Every BCS Conference Team's Worst Moment in 2011

This list is miserable.

For every great moment your team had this season, there was at least one point in time where you had to smack your forehead, scream with a pillow stuffed in your mouth or go the bathroom to hide your tears from your buddies.

This list collects them all.

The worst of the worst from each BCS team in 2011.

Syracuse: Bulls Get First

Syracuse had some incredible potential this season and was riding high after defeating then-No. 15-ranked West Virginia on Oct. 21.

Being Syracuse, of course they finished the season on a five-game losing streak.

The low point of the season was in the midst of this streak when they faced one of the conference bottom feeders in USF.

The Bulls had not yet won a conference game, but they went into 'Cuse and came away with the W, 37-17.

It was their only Big East win of the season.

USF: Game 5

sdf

UConn: Vandy Rallies

Vanderbilt was better than the usual this season, but they still managed to be near the bottom of the SEC.

UConn, however, was still not able to take care of business against the 'Dores.

The Huskies had Vandy down 21-14 in the fourth quarter, but allowed a touchdown off of an interception return by Casey Heyward to tie the game, then a field goal with less than three minutes left to put it out of reach.

Pitt: 4th-and-3 vs Iowa

Pitt head coach Todd Graham was at the program less than a year, but managed to make one of the most boneheaded mistakes of the season.

The Panthers were crushing Iowa, 27-10, early in the fourth quarter.

Iowa scored a touchdown, cutting the lead to 27-17.

Pitt was stuck at the Iowa 36-yard line with about eight minutes to go on a 4th down and 3.

It's a long field goal for sure, but what about a punt?

The Panthers' best friend at that point is the clock, and the Iowa offense had yet to show the fireworks that were to follow.

But instead of punting, Graham made the call to go for it. The attempt failed, and Iowa took over and scored another touchdown to bring them within three.

When the smoke cleared, Pitt had some how managed to lose the game, 31-27.

Rutgers: Back-to-Back Fails

Rutgers had one of their better seasons in the Big East in recent memory, finishing near the top of the conference.

However, their back-to-back losses to conference foes West Virginia and Louisville effectively ended any hope of a conference title and knocked them out of BCS bowl contention.

That's right, the Scarlet Knights were within 13 points of a BCS berth.

Louisville: Pitt Loss

Young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was the catalyst for a 5-2 record within the conference for Louisville, and with the chaos that reigned in the Big East this season, was within one victory of the conference title.

The Cardinals came out flat against Pitt in their meeting this year, falling behind 21-7 before pulling within a touchdown with :12 left on the game clock.

This loss sealed their BCS doom.

West Virginia: Ill-Advised Swing Pass

Conventional wisdom would tell you to just run out the clock when trailing 20-7 37 seconds before halftime.

Dana Holgorsen is not conventional.

He called this swing pass for the Mountaineers to run, and the ensuing score by LSU pretty much put the game out of reach going into the break.

Cincinnati: Collaros Goes Down

The Bearcats were pretty good without Collaros, finishing as part of a three-way tie for first in the Big East.

With him out, they lost two close games and lost their chance at a BCS game.

Collaros' injury was the difference between the Orange Bowl and a trip to the Liberty Bowl.

Duke: Opening Day

Before football season, hope springs eternal, and fans are bubbling over with confidence that this is the year that their team will make vast improvement.

That ended quickly for Duke fans.

The Blue Devils took the wind tight out of their fans' sails by losing their first game, 23-21, to FCS Richmond.

This was a harbinger of the long year to come.

Maryland: Fashion Faux Pas

I get the whole "state pride" thing, but could we not have made the same point with a slightly less dangerous to the eyes color scheme?

Those of us with fully functioning retinas felt them begin to sear every time we saw these unis in the Terps' win over Miami to begin the season.

While it was a year filled with losses and disappointment in Randy Edsall's first season, these uniforms easily took the cake.

North Carolina: Canning of Butch Davis

Yes, Davis needed to go.

I understand.

However, the program should have done it sooner.

Firing the man days prior to the beginning of fall camp is simply a bad move.

Boston College: Luke Kuechly Misses Tackle

Boston College suffered through a very difficult season.

They finished with a 4-8 record and did not sniff a bowl game.

However, linebacker Luke Kuechly was the one bright spot for the Eagles.

He is not the fastest guy on the field, and yet, Kuechly led the country in tackles, amassing 191 through the course of the year, an average of nearly 16 per game.

Miami: Where's Thomas?

Miami clearly forgot to account for Tech quarterback Logan Thomas on this play.

He marches into the endzone untouched for the score against Al Golden's team on this 4th-and-1 play from the 19-yard line.

For Miami fans, it was just that kind of season.

N.C. State: Releasing Russell Wilson

N.C. State head coach Tom O'Brien let senior quarterback Russell Wilson go this spring when he would not give up baseball and focus on football.

Wilson had the last laugh, leading Wisconsin to a Big Ten title and setting an NCAA record for passer efficiency, while the Wolfpack meandered to a 4-4 record in the ACC.

Georgia Tech: Meet Cavs

Tevin Washington and Georgia Tech were off to the races, hitting the 6-0 mark and sitting near the top of the rankings early in the season.

Then, they ran into the Virginia Cavaliers.

Mike London's squad handed them a 24-21 loss, the Yellow Jackets' first, and sent them into a spiral resulting in five losses out of their last seven games.

Ouch!

Florida State: Back-to-Back-to-Back Losses

That preseason top five ranking was not good to the Seminoles.

After beginning the season with two easy wins over ULM and Charleston Southern, the 'Noles started their quick descent backwards through the rankings.

They lost to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest in consecutive weeks, leaving them unranked and reeling.

Jimbo Fisher needs to get some results out of his guys fast if he wishes to retain his job.

Virginia: Va. Tech Denies Title Shot

It was simple.

All Virginia had to do to make the ACC title game was to get past in-state rival Virginia Tech at home.

Not quite.

The Cavaliers were smoked, 38-0, by Logan Thomas and the Hokies and embarrassed by their most bitter rival.

Wake Forest: 'Cuse, Really?

The Demon Deacons had a better season than expected, but you would not have predicted it following their first game.

The Dekes traveled to Syracuse to take on the Orange, the worst team in the Big East.

They lost in overtime, 36-29.

Va. Tech: Clemson...Twice

We all get that Virginia Tech has been one of the most consistent teams in the country for the past decade.

Dabo Swinney and his squad have apparently figured out how to throw a monkey wrench in the Hokies' smoothly-oiled machinery.

During the regular season, when these two met, Clemson won in Lane Stadium, 23-3.

But the ACC Championship Game between them was supposed to be different.

The Hokies failed to show up for that one as well, losing 38-10.

Clemson: Tajh's Tumble

Arizona: Colorado Drops 'Cats

Poor Nick Foles.

The talented quarterback of Arizona was seemingly the only player on the team that enjoyed any type of success this season.

The team as a whole was so bad they lost to a woeful Colorado team late in the season.

Not only did they lose it, they got pasted, 48-29.

Embarrassing.

Washington State: Big-Time Blowouts

Washington State's inability to play football with any modicum of success in 2011 is well documented.

It eventually cost head coach Paul Wulff his job.

This includes a 42-24 loss to SDSU, 44-14 to Stanford and 30-7 to Cal.

It's difficult to hang onto a coaching job when losing games by three touchdowns or more.

Colorado: Schedule Release Date

Colorado made the move to the Pac-12 this season.

The conference scheduling did them no favors, and their non-conference scheduling theories are pretty questionable.

The Buffs wound up with a thirteen game schedule with no off-week.

Final record, 3-10.

A smashing success.

Oregon State: Negative Yardage

Oregon State is another one of those teams that just had a miserable year.

Early on, we knew it was going to be tough.

The Beavers lost to FCS Sacramento State, 29-28, in Week 1 and followed it up by gladly receiving a 35-0 licking from Wisconsin.

In that game, the Beavers punter pulled off a stunt that is difficult to accomplish: He punted for a net of minus-four yards without being pressured or touched in any way.

Utah: Baffled by the Buffs

Overall, Utah and its fans cannot be completely turned off by their first season in the Pac-12.

They wound up 8-5, including a bowl win over Georgia Tech.

But the definite low point of the season has got to be when they failed to beat one of the worst teams in FBS football: their fellow Pac-12 newcomers, Colorado.

In the last game of the season, with the potential for a better bowl berth on the line, the Utes could not hold off the Buffs, falling in a tough one, 17-14.

Cal: In-State Rivalries

Let's see, Cal beat exactly zero teams within the conference from the state of California.

They did manage a season opening win over Fresno State, but lost to a woeful UCLA squad, 31-14, and USC, 30-9.

So much for making progress while those programs are both down.

Arizona State: Alex Garroute's Gaffe

Arizona State had an incredibly tumultuous season.

They beat a ranked Missouri squad and USC...by three touchdowns.

After jumping out to a 5-1 start, they lost five of their last six to finish the regular season.

This included a 29-28 loss to UCLA on a missed last-second field goal by ASU's kicker.

The loss allowed UCLA to seize control of the Pac-12 South and eventually win it when the Sun Devils took a nosedive.

Washington: Reality Sets in

Through the first six weeks of the season, you could argue that Washington quarterback Keith Price was the best ball player in the country.

He scored at least three times in each of those games and had the Huskies sitting at 5-1 heading into their key showdown with Stanford.

That did not go well, as the Huskies looked lost in a 65-21 loss to the Cardinal.

This started a stretch that saw them go 2-4 and wind up with a bowl loss.

However, Price should be an early candidate for the Heisman, especially after he outplayed the current Heisman winner in the Alamo Bowl.

UCLA: Fake Ref Starts Brawl

A fake ref stripper makes a call and triggers a bench-clearing brawl.

Really, UCLA had some worse moments, what with becoming the first team since 2001 to make a bowl game with a losing record, but this video was just to good to pass up.

Rick Neuheisel, your sly smile will be missed.

Stanford: LMJ Puts Cardinal Away

Once again, similar to 2010, Stanford lost only to Oregon in the regular season.

This season's edition of the game, which was played at Stanford, finished with a 53-30 score in favor of the Ducks.

The Cardinal just could not contain LaMichael James, as he rushed for three touchdowns in the contest.

This loss eliminated the Cardinal from any shot at the BCS title or the Rose Bowl.

USC: Barkley to Woods, One Too Many Times

With time winding down in a tie game, conventional wisdom would say do not throw the ball over the middle of the field, especially when within field goal range.

That's exactly what Matt Barkley on a pass to Robert Woods in the waning seconds against Stanford.

The Trojans, after a rough start, were finally clicking and finding great success on the field.

This critical mistake, where Woods could not get out of bounds before time ran out, eventually cost the Trojans the game, as Stanford prevailed in triple overtime.

Oregon: Maldonado's Miss

The loss to LSU was tough.

But to lose to the fighting Kiffins when you had a chance to tie late in the game is a tough pill to swallow.

The Ducks better get used to it; however. The Trojans are going to be very good for several years now that their sanctions are beginning to be finished.

Notre Dame: Fumbles in Red Zone

Notre Dame had an incredibly disappointing season.

As usual, they were massively overhyped, and as usual, they failed miserably.

One of the key reasons for their inability to win games was turnovers.

They had ten in the first two games of the season, including one in the redzone in each game.

The USC game was capped off by another ridiculous, inexcusable turnover during a drive into the Trojan's redzone.

Solve those problems, and we have a team in a BCS game easily.

Indiana: Punting to Wisconsin

The Hoosiers had a rough season, and that was never more evident than in their contest with Wisconsin.

The punting game was atrocious.

They allowed the return for score by Jared Abbredderis.

Then, there was this gem.

Minnesota: New Mexico State Takes It

Minnesota won three games all season long.

New head coach Jerry Kill is the right guy to turn this program around, but it's going to take some time.

That was pretty clear against New Mexico State in the second game of the season.

The Gophers were out of sync and wound up losing at home, 28-21.

Illinois: 6 in a Row

It's not really one play or moment, but a capsule of the entire season.

The Illini roared out to a 6-0 start, their best in decades.

They followed that up with an 0-6 second half of the season.

Whitney Mercilus vanished for the second half of the season, and Ron Zook got axed en route to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Northwestern: Steelman's Third

Northwestern started the season with a Heisman campaign for quarterback Dan Persa.

That pretty much went out the window when he did not recover from injury enough to start all games this season.

However, the lowpoint of the Wildcats' season was their meeting with Army early in the season.

Black Knights quarterback Trent Steelman rushed for three scores as the Army put away Pat Fitzgerald's team, 21-14.

Ohio State: 35 Yards

Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller were not exactly models of consistency in the Buckeyes' game against Miami.

That day, the passing game managed just 35 yards and four completions between those two on four completions and one interception.

The team was decimated by suspensions and departures, but that is ridiculous.

Iowa: Gray's Sprint

So Minnesota can't beat anybody, right?

Wrong.

While the Hawkeyes' triple-overtime loss to rival Iowa State was tough to handle, the loss to the Gophers was as easy to take as a broken leg.

The difference in the game was one point, and the winning touchdown came by virtue of a three-yard fourth down spring by Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray.

Purdue: You Got Riced!

Purdue lost to Rice.

Enough said.

Nebraska: Welcome to the Big Ten

Nebraska entered the season with title aspirations, both Big Ten and BCS.

After starting the season 4-0, their dreams were crushed in their first Big Ten matchup.

The Huskers went to Madison, Wis. and were absolutely destroyed, 48-17.

Goodbye, title dreams.

Penn State: JoePa Canned

The whole mess of the Sandusky issue definitely takes the cake.

That said, the low point for the program itself came on the night JoePa got fired.

Penn State students rallied in protest, and Happy Valley was in chaos.

The loss of such a significant figure is absolutely stunning and epic in the scope of its impact.

Michigan: Gardner Fail

It's 4th-and-22, key moment in the game.

So what are you going to do, Devin Gardner?

Michigan State: Don't Touch the Punter

This play was the difference between the Rose Bowl and the Outback Bowl for Michigan State.

The acting by Badgers punter Brad Nortman was great, but Isaiah Lewis should have been nowhere near him at this point.

What a terrible way to lose the conference title game.

Wisconsin: Hail Mary, Part I

Before this game, the Badgers were undefeated and smack in the middle of the BCS title conversation.

After this crazy play to end the best game of the season, they were knocked out of contention.

Their loss the next week on a similar play was tough, but this was nearly unbearable.

Kansas: Big 12 Play

Kansas won two games this season against McNeese State and NIU.

They lost every game they played in the Big 12.

Six of their nine losses in the conference, their opponent scored 40 or more points.

It was a rough season, and Turner Gill wound up taking the brunt of the blame.

Texas Tech: Comeback Fail

Just watch the video.

This is the worst kicking fail of the season other than Boise State's missed field goal against TCU.

Iowa State: The Steele Jantz Era

Paul Rhoads somehow got Iowa State to a bowl game.

The 'Clones suffered some tough times, however, when quarterback Steele Jantz was at the helm.

Five of their seven losses came with him under center, and only three of their wins.

Texas A&M: The Second Half of Games

Mike Sherman's Aggies could not hold onto a lead, and this eventually led to his firing.

It started against Oklahoma State. The Aggies ran out to a big lead, then melted away into a loss in the second house.

This happened a grand total of six times over the course of the season.

The Aggies led in the second half in six contests and saw that lead evaporate into a loss.

So you better believe that fans were nervous when Northwestern started roaring back against them in their bowl meeting.

Texas: Red River Embarrassment

Texas was supposed to be back.

Their young talent was ready to shine, and they were ready to compete atop the Big 12 once more.

After a 55-17 drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, it was evident that we may have jumped the gun a bit about the 'Horns.

A 7-5 record later, that has been confirmed.

Missouri: ASU Overtime

At the beginning of the season, Missouri's overtime loss on the road to Arizona State did not look that bad.

By the end, it was just an indication of how rough the season would be for the Tigers.

It was the first of five losses, and the Sun Devils finished a pathetic 6-6 during the regular season.

The loss to Oklahoma was tough, as was the whole Gary Pinkel mixed up with alcohol thing, but on the field, this was the worst moment.

Oklahoma: TTU Disaster

The tragic death of linebacker Austin Box is by far the worst thing to happen to this team.

That said, let's keep it on the field.

The Sooners were 6-0 and near the top of the rankings heading into their matchup with a woeful Texas Tech team.

Then, things fell apart.

The Sooners underperformed, the Red Raiders had their best game of the season and OU's shot at a BCS title went down the drain.

Baylor: RGIII Pick

Baylor had a great season, with Robert Griffin III having the best performance by a Baylor player in history.

However, this interception that pretty much sealed the game in favor of K-State and kept them out of a higher profile bowl game.

Of course, the Bears broke all kinds of records anyway in the Alamo Bowl, so it's not like it really matters.

Kansas State: Oklahoma Schools

Bill Snyder again brought the Kansas State program back from the depths, stunning everybody with a 10-2 regular season.

If it weren't for those darn Oklahoma schools, the Cats would have wound up with a BCS bowl invite.

Oklahoma handled K-State, 58-17, and Okie Lite took care of business against them, 52-45.

Oklahoma State: National Championship...Gone

The Justin Blackmon celebratory fumble was rough, but this was far more significant.

The Cowboys went into this game against Iowa State needing only two more wins to likely reach the BCS title game.

By the end of the night, that chance had gone up in smoke.

Ole Miss: Richardson Breaks Ankles...Twice

The Rebels have to watch this replay over and over and over.

How embarrassing.

Tennessee: Bray Injured

Tennessee was 4-3 with Bray under center and 1-4 without him.

The guy is a great quarterback, and might be the best the conference has to offer next season.

Without him in the lineup, the chances of the Vols reaching a bowl game were pretty slim.

Mississippi State: Reality Bites

Mississippi State was tagged as a dark horse SEC championship candidate and ranked as high as No. 20 in both polls to begin the season.

Weeks 2 and 3 put paid to those thoughts.

The Bulldogs lost to Auburn and LSU in consecutive weeks, effectively ending their shot at the SEC championship, and bringing them crashing down to reality.

Kentucky: Vandy Rolls

The Wildcats lost to four ranked teams and just did not have a great season by any measure.

That said, their worst loss had to be against Vanderbilt.

The final was 38-8, and the Wildcats did not score their points until late in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt's 38-8 win over Kentucky was its largest win in a SEC game since a 49-19 win over Mississippi State in 1971.

Auburn: Malzahn Takes off

Losing the mastermind behind the offense in Gus Malzahn to the head coaching position at Arkansas State is going to be tough.

Getting caught with you finger that close to your nose seconds before a Gatorade bath, even tougher.

Vanderbilt: Tennessee Still Wins

Tennessee limped to the end of the season and their rivalry game with Vanderbilt minus starting quarterback Tyler Bray as well as several other key players who suffered injuries.

Even though the Commodores seemed to have the better team and had a better season, overall, Tennessee still took it to them, and emerged victorious, 27-21 in overtime.

Arkansas: Knile Davis out

Arkansas had an awesome season, but the fall camp news that Knile Davis was out was a tough pill to swallow.

The Hogs talented stable of backs was extremely productive this season, but Davis led the conference in rushing in 2010, and his talent was missed in their losses to Alabama and LSU.

Watch out for him, and the Hogs, next season.

Florida: Brantley vs. Florida State

There have been some bad moments this season for Florida.

The offense has been woefully anemic, and it was never more evident that in the first half against hated rival Florida State.

Brantley through three interceptions in that half and was eventually knocked out of the game.

The offense was not exactly effective without him, either.

Alabama: Missed Field Goals

Not to beat a dead horse, but you better believe this team would be No. 1  and undefeated heading into the title game if they could make their field goals.

Of course the entire overtime sequence was somewhat disappointing, but that it culminated in the fourth missed field goal of the night in a 9-6 loss only adds insult to injury.

South Carolina: Lattimore Goes Down

South Carolina still finished the season with a 10-2 record, even without Lattimore.

However, one has to wonder if the Gamecocks would have fared better against Arkansas with Lattimore than without.

The Razorbacks gave them their only loss of the season after he went down.

Georgia: SEC Championship Game

The Bulldogs started the season on a rough note, losing their first two before reeling off ten straight wins to take the SEC East title.

Then came the conference championship game.

Georgia fans actually thought they had a shot.

Nobody else did.

LSU steamrolled the Dawgs to the tune of 42-10.

LSU: Winging It

Just watch the video.

In a season that had very few bad moments actually on the field, this one was ridiculous.

Wing's score should not have been wiped out; it's as simple as that.