12 College Football Programs At The Power 4 Level With The Worst All-Time Records

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.

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

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 647-655-44, good for a winning percentage of 49.7%.

Duke Blue Devils

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.