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5 College Football Programs on the Decline

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Nov 15, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Christian Holmes (44) sits on the bench after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 25-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Christian Holmes (44) sits on the bench after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 25-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 29, 2014; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Storm Woods (24) before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2014; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Storm Woods (24) before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /

Every other team on this list had a winning record in 2014 and all but Rutgers (who was 6-7 after a bowl game loss) had a losing campaign in 2013. That shouldn’t be a surprise since most college football programs on the decline must start from a relatively high point. But in the Pac-12, there is no better candidate than 5-7 Oregon State.

Like Bill Snyder at Kansas State, Mike Riley did a terrific job with the Oregon State program. Riley took a horrible situation and made the team competitive in one of the nation’s toughest conferences with a 93-80 record in 14 seasons that sandwiched a three-year stint in the NFL. The man Riley replaced in 1997, Jerry Pettibone, was 13-52-1 in six seasons.

However, unlike Synder, Riley has made the jump to another program. He is now the head coach at Nebraska and the Gary Andersen era is underway for the Beavers.

Make no mistake – Andersen can coach. He took over a Utah State program that had won nine games in the previous four seasons and was 26-24 in four years in Logan. In 2012, the Aggies were 11-2, won a conference title and finished No. 16 in the AP before Andersen moved on to Wisconsin. He won 19 games in two seasons with the Badgers and made it to the Big Ten Championship Game in 2014, but he didn’t feel comfortable at Wisconsin and jumped at the opportunity to move back to the west coast.

However, Corvallis is a very tough place to win, partially because it’s one of the toughest places in the Pac-12 to recruit. Andersen’s first class ranked 11th in the conference and the Beavers haven’t ranked higher than eighth in the league since 2011 under Riley. That means Andersen will be forced to compete year in and year out with rival Oregon, Stanford, Washington and an improving Cal program and play three teams each year from the Pac-12 South – one of the toughest divisions in college football – all of which should consistently field more talented teams.

Simply put, winning at Oregon State would be a tall task for anyone.

Looking ahead to 2015, the Beavers return nine starters on offense, but must replace quarterback Sean Mannion. On defense, Oregon State lost nine starters from last season’s squad, which means they have the least experienced defense among all Power Five conference teams. Also, the unit allowed 31.6 poits per game in 2014, which ranked 98th in the country.

Currently, the Beavers have 500-to-1 odds to win the College Football Playoff. Only Colorado and Washington State are worse among teams in the Pac-12.

Next: SEC: Mississippi State

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