We recently looked at FBS programs with the most bowl game wins. While that article was all about the positives, we’re about to get a little negative. Because for every college football betting favorite, there’s always that other team you rarely put your money on.
Everyone knows about the Alabamas, Georgias, and Oklahomas of the FBS world. Blueblood programs with a stacked trophy case of bowl game trophies. What about the other teams, though? What about the teams with a sad history of bowl game performances? Or teams that have never won one bowl game?
The history of the bowl game dates back to 1902 with the Tournament East-West football game, which was sponsored by the Tournament of Roses Association and is now known as the Rose Bowl. There were 41 bowl games in the 2019-2020 season.
There have been a ridiculous number of these postseason games played. But for the teams below — although some are newer to the FBS level — the bowl series hasn’t treated them well.
Worst Bowl Game Records
| Team | Wins | Losses | Winning % |
| UMass | 0 | 0 | – |
| Texas State | 0 | 0 | – |
| Charlotte | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Coastal Carolina | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| South Alabama | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| UTSA | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Western Michigan | 1 | 9 | 0.100 |
| Ball State | 1 | 7 | 0.125 |
| North Texas | 2 | 9 | 0.182 |
| Indiana | 3 | 10 | 0.231 |
| Central Michigan | 3 | 9 | 0.250 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | 6 | 0.250 |
| UAB | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| Northern Illinois | 4 | 9 | 0.308 |
| Iowa State | 5 | 11 | 0.313 |
| Akron | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Kent State | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Temple | 3 | 6 | 0.333 |
| New Mexico | 4 | 8 | 0.346 |
| Colorado State | 6 | 11 | 0.353 |
| Nevada | 7 | 11 | 0.353 |
| UTEP | 5 | 9 | 0.357 |
| Northwestern | 6 | 10 | 0.375 |
| Virginia | 8 | 13 | 0.381 |
| Texas Tech | 14 | 23 | 0.382 |
| Memphis | 5 | 8 | 0.385 |
| Ohio | 5 | 8 | 0.385 |
| Utah State | 5 | 8 | 0.385 |
| South Carolina | 9 | 14 | 0.391 |
| Arkansas | 15 | 24 | 0.393 |
| Virginia Tech | 13 | 20 | 0.394 |
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Sam Herder is a writer for BetMGM and HERO Sports. A North Dakota State journalism grad, he spent several years in the print media industry before writing for online outlets. Sam has covered sports at all levels — high school, college, and professional — since 2011.
