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College football has been played for more than 150 years with the first official game being tracked back to 1869. That matchup saw Rutgers defeat Princeton, 6-4. Since, it’s undergone massive change to become the sport we know and love today.
There are the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in every sport. College football is no different. We often hear of the nation’s top powerhouses to include notable programs like Michigan, Alabama, and Ohio State.
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We hear much less about those schools not considered blue bloods, but they, too, own spots in the history books for various reasons – many of which are not celebrated by their fanbases.
This is one of those cases. Below are the 12 teams at the Power 4 level with the worst all-time records in college football.
Kentucky Wildcats
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The Kentucky Wildcats come in at No. 12. They are the first of these Power 4 teams with losing all-time records.
A charter member of the SEC, Kentucky is 647-455-44, good for a winning percentage of 49.7%.
Duke Blue Devils
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The Duke Blue Devils are the first ACC squad on the list with an all-time record of 547-559-31. That’s been good for a 49.4%-win rate.
It’s not all been bad for the Blue Devils. They do own 17 conference titles with the last coming in 1989.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Rutgers, as mentioned earlier, won the first ever college football game. There hasn’t been a ton of success to follow.
The Scarlet Knights are 678-701-42, a win percentage of 49.2%. They have just one conference title.
SMU Mustangs
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SMU was part of one of the biggest scandals in college football history. It set the program back years in terms of success.
The Mustangs are 544-563-42 all-time (49.2%). After receiving the death penalty in 1987, they posted one winning season over a 20-year span.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State is the second SEC school on the list. The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 588-619-39 with a winning percentage of 48.8%.
MSU has one conference championship, which came in 1941.
Vanderbilt Commodores
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Vanderbilt is the worst Southeastern Conference member on the list. At 625-671-50, the Commodores boast a winning percentage of 48.3%.
Vandy has 14 conference titles, all of which came before 1924.
Kansas Jayhawks
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Kansas is 610-686-58 all-time for a winning percentage of 47.2%. They are the first Big 12 team on the list.
The Jayhawks have won six conference titles with the last coming in 1968. They’ve also gone 7-7 in bowl games.
Kansas State Wildcats
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Rival Kansas State is next up with a winning percentage of 46.3%. The Wildcats are 579-674-42 all-time.
KSU has been more than respectable on the field of late. They were, however, downright awful prior to the 1990s.
Iowa State Cyclones
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Iowa State is the third Big 12 team in a row. They own the 4th-worst winning percentage amongst P4 programs at 46%.
The Cyclones are 577-681-46. Their last conference title came in 1912.
Northwestern Wildcats
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Northwestern is the second Big 10 team on the list. They own a winning percentage of 44.7%.
The Wildcats have a 570-710-44 all-time record. They do have eight conference championships to their name despite the struggles.
Indiana Hoosiers
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Indiana wraps up the trio of Big 10 teams at 518-715-44. That winning percentage of 42.3% is the second-worst amongst P4 teams.
The Hoosiers have two conference titles, the last of which came in 1968. They’re also 3-11 in bowl games.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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Wake Forest is the worst team in the Power 4, at least according to all-time record.
The Demon Deacons are 496-693-33, a win rate of just 41.9%. They do, however, have an 11-6 bowl record to hang their hats on.