With a 33-7 loss to Texas, the fifth of the season, Iowa State joins the following BCS football teams with 600 all-time program losses: Rutgers (605), Kansas State (612), Wake Forest (614), Indiana (634), and Northwestern (635).
Northwestern claimed that its victory over Indiana Sept. 29 transferred the title of “losingest team,” but adding up the losses from the NCAA record book plus the season through Nov. 10 gave the totals above. So there is likely a disputed score or two from the 19th or early 20th century hiding around. The next team to reach 600 likely will be Kentucky (581) or Vanderbilt (578), but it will take a little while.
Why am I bringing this up? I’ll quote from the CBS blog post linked above: “Your football program should be notable for something, even if it is futility. To do otherwise is just delaying the inevitable, anyway.”
I could do an entire ESPN 30-for-30 about Iowa State’s football futility, with a little bit of basketball thrown in. There’s nothing wrong with accepting it while at the same time hoping for better things.
This post will be updated at the end of football season.