. They also lost their only bowl game, a 45-14 drubbing in the Independence bowl courtesy of the Ohio Bears. ULM did earn a share of the conference championship in the 2005 season, even though they finished at 5-7. That’s pretty pathetic.
104) Iowa State Cyclones (Big12) (71-114) – The Big12 becomes the first Power 5 conference to have two teams represented, contrast that with the PAC12, who has yet to have a team show up. The Cyclones are the first team to appear that have cleared the 70 win mark. Three of their 10 losing seasons were of the 10-loss variety, but the Cyclones have had 5 winning seasons. So far no team has even had 4, so how’d they end up this far down the list? There are two reasons for this. First the most wins they‘ve ever had in a season is only 7 and second, they have had terrible results in their bowl games losing 5 of 7. Only one other team (who has won more than one bowl game) has had less success in bowl games.
103) Temple Owls (AAC) (69-111) – Temple has 4 winning seasons, 10 losing seasons and one .500 season. They have had 4 seasons of 10+ losses, including a 0 win team back in 2005, but won 10 games for the first time last season (and did it again this season). They have a 1-2 bowl record.
102) Akron Zips (MAC) (66-114) – The MAC is one of only two conferences with three teams in the worst 20. Akron has had 4 winning seasons and 3 times have lost 10 or more. In 2005 they defeated Northern Illinois in the MAC championship game to earn a conference title. They are 1-1 in bowl games, winning their first bowl game ever last season against Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
101) Wyoming Cowboys (MWC) (67-113) – The Mountain West finally has their 2nd team appear. The Cowboys have 3 winning seasons, 11 losing seasons and twice they’ve lost 10. They have gone 2-1 in their bowl games. Wyoming’s best season was 8-5 in 2011, this season they have a chance to hit 9 wins for the first time since 1996.
T99) North Texas Mean Green (USA) (65-118) – 11 losing seasons, 4 times losing 10 or more, and only 4 winning seasons. They are 2-3 in their 5 bowl appearances, but what really helps the Mean Green from slipping into the “Worst 20” group is from 2001-2004 they won four straight Sunbelt titles. Those four titles match the total won by all teams ranked below them.
T99) New Mexico Lobos (MWC) (74-111) – The Lobos are the first team on the list to have had less than 10 losing seasons (they have only 8), and also the first to have a .400 winning percent. They’ve had 6 winning seasons, the most of any appearing on the list so far, but did have a 3-season stretch from 2009-2011 of finishing 1-11. The Lobos have only won 1 out of 6 bowl games.
98) Kent State Golden Flashes (MAC) (68-110) – The MAC’s 4th team to appear has had only 2 winning seasons, winning a team best 11 in 2012. They’ve had 12 losing seasons, losing 10 in 2005, and they lost in their only bowl appearance by 4 to Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com bowl.
97) Colorado Buffaloes (PAC) (74-114) – So the PAC finally has a team show up, and it is a team that spent 2/3 of the first 15 seasons in the Big12. The Buffs have had 4 winning seasons (winning 10 back in 2001), and 11 losing seasons (losing 10 or more 4 times). They are 1-4 in regular bowl games and that 2001 season saw them win a conference championship as well as a BCS bowl bid, where they were trounced 38-16 by Oregon in the Fiesta.
96) San Jose State Spartans (MWC) (71-111) – 11 losing seasons, back to back seasons of losing 10 or more in 2009-10, but then just 2 seasons later they won 11. They are 3-0 in bowl games and are the first to have appeared in more than one bowl game without a loss.
95) Florida Atlantic Owls (USA) (56-89) – The Owls began play in 2004 and have fared a bit better than the Golden panthers who joined the league with them. They’ve had one .500 season and 3 winning seasons, unfortunately the last one was back in 2008. They lost 11 in 2011; won both bowl games they’ve appeared in and also won a share of the Sunbelt crown in 2007.
94) Kentucky Wildcats (SEC) (74-108) – The SEC’s 2nd worst team has had twice as many losing seasons as winning ones, with back to back 2-10 seasons in 2012-3. They did have a stretch of 5 straight bowl appearances, winning the first three and losing the last 2. Kentucky is currently on a streak of 6 losing seasons.
93) Illinois Fighting Illini (B1G) (71-111) – The second worst team in the B1G have had 11 losing seasons including 3 seasons with 10 or more losses. They have 4 winning seasons and included among those is a 10-2 season back in 2001. Illinois won the B1G championship that season and an invite to the Sugar Bowl where they lost to LSU by 13. They have appeared in one other BCS bowl, the 2007 Rose Bowl where they were hammered by USC, 49-17. So they are the first team to appear on the list with more than one BCS bowl appearance, although they lost both, and the Fighting Illini are 2-1 in non-BCS bowl games.
92) Memphis Tigers (AAC) (78-106) – Memphis has had 9 losing seasons, 4 seasons of losing 10 or more, including three seasons in a row from 2009-2011. Of their 6 winning seasons, one of them (2014) saw them win 10 and claim a share of the American Athletic championship. The Tigers are 3-4 in bowl games.
91) Utah St. Aggies (MWC) (74-109) – When I first did these rankings back after the 2010 season; there were only 6 teams worse than the Aggies. Since then they have had quite a bit of success, including a WAC championship (in that conferences final season before disbanding) and have almost moved themselves out of the bottom 25%. They have had 4 winning seasons, all coming in a four-season stretch between 2011 and 2014 breaking the streak last season with a 6-7 finish. During that stretch they won 10 or more twice. Before the turn around, Utah State finished with 10 or more losses twice, back to back in 2006-7. They have appeared in 5 bowl games in a row and have won 3 of those 5.
90) Miami, OH RedHawks (MAC) (76-109) – These birds have been very erratic. They’ve had 9 losing seasons, 5 of which they lost 10 or more including a winless season in 2012. They’ve had 6 winning seasons, 2 of which saw them winning 10 or more and 2 MAC titles. They have a 2-1 bowl record.
89) Purdue Boilermakers (B1G) (82-104) – Purdue is the first team on the board to have won 80 games. They have had 6 winning seasons, a .500 season and 8 losing seasons. The Boilermakers have lost 10 or more twice and both of those seasons came since 2012. They are currently on a 4-season skid of winning 3 games or less, which is pretty bad considering they had not won less than 4 games during the first 11 seasons of the new millennium. They have made 8 bowl games winning only 3 of them.
88) Washington Huskies (PAC) (83-104) – The 2nd PAC school to appear and the first one that’s spent the entire 15 seasons in the PAC. The Huskies are the first team to appear who has more winning seasons than losing seasons, with 8 and 6 respectively. What hurts Washington is that 2 of their 6 losing seasons were the 10-loss variety, and in 2008 they lost all 12 games. They also have not had much success in the bowl games winning only 3 of 8.
87) Western Michigan Broncos (MAC) (83-99) - The first team to appear with less than 100 losses, the Broncos have had 6 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. Two seasons of losing 10 or more and have gone a pitiful 1-5 in their bowl appearances. That lone win came last season in coach PJ Fleck’ third season at the helm and he currently has them on a streak of 3 winning seasons in a row.
86) Ball State Cardinals (MAC) (84-98) - Back to back Maction means that now half the MAC teams have appeared in the bottom 35 slots. The Cardinals have had only 4 winning seasons (including a 12-2 season in 2008, and a 10-3 season in 2013), a pair of .500 seasons and 9 losing seasons (including a 2-10 season in 2009). They have lost all four bowl games they’ve played in.
84T) Rice Owls (USA) (81-102) - Rice earns the title of best team named the Owls. They have had six winning seasons and 9 losing seasons, two 10-win seasons and two 10-loss seasons. They had a 10 win season as recently as 2013, and have gone 3-2 in their 5 bowl appearances.
84T) Syracuse Orangemen (ACC) (75-108) - While the ACC offered up the first Power 5 team on the list, they are the last conference to offer up their 2nd. The Orangemen only have 4 winning seasons to their credit, and only one since joining the ACC in 2013. Their best season came in 2001 when they went 10-3 as part of the Big East. They’ve had 2 seasons of losing 10 or more, but what gives Syracuse a boost is having 2 Big East conference championships and going 4-1 in their bowl match-ups.
83) Virginia Cavaliers (ACC) (86-99) – The Cavaliers have 9 losing seasons and one 10-loss season. They’ve managed 6 winning seasons, their last one coming in 2011 and their best mark was 9-4 from 2007. They’ve split the 6 bowls they’ve accepted invites to.
82) Minnesota Golden Gophers (B1G) (90-98) – The first team on the list to post 90 wins; the Gophers have had 7 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. They won 10 in 2003, and lost 11 in 2007, otherwise they’ve bounced between 3 and 8 wins every season. They are the first team to appear on the list with double-digit bowl appearances, having played in 11, but winning only 4. In fact last season they snapped a 7 game losing streak in bowl games.
81) Washington State Cougars (PAC) (80-103) – The Cougars have only managed 4 winning seasons. They had three 10-win seasons in row to start this millennium but then went 11 straight years without another winning season until last year’s 9-4 campaign. They also had a 3 season stretch (from 2008-2011) that saw them lose 10 or more. During the good stretch they did earn a conference championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl, but took a 34-14 pounding from Oklahoma. In non-BCS bowl games they have gone 3-1. All of this adds up to Washington St. being the lowest ranked team to have had more than two 10-win seasons.
80) Ohio Bears (MAC) (91-96) – This MAC team is on the upswing. They have 7 winning seasons, 6 losing seasons and 2 seasons of .500 ball. They did have 2 seasons of losing 10 or more, but that was back in 2001 and 2003. They haven’t had a losing season since 2008 and had a 10-win season in 2011. The bad part for them is they have yet to win a MAC title and have lost 5 of their 7 bowl games.
79) Colorado State Rams (MWC) (86-101) – The Rams have been middle of the road, having 7 winning seasons, seven losing seasons and one .500 season. What they don’t have is a season of 10 losses, the first team to appear on the list without one. They have had 2 seasons of 10 or more wins, once in 2002, and again in 2014. They also have one Mountain West championship, but have only won 3 of their 8 bowl games.
78) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (USA) (53-59) – The Hilltoppers only started playing in 2007, so they barely qualify, but have done quite well in their short existence. 6 winning seasons compared to only 3 losing seasons. The main reason they aren’t ranked any higher is because those 3 seasons were all 10 losses or more and even include a 0 win season. Since those three terrible seasons they have put together 5 winning seasons in a row, going 12-2 last year including going unbeaten in conference play to capture the Conference USA title. They have won 2 of 3 bowl games including the last two in a row.
77) Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC) (84-100) – The Bulldogs are only the third SEC team to make an appearance and have had 7 winning seasons vs. 8 losing seasons. Currently, they’ve managed to put together 6 winning seasons in a row, including a 10 win season in 2014 that earned them a New Years Six bowl berth. Unfortunately for them they lost to Georgia Tech by 14. They did have a rough stretch at the beginning of the millennium, going six seasons without winning more than 3 games, including a 2-10 season in 2003. Mississippi State is 5-1 in non-BCS bowls, and are the first team to appear on the list with at least 5 bowl wins.
76) San Diego State Aztecs (MWC) (87-99) – San Diego State is another team on the move lately. They have 8 losing seasons (including 10 losses in 2008), but haven’t had a losing season since 2009. They have played in a bowl game every year since then, going 3-3. Also during that time they’ve had an 11-win season (just last year) and even earned 2 conference championships.
T74) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC) (83-100) – This is the last team on the list to have lost 100 games. They have had only 5 winning seasons, but one of those was a 10-3 season that netted them the ACC championship and an Orange Bowl invite where they lost by 11 to Louisville. They’ve also never had a season of 10 losses and have gone 3-1 in their non-BCS bowl games.
T74) North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) (94-94) – The first team on the list that aren’t below .500, the Tar Heels have 8 winning seasons and 6 losing seasons. They lost 10 in 2003, won 11 last season and have won only 3 of their 9 bowl games.
73) Arizona Wildcats (PAC) (88-97) – Arizona has split seven winning and losing seasons and have one .500 season. They didn’t have a winning season until 2008, and have had only one losing season since. They lost 10 in 2003, and won 10 in 2014, including a trip to the Fiesta bowl where Boise St. beat them by 8. Besides that bowl, they’ve won 4 of 6.
72) East Carolina Pirates (AAC) (93-95) – Another team to split winning and losing seasons 7/7 with a .500 season thrown in. They also have one of each 10-win and 10-loss, and 2 Conference USA titles. They haven’t fared as well since moving to the American Athletic Conference in 2014 and have the worst bowl record of any team winning more than once, managing only 2 of 9.
71) Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (USA) (89-93) – MTSU has 6 winning seasons and 8 losing seasons. They won 10 in 2009, and only two seasons later dropped 10. They won 2 Sunbelt titles and since joining Conference USA in 2013, have yet to have a losing season. Their bowl performance has been poor, winning only 1 of 5.
70) Northwestern Wildcats (B1G) (96-90) – Northwestern is the first team to appear with a winning record, although they do have more losing seasons (seven) than winning ones (six). 2 of their 6 winning seasons saw them winning 10 (2012 and 2015). The worst stat for the Wildcats is they have only won once in 8 bowl games.
69) Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (SUN) (84-97) – The Ragin’ Cajuns have had 7 losing seasons, 3 .500 seasons, and only 5 winning seasons. They had only 1 wining season over the first 10 years, but put together a strong 4 year run of 9-4 seasons, winning 2 Sunbelt championships and going 4-0 in their bowls. They are the first team on the list to be unbeaten with at least 4 bowl wins.
68) Connecticut Huskies (AAC) (88-96) – The Huskies have 6 winning seasons, and 8 losing seasons, including a 10 loss season in 2014. They did manage to claim a share of 2 Big East titles and in 2011 they received a Fiesta Bowl invite where Oklahoma proceeded to slaughter them 48-20. In non-BCS bowls they hold a 3-2 record.
T66) Central Michigan Chippewas (MAC) (91-96) – The Chippewas have had more winning seasons than losing ones (8&6), have never had a 10 loss season and have put together two 10-win campaigns (winning 12 in 2009). They can claim at least a share of 3 MAC titles and their bowl record is 3-4. They have never won less than 3 and haven’t had a losing season since 2011.
T66) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (USA) (93-92) – These Bulldogs have had 7 each of winning and losing seasons plus one .500 season. Their worst season was 2006 when they went 3-10. They have 2 conference titles from their WAC days and have won 3 of 5 bowl games.
65) Air Force Falcons (MWC) (101-87) – The Falcons are the first team to appear who have 100 wins, also the first team with less than 90 losses, and also the first team to have had more than 8 winning seasons (they have 9). They have only 5 losing seasons but in 2013 they lost 10, followed by a 10-win season in 2014. Their bowl success has been very limited winning 3 and losing 6.
64) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (USA) (99-92) - The Golden Eagles are the first team to appear with double-digit winning seasons, with an incredible 12. They only have 3 losing seasons, all of them coming during an awful stretch between 2012 and 2014. Those three seasons saw them go 3-9, 1-11 and 0-12. Another thing holding them back is that 7 of their 12 winning seasons were only 1 win above .500, and they’ve only won more than 8 three times. They do have 2 conference titles and their bowl record is a mediocre 5-6.
63) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (AAC) (97-94) – The Golden Hurricane are either feast or famine. They have 8 winning seasons (including 4 times winning 10 or more making them the first on the list to have had more than three 10-win seasons), and 7 losing seasons (including three times losing 10 or more). They have two conference titles from their Conference USA days and a 5-4 bowl record.
62) Troy Trojans (SUN) (90-92) – The “other” Trojans have 7 winning seasons and 6 losing seasons and have never won or lost more than 9. They have claimed at least a share of 5 Sunbelt titles and have won only 2 of their 5 bowl games.
61) South Florida Bulls (AAC) (98-84) – USF has had 9 winning seasons and only 5 losing seasons, but in 2013 they went 2-10. Between 2005 and 2010, the Bulls went to six straight bowl games, followed by four straight losing seasons, before returning to a bowl last season. Overall they are 4-3 in those bowls, and are the highest ranked team without a 10-win season under their belt.
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