As the FCS continues to get more and more competitive each year, the guaranteed wins become fewer and far between. Most FCS football programs must be strategic, choosing to play a payout game against an FBS team – or maybe two – to help pay the bills.
Let’s face it, money doesn’t grow on trees for FCS teams.
After the payout games, FCS programs may have only one or two other non-conference games to schedule. Try picking your homecoming foe when there aren’t a whole lot of gimmes out there to choose from, right?
In fact, 24 FCS programs haven’t had a winning season in five or more years. In a normal year in the FCS, a program would need six wins out of the typically scheduled 11 regular season games.
This year is rare, with 12 weekends available between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, meaning it can be a 12-game regular season – like 2019 and 2014 were before. So for programs opting for 12, it will take seven victories in 2024, but it also means a team has a bonus weekend to have scheduled a likely win if it chooses.
Some programs have been right on the cusp of a recent winning season, and the bounce of the ball in the right direction could have ended their frustration. Of the 24 programs that haven’t had a winning season while their current roster has been on board, who could bust out and break that trend?
Here is the list of FCS programs with five or more consecutive seasons without a winning overall record (includes COVID year):
18 – Cornell (* – didn’t play any games during COVID)
17 – Mississippi Valley State
15 – Northwestern State
13 – Texas Southern
12 – Georgetown (* – didn’t play any games during COVID)
11 – Delaware State; Tennessee Tech; Houston Christian (excludes forfeit win)
10 – Marist
9 – Bucknell; Morgan State
8 – Portland State
7 – Cal Poly; Lehigh; Northern Colorado; The Citadel; Wagner
6 – Charleston Southern; Howard; Western Illinois
5 – Idaho State; Indiana State; North Alabama; Stony Brook
ENDING THE TREND
So, who could end that streak this year, and how?
We take a look at several FCS teams we think could bust out of these frustrations in 2024. Even with mass transfers and NIL becoming a big part of college football, these programs seem to have kept their rosters more intact than most.
Continuity may be the key.
CAL POLY
LAST YEAR: 3-8
THE STREAK ENDS – WHY?: Second-year coach Paul Wulff knows how to win in the Big Sky, as evidenced by his time with Eastern Washington, before his stint at Washington State. He and his staff know how to recruit the region and have returning talent this year that could lead the Mustangs to at least double their 2023 win total. With 2023 nine-game starting QB Sam Huard recently announcing his transfer to Utah, returning quarterbacks Bo Kelly and Jaden Jones will have to step up. Both have experience and success under center.
Defensive lineman Elijah Ponder, who received several postseason honors last fall, is another example of the quality and quantity of talent returning. The program listed more than 20 players with starting experience when it previewed its spring game.
THE SCHEDULE: Cal Poly – which hasn’t posted a winning season since its 7-5 campaign in 2016 – has opted to play only 11 games this fall, not the 12 allowed. Six wins looks like a mark the Mustangs can hit in 2024, and the non-conference slate is built for early success and momentum.
BOTTOM LINE?: If one of the quarterbacks emerges and has a season of success like both have had in individual games, this could be a special year for “bounce back” honors at Cal Poly. Key Big Sky matchups are at home, and the roster looks solid. Don’t sleep when the Mustangs are up next on the schedule.
HOWARD
LAST YEAR: 6-6
THE STREAK ENDS – WHY?: Let’s start off by saying if there was ever a need for a big, fat asterisk, it’s Howard’s “.500” final record for 2023. Why? Because the Bison made it to the Celebration Bowl as MEAC champions, and they played two FBS teams (nearly beating the Big Ten’s Northwestern, falling 23-20). So, if you want to look at just regular season record, Howard finished 6-5 – breaking a streak of five years without a winning season. But the HBCU championship loss in the Celebration Bowl to Florida A&M handed the Bison a 6-6 final record. Expect a winning record in 2024, no matter what the postseason holds. Even with heavy graduation losses, there’s a culture change here, and some of that MEAC championship talent is still here, led by players like stud DB Kenny Gallop Jr. and WR Kasey Hawthorne.
THE SCHEDULE: It sets up nicely to guarantee a winning record, even with the graduation losses. A trip to Rutgers and another to Princeton obviously won’t be easy, but Howard should be in good shape to be favored in all if not most of the rest of its 2024 schedule.
BOTTOM LINE?: Coach Larry Scott and his staff have done a fine job of making Howard strong since taking over during COVID. Their last winning record was 2017, when the Bison went 7-4.
PORTLAND STATE
LAST YEAR: 5-6
THE STREAK ENDS – WHY?: Since winning the Big Sky title and going 9-3 in 2015 – a year in which it beat two FBS teams, Washington State and North Texas – the Vikings have had three five-win seasons, including last year’s 5-6 campaign. The Viks return one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks in Dante Chachere (26 TDs accounted for), more experience than most on defense, potential breakaway threats, and incoming freshmen who are talented enough to produce immediately.
THE SCHEDULE: The Big Sky won’t be easy, obviously. It never is. The upper half of the conference is a true gauntlet, and as usual, PSU has scheduled two FBS/payout games (Washington State and Boise State). Non-conference games against two solid playoff teams – South Dakota and Chattanooga – won’t be easy either. The Viks need to win at least one if not two non-conference games.
BOTTOM LINE?: The Viks have the talent and experience to be good. Will coach Bruce Barnum’s team overcome a challenging schedule? It’s possible with this roster.
