It was hard to locate the 11 worst college football teams since 2010 because there are quite a few contenders fighting for a place on this list. For example, the University of Central Florida was 0-12 in 2015 and couldn’t even secure a spot.
This list is focused on a lot more than simply records. It’s about a confluence of issues that define a season. Everything from on-field performance to ever-dreaded FCS losses are factored into these rankings.
So, who was the best of the worst? Or is it the worst of the worst? We’ve shifted through the rubbish, uncovered some perfectly good tiramisu and discovered the 11 worst college football teams since 2010.
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11 worst college football teams since 2010
11) Colorado 2022 (1-11)
Win: Cal
Offense: 127/131 (15.4 ppg)
Defense: 131/131 (44.5 ppg)
Colorado had a tough schedule facing nine bowl teams in addition to four Pac-12 games against sides ranked inside the top-15. That still doesn’t hide the fact that this team was bad. I was at their 42-9 loss at Oregon State, and it was one of the worse football performances you’ll ever see. And I also sat through that Friday night game between Colorado State and Nevada last year.
The Buffaloes lost by 23 points or more on some ten occasions in 2022. There is actually an odd butterfly effect moment that is worth noting. Colorado opened the season at home against TCU with the Horned Frogs leading at halftime 7-6.
Of course, you already know the ending to this story. Chandler Morris would get hurt, Max Duggan came in, TCU scored 31 straight points in the second half and advanced all the way to the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, Colorado did the exact opposite of that.
10) Florida International 2013 (1-11)
Win: Southern Miss
Offense: 124/125 (9.8 ppg)
Defense: 113/125 (37 ppg)
At the end of the 2012, Florida International fired Mario Cristobal after a 3-9 season despite the now Miami Head Coach having led the program to its first two bowl games in 2010 and 2011. And what hot, up-and-coming coach did they tab to replace him? Norv Turner’s brother Ron, a man who hadn’t been involved in college football since being fired by Illinois in 2004.
Between that time and his hiring at FIU, his most notable job was as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator during the Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman and Jay Cutler era. Things went as well as you would have expected.
The Golden Panthers opened 2013 with a pair of 30+ point losses before falling to FCS Bethune-Cookman and getting waxed by Louisville 72-0. FIU would upset Southern Miss, another Conference USA team that finished 1-11. Despite this shameful showing, Turner would stick around for another two seasons. It didn’t get better.
9) UMass 2021 (1-11)
Win: UConn
Offense: 126/130 (16.3 ppg)
Defense: 130/130 (43.1 ppg)
If we’re being honest, the list of worst college football teams since 2010 could be nothing but UMass entries. They have been nothing but booty since transitioning to FBS in 2012. However, their 2021 campaign was particularly shambolic.
Somehow the Minutemen lost to FCS schools Rhode Island and Maine in back-to-back weeks. The former finished 7-4 and the latter wound up 6-5. These were not top-level sides. However, they did manage one FBS victory which we’ll get to next.
8) UConn 2021 (1-11)
Win: Yale
Offense: 129/130 (15.6 ppg)
Defense: 123/130 (38.5 ppg)
As bad as UMass was in 2021, and they were really bad, the Minutemen did manage a single victory that season–against UConn. And just to add insult to injury, the Huskies also found time to lose to an FCS school, coming up short against Holy Cross.
I also had the unfortunate pleasure of watching UConn in person in 2021 when they took on Fresno State at Bulldog Stadium. For some reason, this game kicked off at 11am in searing heat and was miserable. Like, the bottom of your shoes were melting on the walk back to your car; it was that hot.
Anyway, the Huskies were incredibly slow. It looked as if they were playing in quicksand. For what it’s worth, UConn did have close losses against Wyoming and Vanderbilt which is why they aren’t featured higher (or is it lower) on this list. And hey, they beat Yale.
Also, props to Jim Mora for turning around the program and getting the team to a bowl game in 2022. That was a helluva accomplishment.
7) Kansas 2015 (0-12)
Win: None
Offense: 123/128 (15.2 ppg)
Defense: 128/128 (46.1 ppg)
On one hand, Kansas had one of the more difficult schedules on this list. But even then, the Jayhawks weren’t putting up much of a fight most weeks. Case in point, they only had a pair of one-score losses in 2015 and one of those came against FCS South Dakota State.
It’s difficult to pick a single embarrassing moment for Kansas in 2015 as most weeks they had lost by halftime. However, barfing up 28 first quarter points to a 4-6 Kansas State team was pretty bad.
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6) Idaho 2012 (1-11)
Win: New Mexico State
Offense: 123/124 (15.8 ppg)
Defense: 122/124 (42.4 ppg)
A clusterfuck doesn’t even begin to describe Idaho’s season in 2012. It started with quarterback Dominique Blackman being mysteriously suspended for the season opener, an embarrassing 20-3 loss against FCS rival Eastern Washington. Somehow, things got worse from here.
Blackman would return to the program, but the Vandals suffered a couple of close losses and a pair of body bag beatdowns. The quarterback could not hide his frustration and was caught yelling at Head Coach Robb Akey on the sidelines. It was a bad look.
A win against fellow WAC cellar dweller New Mexico State did little to reverse Idaho’s fortunes. Akey was fired after a 1-7 start and that very same week Blackman was kicked off the team for a failed drug test. All hell started breaking loose at this point. A 70-28 defeat at the hands of Louisiana Tech was a real lowlight as the Vandals drifted aimlessly for the remainder of 2012.
5) New Mexico 2011 (1-11)
Win: UNLV
Offense: 120/120 (12 ppg)
Defense: 119/120 (41.7 ppg)
The worst offense and the second-worst defense in FBS was not a recipe for success at New Mexico in 2011. The Lobos were shut out on three occasions that season, including a 69-0 loss at TCU followed by a 42-0 home drubbing at the hands of Air Force the next week.
In week four, New Mexico lost to FCS Sam Houston State, leading to Mike Locksley’s firing. Interim Coach George Barlow did not have any answers as the team lost to in-state rival New Mexico State by double digits a week later.
A last-minute victory against UNLV prevented a winless season but couldn’t hide the reality New Mexico was not competitive. This was the last of three consecutive 1-11 for the Lobos.
4) Miami (OH) 2013 (0-12)
Win: None
Offense: 125/125 (9.8 ppg)
Defense: 108/125 (35.7 ppg)
Just how bad was Miami of Ohio in 2013? Well, UMass won a single game and it happened to be against the RedHawks. This side was just consistently brutal. Only twice was the final score within single digits and Ben Roethlisberger’s alma mater only mustered more than 14 points twice over the course of 12 contests.
Miami tried a coaching change during the season, replacing Don Treadwell with Mike Bath after five games. It had no impact with the RedHawks spending most weeks getting browbeat during MAC-tion on ESPN2.
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3) North Texas 2015 (1-11)
Win: UTSA
Offense: 124/128 (15.2 ppg)
Defense: 122/128 (41.2 ppg)
There were a lot of lousy college football teams in 2015 but North Texas was the cream of the crop. It all starts with one of the most embarrassing losses in the sport’s recent history, the Mean Green’s capitulation against FCS Portland State. The commuter school built a 66-point lead before a consolation touchdown with nearly one minute left ensured a respectable scoreline of 66-7.
That Vikings team was good. They also beat Washington State in a classic case of Coug’ing it. But no FBS program should lose by 59 points to a Big Sky school. The rest of North Texas’ season was just as awful. Even their lone victory, which came against UTSA, needed the Mean Green to score a defensive 2-point conversion on their way to winning.
2) Akron 2019 (0-12)
Win: None
Offense: 130/130 (10.5 ppg)
Defense: 123/130 (36.2 ppg)
I feel bad for the 2019 Akron Zips who were anything but zippy. Their offense was the worst in FBS but that doesn’t do it justice. The side scored a touchdown or less in seven of 12 games. Midway through the campaign, Akron went ten consecutive quarters, or more than 137 minutes, without scoring.
The only reason their defense wasn’t the worst is because 14 points was an insurmountable lead for the opposition. And to put a cherry on top of this shit sundae, UMass only won a single game in 2019 and that came against…that’s right, the Zips. Honestly, let’s hope Joe Morehead turns it around.
1) UTEP 2017 (0-12)
Win: None
Offense: 130/130 (11.8 ppg)
Defense: 123/130 (36.8 ppg)
UTEP fell to Western Kentucky 15-14 at home midway through the 2017 season. This was the lone competitive contest for the Miners who lost every other game by two touchdowns or more. Sean Kugler started the season as head coach but was replaced by Mike Price who school leadership dusted off for a stint as interim coach.
As you can tell by UTEP’s inclusion on this list, it went poorly. The Miners were beaten by 21 or more points in five of their final six fixtures.
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