You win some, and you lose some. Such is the world of FBS football where for every team on a roll there is an equal team struggling to get out of a losing funk. These teams in 2017 had a particularly rough go of it.
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Longest Current Winning Streaks
Scheduling Quirks | 2018 Road Warriors[divider]
Here are the seven FBS schools with the longest losing streaks entering the 2018 college football season. As you'll see, however, each has a prime opportunity in September to snap its streak and get things moving in the right direction.
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UTEP — 12 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki[/credit]
Last Victory: November 26, 2016, 52-24 vs. North Texas.
Brief 2017 Recap: Other than a 15-14 loss to Western Kentucky, UTEP suffered defeat by 21 or more points in every contest. The offense averaged just 11.8-points-per game, which is why new head coach Dana Dimel and 2017 NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year Kai Locksley are now on campus. If the latter's last name sounds familiar, Kai is the son of former New Mexico head coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.
Likely to Win Next: September 1, 2018, vs. Northern Arizona.
RELATED: Miners' New Head Coach
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Kansas — 11 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann[/credit]
Last Victory: September 2, 2017, 38-16 vs. SE Missouri St.
Brief 2017 Recap: After knocking off Texas near the end of the 2016 season, it felt like the Jayhawks were ready to take the next step. Alas, a 1-11 campaign in 2017 gives head coach David Beaty a career 3-33 record over 3 years in Lawrence. Kansas should break its streak in week 1, but a defense ranked no. 128 in scoring (43.4-points-per game) must get better to improve on last year's win total.
Likely to Win Next: September 1, 2018, vs. Nicholls.
RELATED: Bama Streak vs. Kansas Drought
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Oregon State — 10 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez[/credit]
Last Victory: September 2, 2017, 35-32 vs. Portland St.
Brief 2017 Recap: The Beavers barely held on for its only win of the season when it knocked off the Vikings 35-32. Expect the streak to hit at least 11 as Oregon State begins 2018 at Ohio State.
Likely to Win Next: September 8, 2018, vs. Southern Utah.
RELATED: First TD of 2017
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Rice — 10 Games
[credit](AP Photo/Keith Srakocic[/credit]
Last Victory: September 9, 2017, 31-14 vs. UTEP.
Brief 2017 Recap: The bad news: The Owls only win last year was against the team that currently holds the longest losing streak in the nation. The good news: Rice has the first opportunity of any team on this list to break its streak when it hosts FCS foe Prairie View A&M during week 0.
Likely to Win Next: August 25, 2018, vs. Prairie View A&M.
RELATED: Owls' Three Straight Road Games
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Illinois — 10 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Bradley Leeb[/credit]
Last Victory: September 9, 2017, 20-7 vs. Western Kentucky.
Brief 2017 Recap: It's difficult to win football games when the offense scores just 185 points as the defense is giving up 378. Things went downhill last year after the Illini began the season 2-0. The good news is Illinois has every chance to begin 2018 with two straight wins as it hosts a rebuilding Kent State program followed by Western Illinois.
Likely to Win Next: September 1, 2018, vs. Kent State.
RELATED: Fighting Illini Schedule
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Ball State — 9 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Bradley Leeb[/credit]
Last Victory: September 9, 2017, 28-13 vs. Tennessee Tech.
Brief 2017 Recap: It's highly advisable that the Cardinals break their streak in week one against Central Connecticut State because its week two road trip at Notre Dame is a doozy.
Likely to Win Next: August 30, 2018, vs. Central Connecticut State.
RELATED: Top 100 Ranking: No. 98 Ball State
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New Mexico — 7 Games
[credit]AP Photo/Andres Leighton[/credit]
Last Victory: September 30, 2017, 56-38 vs. Air Force.
Brief 2017 Recap: The Lobos were on top of the world in 2016 after pulling one of the biggest upsets in school history when it knocked off Boise State on its blue turf. New Mexico would end the season 9-4 with a bowl victory. Fast-forward to 2018 and the squad is coming off a disappointing 3-9 season with a head coach the university suspended for a month this offseason.
Likely to Win Next: September 1, 2018, vs. Incarnate Word.