College football’s 15 most tortured fan bases of all time

There are a lot of college football fanbases hungry for success on the gridiron. Here are the 15 most tortured.

College football fans suffer each week. The months of September through January are the most anticipated of the year for fans of the sport, but some suffer excruciating pain as they watch their favorite team struggle.

There’s even heartbreak for the perennial contenders. Last year Alabama suffered an early season loss to Ole Miss, and they were beaten by Ohio State the year before. In 2013, in-state rival Auburn burned the Crimson Tide with a kick-six with no time left in the annual Iron Bowl.

Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Stanford have all experienced some painful losses over the past few years. That’s just the way it works — not even the best of the best can contend for the national title every season.

But some fanbases are more tortured than others. Some have never seen their team win a national title, while others have waited decades for that kind of glory. Heck, some have only seen a couple conference championships in their lifetime.

Let’s take a look at the 15 college football fanbases that have been tortured most in recent years, beginning with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Cowboys have been Oklahoma’s “other” team for decades, which has only been made worse by the success the Sooners have had over the years.

Oklahoma State fans have never seen their team win a national title. The Cowboys have had plenty of successful seasons under Mike Gundy, but the national crown has eluded them since the program joined the football ranks in 1901.

More college football coverage from FanSided

15 most loyal fanbases in college football

25 college football programs with most tradition

25 coaches we want to party with

In the 115 years since then, the Cowboys have won just 10 conference titles — only one of which came under Gundy — while putting together a measly four 10-win seasons in the past 28 years.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you that this fanbase really is tortured, just look at the start of the 2016 season. The Cowboys began the year ranked in the AP Poll, but hosted a pesky Central Michigan team in Week 2. They looked as if they’d done enough to win before the Chippewas scored on a last-second Hail Mary and lateral.

Oklahoma State was essentially eliminated from College Football Playoff talks in the second week of the year. It looks like it will be another national title-less year for the Cowboys.