The Ty-Dee Bowl 2016

[SWC75]

For the last few years I’ve had a fantasy about having the two worst teams in the country play in a bowl game to see who is the worst of the worst, (among major teams). It’s kind of mean-spirted and they might say no – but it could be quite a hard fought and entertaining game and maybe the schools might need the money – and have a desire to prove that they aren’t the worst by beating a team they might actually be able to beat. Here are all the FBS teams that are currently winless and those who currently have one loss and their upcoming games against each other. (I call it the Ty-Dee Bowl after the toilet cleaning product.)

The winless teams:

MIAMI UNIVERSITY (of Ohio) is 0-6 and they will be playing:
At Bowling Green (1-5) on 10/22

RICE is 0-5 and will be playing:
(They will play FCS Prairie View A&M on 10/22)
Florida Atlantic (1-4) on 11/5 at home
At Charlotte (1-4) on 11/12
Texas-El Paso (1-5) on 11/19 at home

The one win teams:

IOWA STATE is 1-5 and they will be playing:
At Kansas (1-4) on 11/12

TEXAS- EL PASO is 1-5 and they will be playing:
(They will play FCS Houston Baptist on 11/5)
At Florida Atlantic (1-4) on 11/12
At Rice (0-5) on 11/19

MASSACHUSETTS is 1-5 and they will be playing:
(They will play FCS Wagner on 10/29)

BOWLING GREEN is 1-5 and they will be playing:
Miami University (0-6) on 10/22 at home
At Northern Illinois (1-5) on 11/1
Buffalo (1-4) on 11/25 at home

NORTHERN ILLINOIS is 1-5 and they will be playing:
Buffalo (1-4) on 10/22 at home
Bowling Green (1-5) on 11/1 at home

FRESNO STATE is 1-5 and they will be playing:
San Jose State (1-5) on 11/26 at home

SAN JOSE STATE is 1-5 and they will be playing:
At Fresno State (1-5) on 11/26

KANSAS is 1-4 and they will be playing:
Iowa State (1-5) on 11/12 at home

ILLINOIS is 1-4 and will be playing no one on this list.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC is 1-4 and will be playing:
Marshall (1-4) on 10/15 at home
At Rice (0-5) on 11/5
Texas El Paso (1-5) on 11/12 at home

MARSHALL is 1-4 and will be playing:
At Florida Atlantic (1-4) on 10/15
Charlotte (1-4) on 10/22 at home

CHARLOTTE is 1-4 and will be playing:
At Marshall (1-4) on 10/22
Rice (0-5) on 11/12 at home

BUFFALO is 1-4 and will be playing:
At Northern Illinois (1-5) on 10/22
Miami University (0-6) on 11/12 at home
At Bowling Green (1-5) on 11/25

ARKANSAS STATE is 1-4 and will be playing:
Louisiana Monroe (1-4) on 10/29 at home
At Georgia State (1-4) on 11/3

GEORGIA STATE is 1-4 and will be playing:
(They will be playing FCS Tennessee-Martin on 10/22)
Arkansas State (1-4) on 11/3 at home
Louisiana Monroe (1-4) on 11/12 at home

LOUISIANA-MONROE is 1-4 and will be playing:
At Arkansas State (1-4) on 10/29
At Georgia State (1-4) on 11/12

Comments: Miami, which has an accomplished football history, (Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schemblechler all coached there), will be swimming uphill to avoid a winless season. Rice, on the other had has three games against 1 win teams, two at home. Among the power five teams, Iowa State is actually pretty good- giving Baylor all they could handle – and Kansas did the same with TCU. But I don’t think much of the Jayhawks overall. I just don’t think Illinois is going to lose out, even though 3eveyrone they will play has at least two wins. Most of the other teams have several games against one loss teams. I think Massachusetts will beat Wagner easily. Both San Jose and Fresno are better than their records. I think Miami will be in the Ty-dee Bowl, (although I have some friends who will be very much hoping they don’t). I have no idea at this point who they might be playing.

 

[SWC75]

The History of the Ty-Dee Bowl

I decided to look at the post-war period, (1946 onward). I listed the teams that had the worst numerical records each year and then looked at point differentials to break any ties. Specifically, since teams don’t always play the same number of games I looked at wins and ties: who had the fewest of them? To me a 0-9-0 team is the same as a 0-10-0 team. They just haven’t played as many games. If the 0-9-0 team were to play another game, off of their previous results, I’d assume they would wind up 0-10-0, (unless the 10th game was in the Ty-D-Bowl, of course). The teams have to have been considered major colleges, or Division 1A at the time. Here are the teams I’ve chosen for the Ty-D-Bowl from 1946 onward, with the team with the worst record or point differential being listed to the left. The record is their wins, losses and ties and the average scores of their games. If there has been a name change, I’ve used the current name, (Texas Western became Texas El Paso, West Texas A&M was West Texas State, etc.)

1946 Fordham 0-7-0 (6-33) vs. Kansas State 0-9-0 (5-26)
1947 Kansas State 0-10-0 (7-28) vs. Stanford 0-9-0 (8-24)
1948 Virginia Tech 0-8-1 (3-23) vs. Tulsa 0-9-1 (14-33)
Tulsa had been 9-1-0 two year before and would be 9-1-1 two years later.
1949 Brigham Young 0-11-0 (10-34) vs. Mississippi St. 0-8-1 (4-25)
1950 Virginia Tech 0-10-0 (7-43) vs. Auburn 0-10-0 (3-26)
Tech’s Robert McNeish was 1-25-3 in three years in Blacksburg.
1951 New York U. 1-7-0 (10-41) vs. New Mexico St. 1-9-0 (12-34)
The Violets, a pre-war power, gave up the sport in 1952.
1952 Richmond 1-9-0 (12-30) vs. Kansas State 1-9-0 (8-26)
1953 Davidson 0-9-0 (6-33) vs. No. Carolina St. 1-9-0 (8-27)
1954 Kansas 0-10-0 (9-38) vs. Pennsylvania 0-9-0 (8-34)
Steve Sebo was 0-9 his first two years at Penn, 7-1-1 in his last, (1959).
1955 Pennsylvania 0-9-0 (4-30) vs. Alabama 0-10-0 (5-26)
How bad a coach was JB “Ears” Whitworth? He went 0-10-0 at ‘Bama!
1956 Marquette 0-9-0 (8-34) vs. William & Mary 0-9-1 (8-25)
1957 Northwestern 0-9-0 (6-30) vs. Marquette 0-10-0 (7-24)
Northwestern’s coach was none other than Ara Parseghian.
1958 Montana 0-10-0 (9-30) vs. Columbia 1-8-0 (4-32)
1959 Virginia 0-10-0 (8-39) vs. Montana 1-8-0 (9-30)
Richard Voris won his second game at Virginia and then lost 28 in a row.
1960 Hardin-Simmons 0-10-0 (7-31) vs. Virginia 0-10-0 (10-33)
Howard McChesney replaced Sammy Baugh at H-S and went 0-20. Perfection!
1961 Hardin-Simmons 0-10-0 (4-38) vs. Illinois 0-9-0 (6-32)
The Illini won the Rose Bowl two years later. Sophomores become seniors.
1962 Kansas State 0-10-0 (4-28) vs. Tulane 0-10-0 (8-29)
1963 Wake Forest 1-9-0 (4-32) vs. Lehigh 1-8-0 (9-24)
1964 Texas El Paso 0-8-2 (6-22) vs. Pacific 1-9-0 (7-30)
Texas Western, (UTEP), hired Bobby Dobbs who went 8-3 the next year.
1965 Kansas State 0-10-0 (4-30) vs. Richmond 0-10-0 (5-29)
1966 Kansas State 0-9-1 (7-23) vs. Pittsburgh 1-9-0 (11-33)
Doug Weaver coached three winless teams on his way to a 8-60-1 record.
1967 Marshall 0-10-0 (7-31) vs. Maryland 0-9-0 (5-26)
Between 1966 and 1983 the Thundering Herd won 38 games. In the ‘90s they won 114.
1968 New Mexico 0-10-0 (17-40) vs. Wisconsin 0-10-0 (9-31)
The Badgers had been 0-9-1 the previous year.
1969 Virginia Military 0-10-0 (8-41) vs. Los Angeles St. 0-9-0 (7-37)
1970 Wichita State 0-9-0 (11-42) vs. Holy Cross 0-10-1 (11-31)
The Shockers lost 31 players in a plane crash, cancelled their next two games but finished out their schedule.
1971 Brown 0-9-0 (15-26) vs. Iowa 1-10-0 (11-34)
1972 Colorado State 1-10-0 (12-38) vs. North Texas St. 1-10-0 (13-32)
1973 Texas El Paso 0-11-0 (13-49) vs. Army 0-10-0 (7-38)
Florida State and Iowa were also winless. Yes, Florida State!
1974 Wake Forest 1-10-0 (7-32) vs. Texas Christian 1-10-0 (7-31)
1975 Virginia 1-10-0 (16-39) vs. Texas Christian 1-10-0 (9-30)
1976 Texas Christian 0-11-0 (12-39) vs. Northern Illinois 1-10-0 (5-33)
TCU was the only school to make the Little Dance three times in a row. Jim Shofner: 2-31.
1977 Texas El Paso 1-10-0 (14-42) vs. Rice 1-10-0 (14-42)
How can the great state of Texas produce so many lousy teams?
1978 Boston College 0-11-0 (14-27) vs. Northwestern 0-10-1 (8-40)
1979 Richmond 0-11-0 (7-25) vs. Pennsylvania 0-9-0 (11-28)
1980 Northwestern 0-11-0 (14-40) vs. Oregon State 0-11-0 (10-35)
1981 Colorado State 0-12-0 (14-42) vs. Northwestern 0-11-0 (7-46)
From 1976-1981, the Wildcats were 3-62-1. Three. Sixty-two. And one.
1982 Rice 0-11-0 (13-33) vs. Richmond 0-10-0 (10-27)
1983 W Texas A&M 0-10-1 (14-27) vs. Minnesota 1-10-0 (16-47)
Nebraska squeaked by the Golden Gophers 84-13.
1984 Indiana 0-11-0 (17-31) vs. Utah State 1-10-0 (18-35)
Bill Mallory went on to coach Indiana for the next 13 years.
1985 Kansas State 1-10-0 (9-27) vs. Texas El Paso 1-10-0 (18-34)
1986 New Mexico St. 1-10-0 (17-38) vs. Memphis 1-10-0 (9-27)
1987 New Mexico 0-11-0 (19-40) vs. Kansas State 0-10-1 (12-38)
New Mexico must be the worst football state in the union. The Lolos and the Aggies have each been in the Little Dance four times.
1988 Kansas State 0-11-0 (16-41) vs. Rice 0-11-0 (15-33)
Stan Parrish, Bill Snyder’s predecessor, was 2-30-1.
1989 New Mexico St. 0-11-0 (15-39) vs. Northwestern 0-11-0 (22-45)
Mike Knoll was a scintillating 4-40 in Las Cruces.
1990 Cincinnati 1-10-0 (16-42) vs. Fullerton St. 1-11-0 (19-40)
Fullerton gave up the sport two years later after setting an NCAA record for fumbles.
1991 Oklahoma St. 0-10-1 (10-28) vs. Tulane 1-10-0 (13-35)
1992 Temple 1-10-0 (12-35) vs. E. Michigan 1-10-0 (11-31)
1993 Kent 0-11-0 (14-32) vs. Temple 1-10-0 (10-48)
1994 Ohio U. 0-11-0 (7-24) vs. Iowa State 0-10-1 (17-33)
1995 So. Methodist 1-10-0 (12-32) vs. Temple 1-10-0 (17-32)
The “death penalty” had been from 1987-88. From 1989-95 the Mustangs were 13-61-3.
1996 Duke 0-11-0 (15-34) vs. UNLV 1-11-0 (23-46)
1997 Rutgers 0-11-0 (17-45) vs. No. Illinois 0-11-0 (12-35)
From 1996-2002 Rutgers was 14-64.
1998 Kent 0-11-0 (14-41) vs. Hawaii 0-12-0 (12-35)
The Fred What Happened? Era at Hawaii: 2-10, 3-9 and 0-12.
1999 Buffalo 0-11-0 (12-39) vs. Ball State 0-11-0 (14-33)
Buffalo went D1A in 1999 and went 10-69 the next seven years.
2000 Duke 0-11-0 (14-39) vs. La-Monroe 1-10-0 (9-38)
2001 Duke 0-11-0 (19-45) vs. Houston 0-11-0 (17-39)
The Blue Devils, once a great power, went 15-105 from ’96 to ’07.
2002 Army 1-11-0 (19-41) vs. Tulsa 1-11-0 (19-35)
2003 So. Methodist 0-12-0 (11-32) vs. Army 0-13-0 (16-37)
The 2003 Army team is the only 0-13 team in college football history.
2004 Central Florida 0-11-0 (16-33) vs. W. Michigan 1-10-0 (23-40)
2005 Temple 0-11-0 (10-45) vs. N. Mexico St. 0-12-0 (17-39)
2006 Duke 0-12-0 (15-34) vs. Florida Intl. 0-12-0 (10-26)
2007 Florida Intl. 1-11-0 (15-39) vs. Idaho 1-11-0 (22-37)
2008 Washington 0-12-0 (13-39) vs. No. Texas St. 1-11-0 (20-48)
Washington had been 227-101-3 from 1975 to 2002
2009 E. Michigan 0-12-0 (16-38) vs. W. Kentucky 0-12-0 (20-40)
The Hilltoppers, 2002 FCS champs are one of those small colleges that made the leap to D1A for the money.
2010 New Mexico 1-11-0 (16-44) vs. Memphis 1-11-0 (16-40)
2011 New Mexico 1-11-0 (12-42) vs. Akron 1-11-0 (14-39)
2012 So. Mississippi 0-12-0 (20-38) vs. Massachusetts 1-11-0 (13-40)
The Golden Eagles were 560-373-27 all-time and had won a bowl game in 2011.
2013 Miami (Ohio) 0-12-0 (10-36) vs. Georgia State 0-12-0 (19-37)
2014 So. Methodist 1-11-0 (11-41) vs. Georgia State 1-11-0 (23-43)
Those were Georgia State first two years as an FBS program. Welcome!
2015 Kansas 0-12-0 (15-46) vs. Central Florida 0-12-0 (14-39)
UCF had been 12-1 and beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl two seasons before. The Knights went winless and made the Ty-D-Bowl in George O'’Leary’s first and last years there.

The most common Ty-D-Bowl participant would have been Kansas State, who would have qualified no less than 9 times. Another group of Purple Wildcats Northwestern would be a distant second with 5 appearances. (Which underscores the achievements of Bill Snyder, Gary Barnett, Randy Walker and Pat Fitzgerald in making those schools not only respectable but powerful in recent years.) Duke, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Richmond, Temple, Texas-El Paso and Virginia would have been there four times each. Army, Pennsylvania, Southern Methodist and Texas Christian would have participated three times each. Central Florida, Eastern Michigan, Florida International, Georgia State, Hardin-Simmons, Kansas, Kent, Marquette, Memphis, Montana, Northern Illinois, North Texas State, Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest would have been there twice. A total of 84 teams to date would have “made it” to the Ty-D-Bowl.