Fansided

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

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 17, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys take the field for the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys take the field for the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 24, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights fans watch the final minutes if the during second half against Ohio State Buckeyes at High Points Solutions Stadium. Ohio State Buckeyes won 49-7.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights fans watch the final minutes if the during second half against Ohio State Buckeyes at High Points Solutions Stadium. Ohio State Buckeyes won 49-7.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

The birthplace of college football also happens to be one of the campuses in which you’ll find the saddest fans. Rutgers football fans have been tortured for over 100 years.

You read the headline of the page correctly, the last national title for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights was in that inaugural season back in 1868. No, not 1969, but an entire 100 years earlier before people even knew what football really was.

Rutgers and Princeton faced off in the first intercollegiate game ever and won. The Scarlet Knights then traveled to Princeton for the second game in college football history, losing that time and finishing the season 1-1. They shared the ‘national title’ with Princeton which is what happens when there are just two teams battling it out for one.

Not much you can say about a 147-year national title drought than ‘yikes.’ The only time the program could win a national crown was when there were only two teams competing, and they tied for it, each splitting a game in 1869.

Since 1869, the Scarlet Knights have won just a single conference title and have been to only 10 bowl games. They’ve won more than 10 games just twice in school history and the fan base is looking for anything to cheer about.

A 2-2 start to the Chris Ash era in 2016 is a start, I suppose.

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