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College football’s longest active conference title droughts

By Zach Bigalke

Dec 27, 2016; San Diego , CA, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Damarius Travis (7) celebrates in the first quarter against the Washington State Cougars during the 2016 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2016; San Diego , CA, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Damarius Travis (7) celebrates in the first quarter against the Washington State Cougars during the 2016 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 29, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; New Mexico State Aggies tight end Clayton Granch (88) is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Otaro Alaka (42) in the second half at Kyle Field. Texas A&M Aggies won 52 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; New Mexico State Aggies tight end Clayton Granch (88) is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Otaro Alaka (42) in the second half at Kyle Field. Texas A&M Aggies won 52 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Sun Belt

Longest Drought: New Mexico State Aggies (Last title: 1978)

The Sun Belt has seen plenty of turnover since the league began sponsoring football in 2001. Former champions like Middle Tennessee and North Texas have moved on to Conference USA. So too has a current Group of Five sensation, Western Kentucky. That opened the door for other schools to come in from both the FCS ranks and as a lifeline as conferences realigned over the first decade of the 21st century.

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New Mexico State fits into that latter camp. They have been rather transient over the years, and their last conference championship came four realignments ago.

In 1978, the year of the Aggies’ last football championship, they were playing in the Missouri Valley Conference before it stopped sponsoring football. Beginning in 1983 they moved to the Big West. The Sun Belt provided a lifeline in 2001 when the Big West stopped sponsoring the sport, but the Aggies bolted for the WAC in 2005.

When the WAC dissolved football eight years later, the Aggies came crawling back to the Sun Belt. This, however, is their last season in the league before they are sent off into an independent future. Unless the team pulls off an upset championship this season, it could be a long time before New Mexico State breaks its title drought.

Honorable Mentions

  • Idaho Vandals: Like New Mexico State, Idaho is also about to leave the Sun Belt after 2017. In their case, however, the Vandals are actually transitioning back down to the FCS and joining the Big Sky. So, if Idaho does not earn a share of this year’s Sun Belt title, their next conference championship will likely come in the lower subdivision.
  • ULM Warhawks: Louisiana-Monroe transitioned to I-A football in 1994 but spent its first seven seasons as an independent. After joining the Sun Belt in 2001, the Warhawks earned a share of the conference championship in 2005 with a 5-2 league record. But they lost all four non-conference games that year to finish 5-6 overall, and have gone bowling just once since the move to the FBS.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Way-too-early edition

There you have it, the longest droughts for each conference’s title.

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