So often we like to write about good college football teams and for good reason, but for some comical relief, or maybe agonizing pain for the fans of these schools, I thought it would be fun to look into college football’s worst team’s as we hit the halfway point. Note: UCLA and Nebraska were spared from the list. Those fan bases have been through enough with the hope of new coaches. Not to mention, UCLA kind of got screwed schedule-wise. But that does not mean every Power 5 team is exempt from making this list.
#5 Rice Owls: 1-5 (0-2)
The best of the worst! After a riveting 31-28 win against Prarie View in Week 1, the Owls have ripped off 5 straight losses. Rice allows 433 yards a game while allowing 39 points a contest. The good news for Rice fans (if they exist)? The Owls have already matched their 2017 season total with 1 win. They also play two more very winnable games against UTEP and Old Dominion. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but this could be a 3-9 team. Still could be a positive season for Rice.
#4 UConn Huskies: 1-5 (0-3)
Success hasn’t exactly been the Huskies forté the past few seasons. Following back-to-back 3-9 seasons, UConn sits at 1-5 in 2018. The Huskies have been outscored by 200 points overall, and 160-38 in just three conference games. Defensively, it’s a mess. 658 yards allowed per game. Yikes. Their only win this year? 56-49 shootout against FCS Rhode Island. The good news? UConn can’t lose this week as they have a bye. Following their next game against South Florida, the Huskies finish with 5 games against teams with a combined 10-19 record. Could we see another 3 win season for UConn?? Stay tuned.
#3 UTEP Miners: 0-6 (0-2)
UTEP has actually played several opponents close, but their offense is little to nothing. UTEP quarterbacks have combined for an almost impressively horrible 48% completion percentage, 4 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. The Miners have some room for wins with Rice and Western Kentucky still on the schedule, but any team that’s 0-6 and has a 30-10 loss to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks deserves to be on this list.
#2 Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 1-5 (0-3)
Rutgers is our only featured Power 5 team and boy are they bad. Their only win came off of a 1-5 Texas State team that barely missed making this list. Rutgers has had some brutal losses including a 55-14 loss to Kansas, followed by a 42-13 home loss to Buffalo. The Scarlet Knights really don’t do anything well. They don’t defend or score, and in their last six games, Northwestern is the worst team they face. Last 4 games? Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State. This might be a 1-11 football team. I’ll leave you with this: Starting QB Artur Sitkowski has thrown for 750 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Maybe it’s time to sit-down-ski.
#1 San Jose State Spartans: 0-5 (0-2)
The worst of the worst. San Jose State has a good chance of being 0-12 this year. But I give the Spartans credit. They scheduled some tough games early on… Washington State, Oregon, and Army in non-conference is no easy task. The only winnable game I see for San Jose State is against Wyoming on the road, a team they beat last season. Otherwise, it could be 0-12. My favorite Spartans stat? 53 yards rushing yards per game. It’s almost sad how brutal that is. To be fair, the Spartans really don’t belong in a pretty solid Mountain West Conference.
Honorable Mentions
Texas State: 1-4 (0-2)
Arkansas: 1-5 (0-3)
Oregon State: 1-5 (0-3)
Kent State: 1-5 (0-2)
UCLA: 0-5 (0-2)
Nebraska: 0-5 (0-3)