Every week for the rest of the season I am going to make the list of the Bottom 10 teams in the country. These are the worst of the worst- the most awful teams in all of college football. Here is your inaugural ranking of the very bottom of the barrel:
1. SMU 0-5 (0-1) The Mustangs are dead last in both points for (7.2 a game) and points against (49.4 a game). The have lost 45-0 to #10 Baylor, 43-6 to North Texas, 56-6 to #6 Texas A&M, 56-0 to now-#9 TCU, and to #22 East Carolina 45-24. Yes, four of those opponents are currently ranked in the top 16, but SMU has been dominated too greatly to ignore. Their poor performance against North Texas exemplifies their “worst team in the country” distinction. It doesn’t get easier with Cincinnati and Memphis, both strong mid-majors, up next.
2. UMass 0-6 (0-2) UMass has played four very competitive games thus far, but the Minutemen have found themselves on the losing end every time. They are still a young, new FBS team learning how to win. Their schedule includes defeats to Boston College 30-7, Colorado 41-38, Vanderbilt 34-31, Penn State 48-7, Bowling Green 47-42, and Miami (OH) 42-41. They may have been in those four games, but the bottom line is they lost to four very bad teams. They are close to starting to win games, but this season they are among the nation’s worst teams.UMass plays Kent State this week, another winless team on our list, so something has got to give for one of the squads.
3. E. Michigan 1-4 (0-1) The Eagles have taken on FBS powers Michigan State and Florida this season and come away with 73-14 and 65-0 beat downs respectively. While they weren’t expected to compete in those games, they have also been defeated by Old Dominion 17-3 and Akron 31-6 in games they could have (and probably should have) won. Their only victory is a three-point win over FCS Morgan State. Eastern Michigan is 126th in points scored (10.8/game) and 127th in points against (42.8/game), bottom three in both categories. They get UMass in two weeks in a battle of bottom ten teams.
4. Kent State 0-5 (0-2) The Golden Flashes have scored a measly 10.8 points per game (126th nationally) while giving up 33.6 a contest (96th). They are winless against Ohio 17-14, South Alabama 23-13, #22 Ohio State 66-0, Virginia 45-13, and Northern Illinois 17-14. They have played some very tough competition in Ohio State and Virginia while playing close games in their other three contests. They may not be as bad as their 0-5 record indicates and could prove it this week with a win against UMass.
5. Troy 0-5 (0-1) The Trojans are winless against UAB 48-10, Duke 34-17, Abiliene Christian 38-35, #13 Georgia 66-0, and Louisiana-Monroe 22-20. They are 121st nationally in scoring offense (16.4/game) and 123rd in scoring defense (41.6/game). They are in contention for being the very worst team in the country and could prove it as the season goes on.
6. UNLV 1-5 (0-2) UNLV has had a disastrous season thus far, managing only a 13-12 victory over FCS opponent North Colorado thus far. They have lost to Arizona 58-13, Northern Illinois 48-34, Houston 47-14, San Diego State 34-17, and San Jose State 33-10. They are 120th in point per game at 16.8 and give up 38.7 per game, 118th in the country. With Fresno State, Utah State, and BYU still on the schedule, they will struggle to win another game this season.
7. Idaho 0-5 (0-3) Idaho’s scoring offense is 89th with 25.6 points per game which saves their overall ranking a bit. Their 115th scoring defense (37.6/game) brings them down a lot and has costs them in their loses to Louisiana-Monroe 38-31, Western Michigan 45-33, Ohio 36-24, South Alabama 34-10, and Texas State 35-30. They have the potential to climb this list as the season progresses.
8. Tulane 1-4 (0-1) The Green Wave’s only win is against FCS opponent Southeastern Louisiana 35-20. They have dropped their FBS matchups to Tulsa 38-31 (granted, that went to double overtime), Georgia Tech 38-21, Duke 47-13, and Rutgers 31-6. The last three are Power 5 opponents, so they may not be quite as bad as we think right now. They make the list because of their 109th scoring offense (21.2/game) and 102nd scoring defense (34.8/game).
9. Tulsa 1-4 (1-0) The Golden Hurricane are 1-0 in conference but are a lowly 126th in points against (42.4/game) and an unimpressive 97th in points scored (23.4/game). They beat a fellow bottom-ten team, Tulane, but it took them double overtime to do it. They have lost to #4 Oklahoma 52-7, Florida Atlantic 50-21, Texas State 37-34 in triple-overtime, and Colorado State 42-17 since.
10. Vanderbilt 1-5 (0-4) It may be a bit unfair to include the Commodores on this list with losses to #15 Ole Miss 41-3, #14 South Carolina 48-34, Kentucky 17-7, and #13 Georgia 44-17 while playing in the SEC. However, with the expectations coming into this season factored in, the results have been disastrous. They lost their home opener to Temple 37-7 and their only win is against, yet again, UMass 34-31. They are 119th in points scored (17.0/game) and 110th in points against (36.3/game). However, Vandy shouldn’t be on this list much longer, with Charleston Southern and Old Dominion on their schedule two out of the next three weeks.
Just missing the list: Georgia State 1-4 (0-2) Beat Abilene Christian; lost to New Mexico State by 3, Air Force by 10, Washington by 31, and Louisiana-Lafayette by 3. Averaging 30.4 points per game (67th), 39.6 points against (119th).
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment and follow me on Twitter – @CTaylorLWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
