College Football 2011 Predictions: Projecting the Worst Teams in Each Conference

The not-so proud distinction of "conference doormat" has been worn for years by more than a handful of college football programs. Unfortunately, for the majority of those teams, it is a moniker that rarely goes away. 

Once a program has been in the conference cellar for multiple seasons, that program will likely never shed that reputation. 

As a result, many of the cellar-dwellers that you'll see featured in this story have likely been down there a while. Sadly, there's not much relief in sight, either. 

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky

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LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 04: P.J. Smith #13 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers fights for a fumble with Mychal Patterson #74 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during second half action of their game at Memorial Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska

After years of FCS success, Western Kentucky joined the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2008. In three seasons facing FBS competition, the Hilltoppers have won a whopping four games.

The closest Western Kentucky has come to beating a BCS conference team was a 24-12 defeat at South Florida last season. In the Sun Belt Conference, the Hilltoppers lost three games by single-digits last season, but the program still has a ways to go before climbing out of the Sun Belt basement.    

MAC: Buffalo

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DETROIT - DECEMBER 05: Naaman Roosevelt #18 of the Buffalo Bulls tries to get around the tackle of Trey Lewis #12 of the Ball State Cardinals during the second quarter of the MAC Championship game on December 5, 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (

By virtue of Buffalo becoming Akron's lone win on the final weekend of its season in 2010, the Bulls have earned the right to be the worst team in the MAC.

Since former head coach Turner Gill surprisingly took Buffalo to an 8-4 regular season and an appearance in the International Bowl in 2008, Buffalo has won a total of seven games.

Conference USA: Memphis

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NEW ORLEANS - DECEMBER 21: Charles Pierre #20 of the Florida Atlantic University Owls is tackled by LaKeitharun Ford #18 and Tony Bell #8 of the Memphis University Tigers in the New Orleans Bowl on December 21, 2007 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orl

Other than a non-conference win over Middle Tennessee State last season, Memphis's closest game was a three-point loss to UTEP. After that, its closest loss was by 15 points at Marshall. 

Memphis coach Larry Porter might eventually turn things around, but it's going to take a while for the former LSU assistant to make this team presentable. 

WAC: San Jose State

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PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jordan La Secia #12 of the San Jose State Spartans is sacked by Will Powers #42 of the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

San Jose State's lone win a season ago was a five-point victory over FCS Independent Southern Utah. Two weeks later, the Spartans lost to another FCS Independent, UC-Davis, at home. 

Needless to say, San Jose State brings new meaning to the word "bad."  

Mountain West: New Mexico

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM - NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Stump Godfrey #11 of the University of New Mexico Lobos is tackled by Jason Teague #27 of the TCU Horned Frogs on November 27, 2010 at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. TCU won 66-17. (Photo by Eric

If the best news for your team is a premature report that your head coach is being replaced by a guy who allegedly locked a kid in a shed, you must be a cellar-dweller. 

Yet, that's exactly what happened to the Lobos last season. Mike Locksley was fired and then he wasn't. New Mexico did beat Wyoming last season, but a loss to equally terrible New Mexico State ensured the Lobos would finish as one of the worst teams in the nation in 2010. Don't expect that to change in 2011.  

ACC: Wake Forest

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PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Chris Givens #2 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in action against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

After five futile seasons in Winston-Salem, it appeared that head coach Jim Grobe had turned Wake Forest around when he led the Demon Deacons to the ACC title in 2006. The 17 wins in the two seasons that followed proved he had done something right.

Wake Forest's eight wins in the last two seasons and the very real possibility of a third consecutive losing record in 2011 proves that not even Grobe can fully turn around a perennial loser.   

Big East: UConn

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EAST HARTFORD, CT - NOVEMBER 27: Jordan Todman #23 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates his touchdown with teammates Ryan Griffin #94, Kevin Friend #77 and Mathieu Olivier #66 in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 27, 2010 at

From a BCS Bowl season to dead last in the conference? That's exactly what UConn is facing in 2011.

UConn will have a new head coach, a new quarterback and a new running back in 2011. Luckily, the Huskies will have a cupcake of a non-conference schedule, but eking out at least two Big East wins will be difficult.  

Big 12: Kansas

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KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 27: Quarterback Jordan Webb #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks carries the ball into the endzone for a touchdown as Kenji Jackson #13 of the Missouri Tigers defends on November 27, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (P

Kansas ends up here as a result of a three-win season in 2010. This team looks to be nowhere near as decent as Iowa State, the presumed next-to-last team. 

Turner Gill will eventually get it turned around in Lawrence, but not in 2011. 

Pac 12: Washington State

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Paul Wulff of the Washington State Cougars walks out of the tunnel with John Fullington #77 and Jeffrey Solomon #12 for their game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Palo Alto,

After former head coach Bill Doba won only five games in 2007, Washington State hired Paul Wulff to take over at Washington State. 

Paul Wulff has won only five games in three full seasons at Pullman. The only question is which hot-seat coach, Wulff or Neuheisel, will get the ax first when the teams finish No. 11 and No. 12 in the conference in 2011.  

Big Ten: Minnesota

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 31: Wide receiver Da'Jon McKnight #83 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers makes a 41 yard reception against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first quarter of the Insight Bowl at Arizona Stadium on December 31, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona.

While the Golden Gophers finished 2010 with wins over two bowl teams, Illinois and Iowa, there's nothing logical about picking Minnesota anywhere but dead last in 2011.

Both Indiana and Minnesota, Big Ten cellar-dwellers, are debuting new head coaches and will struggle mightily in 2011, but the Golden Gophers should be just a tad worse.  

SEC: Vanderbilt

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NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 22: Quarterback Chris Nickson #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores is sacked by Wes Brown #94 of the Tennessee Volunteers at Vanderbilt Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Nashville, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

You knew this was coming, right? Vanderbilt is the poster program for doormats in big-time conferences. That won't change in this year. 

New head coach James Franklin will do what he can to stop the bleeding in 2011, but the 'Dores are destined for double-digits in the loss column yet again.