Getty Image / Scott Taetsch
Right now, all the talk in college football is about the top teams in the country as they jockey for seeding for the College Football Playoff. There are plenty of big games left to play on that end, but you shouldn’t overlook the season that the Kent State Golden Flashes have had.
Kent State, which plays in the MAC, has been historically bad this year. Just how bad, you ask? They’re as bad as any team in recent memory.
Kent State wrapped up an 0-12 season with a 43-7 loss to Buffalo on Tuesday. They were outgained 448 Just how bad was Kent State?
Kent State's 2024 season is mercifully over.
– 0-12 record
– Outscored 529-167
– 13.9 points per game
– 44.1 ppg allowed
– -11 turnover marginHead coach Kenni Burns is now 1-23 in his two seasons at Kent State (zero FBS wins).
— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) November 27, 2024
I saw Kent State play in person this year, when they took on Penn State. Penn State has played a lot of cupcakes at Beaver Stadium, as have all major conference teams. Pretty early on, I said to the people sitting next to me that Kent State was the worst team I’d ever seen in Beaver Stadium, worse than FCS teams.
They lost that game 56-0. The week before, they lost to Tennessee 71-0. And, speaking of the FCS, they lost to a low-level FCS team in St. Francis, 23-17.
Things didn’t get any better in MAC play, either. They only played one competitive game, losing 37-35 to Ball State. The rest were at least three-possession losses.
Somehow, watching Kent State play was even worse than the results and stats show. Many small schools will get hurt by players going into the transfer portal this winter. Truthfully, there aren’t many, if any, players that big schools will covet from this roster. Sophomore Chrishon McRae has been a productive wide receiver, and could be a target. But, other than that, it’s slim pickings.
You’d think that head coach Kenni Burns would be a lock to be fired. But, scuttlebutt is he could possibly keep his job for a third season. That seems really hard to believe, but Kent State is pretty cash poor, and he has years left on his contract.
Part of being cash poor means they have to go on the road and play Power 5 schools for buy games. Next year, they have to play Florida State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Part of the problem this year was how many injuries they suffered playing Tennessee, Penn State, and Pitt. They lost their top two quarterbacks for the season against Penn State.
All in all, this was one of the worst teams in recent college football history. It will be a while before college football diehards forget this group.
Obviously, they're not finalized yet BUT….
Right now Kent State is the 2nd worst FBS team I've ever power-rated behind only 2019 Massachusetts.
— Brad Powers (@BradPowers7) November 27, 2024