Is Kent State the worst FBS college football team of all time? The fact that the Golden Flashes are 0-10, and 1-21 since the start of 2023 season, certainly lends some merit to the assertion.
Hidden in that record is a 19-game losing streak. Bad, but it doesn't even crack the top 20 worst losing streaks in college football history. Yet.
In fact, 1981-83 Kent State has been there and done that; that iteration of the Golden Flashes are tied for 20th at 21 straight losses.
Modern Kent State has every chance to match that. And, of course, that one win in the past two years was against an FCS team. Kent State hasn't beaten an FBS opponent since Nov. 26, 2022. This year, the Golden Flashes lost to FCS St. Francis, which is currently 4-6 and had a run where it scored seven total points in three games from Oct. 12 to Oct. 26.
Here's a quick look at this Kent State team by the numbers (not every stat, just the more meaningful ones):
- Total offense: 231 yards per game (134th nationally)
- Scoring offense: 14.3 points per game (131st)
- Turnover margin: -10 (T-124th)
- Total defense: 521.9 yards per game (134th)
- Scoring defense: 44.8 points per game (134th)
- Net punting: 36.89 yards (108th)
So, dead last in the nation in most major categories, and Kent State isn't even that great at punting on top of that. But, hey, the Golden Flashes do have more total points (143) than Florida State (133). So there's that.
Worst team of all time? Not quite. Worst team in a while? Probably. Worst team this season? Definitely. But the Seminoles (and Purdue) are giving Kent State a run for its money.
If you, dear reader, know the Bottom 25, you know this isn't meant to poke fun at Kent State. It's more in admiration of its futility. Never change, Golden Flashes. You are the Bottom 25's heart and soul.
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Bottom 25 rankings
The illustrious Tom Fornelli created the formula that we still use to generate the Bottom 25, but he has since passed on his writing duties. To be clear, the rankings are based on a series of calculations, but the quips are entirely man-made.
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. Utah State | 3-7 | For a program that's navigated the entire 2024 season with an interim coach, Utah State hasn't been that bad. The offense has been especially impressive, as evidenced by the Aggies' recent 55-10 win against Hawaii. Maybe they can push Bottom 25 newcomer (slight spoiler) San Diego State this week. (Last week: 14) | |
| 24. San Diego State | 3-7 | Sean Lewis was an offensive coach before coming to San Diego State. I have to note that because you couldn't tell by watching the Aztecs this year. They currently rank 11th in the MWC in total offense (324.7 yards per game) and ninth in scoring offense (21.6 points per game). Hence why they're in the Bottom 25 now. It could be a brief stay, depending on what happens Saturday against Utah State. (NR) | |
| 23. Nevada | 3-8 | Nevada had a bye in Week 13, so I'll throw out a fun fact: the Wolf Pack are the only FBS team to play 13 games this season. So an extremely rare 3-10 is on the table. (23) | |
| 22. Stanford | 3-7 | In my heart, Stanford, you did enough to climb out of the Bottom 25. The Cardinal took a sledgehammer to Louisville's season with their 38-35 win in Week 12. This despite the fact that they trailed 28-13 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter. Good on you, Stanford. (16) | |
| 21. Mississippi State | 2-8 | Mississippi State had a bye in Week 12. It closes the year against a beatable Missouri team before traveling to Ole Miss for the Egg Bowl, appointment viewing for any college football fan. (21) | |
| 20. Central Michigan | 3-7 | Central Michigan is going on two months without a win. Its last triumph came on Sept. 28 against the aforementioned San Diego State Aztecs. Luckily for Bottom 25 fans, the Chippewas are in MACtion tonight against Western Michigan. (24) | |
| 19. Charlotte | 3-7 | Charlotte is riding a four-game losing streak, with three of those losses coming by at least 31 points. So the 49ers made the hard decision to move on from coach Biff Poggi. Hopefully our sleeveless king lands on his feet somewhere. (NR) | |
| 18. Air Force | 3-7 | Are we getting a late-season rally from the Falcons? They are certainly becoming one of the Bottom 25's biggest success stories. Air Force secured its second win in a row Saturday by downing Oregon State 28-0. Impressive stuff from a program that once seemed in free fall. (6) | |
| 17. UAB | 2-8 | What's left to say about UAB at this point? Trent Dilfer has completely buried a once proud program, and the Blazers would do well to put as much distance between themselves and Dilfer as possible. (22) | |
| 16. Temple | 3-7 | Temple beat FAU 18-15 in Week 12 and still decided to ditch coach Stan Drayton. It's a cold world, but the move makes sense. Drayton won a whopping nine games in three years with the Owls. (12) | |
| 15. FAU | 2-8 | FAU lost 18-15 to Temple in Week 12 and the Owls fired coach Tom Herman. Makes sense. Who knew that the Bottom 25 Battle of the Owls would have such significant fallout? (18) | |
| 14. Tulsa | 3-7 | It's been a rough run for the Golden Hurricane lately. They lost to UAB (UAB!!!) Nov. 2, which I'll never let them live down, and followed that up with another loss against East Carolina, which currently does not have a full-time head coach. (19) | |
| 13. Georgia State | 2-8 | Georgia State beating Vanderbilt is college football's biggest mystery this year. I know I mention it every week, but it baffles me. The Panthers have not won since and it looks like they're going to go 0-fer in Sun Belt play. (17) | |
| 12. Middle Tennessee | 3-7 | Middle Tennessee had a bye in Week 12. That gave it plenty of time to prepare for this week's Bottom 25 Game of the Year of the Week against New Mexico State. For those keeping track (I certainly am), this is the third Bottom 25 opponent MTSU has played since the start of October. The Blue Raiders are 2-0 thus far and a -3.5 point betting favorite this week. (15) | |
| 11. UTEP | 2-8 | UTEP had a bye in Week 12 and travels to play Tennessee Saturday. Good luck with that, Miners. (13) | |
| 10. Ball State | 3-7 | Ball State has been all over these rankings this season, but its latest stretch solidifies it as a Bottom 10 team. Back-to-back one-possession losses are crushing, though. (9) | |
| 9. Akron | 2-8 | The stars have aligned to give us sickos something truly special this week. If you have something going on tonight, cancel it right now, or else you'll miss the Bottom 25 Game of the Millennium between Akron and Kent State. Now that's MACtion. Sports betting apps have Akron as a -10 favorite going in. (11) | |
| 8. Florida State | 1-9 | Mike Norvell recently said his Seminoles "have to play our best game" to beat Charleston Southern. Normally that's coach speak, but Florida State is so bad that it really has to fire on all cylinders to avoid getting embarrassed by a 1-10 FCS team. (8) | |
| 7. Wyoming | 2-8 | Someone in the MWC scheduling office does not like Wyoming. The Cowboys close the year against a pair of ranked teams in Boise State -- a runaway favorite to represent the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff -- and Washington State. Brutal for a Cowboys team that really has not been good this year. (10) | |
| 6. UMass | 2-8 | UMass took Liberty to overtime but missed an extra point and lost 35-34. Brutal way to go out, especially for coach Don Brown, who was let go a couple of days after the loss to the Flames. (3) | |
| 5. New Mexico State | 2-8 | Will New Mexico State break its three-game losing streak against Middle Tennessee on Saturday? You'll have to tune into the Bottom 25 Game of the Week of the Year to find out. (5) | |
| 4. Purdue | 1-9 | Purdue's not very good at much of anything this year. Penn State moved the ball at will against the Boilermakers, who simultaneously struggled to cross the 50-yard line on a consistent basis in Week 12. Sad to see for a program that, even during brief rough periods, was at least fun under former coach Jeff Brohm. (4) | |
| 3. Kennesaw State | 1-9 | The record may not entirely reflect it, but Kennesaw State has fought hard as the season nears its conclusion. The Owls took a really good Sam Houston team with CUSA Championship Game aspirations to overtime Saturday, and of course they beat Liberty earlier in the season. None of it was enough to save coach Brian Bohannon, though, who was canned Nov. 11. (2) | |
| 2. Southern Miss | 1-9 | Southern Miss has scored a combined six points in its last two games. That's pretty awful. You know what's even worse? The Golden Eagles allowed 95 total points in that same span. (3) | |
| 1. Kent State | 0-10 | Not that I'm cheering against Kent State -- trust me, the Golden Flashes are very near and dear to me -- but it would be sad to see a potential 0-12 season go to waste. So, Akron, you know what you need to do. For America. (1) |