Shame Watch Special Edition

The 2008 college football season kicks off only seven weeks from tonight, and so I thought it was time for a midsummer Shame Mask update. I'll talk about the Shame Mask wearing teams below, but first, I'll talk about some new shame related material. I've decided to add some additional content here at the College Football Shame Mask, the Shame Watch.

With Florida International's 23 game losing streak snapped in the final week of 2008, the team with the nation's longest losing streak is no longer wearing a shame mask. What if a team were to keep losing and break the Northwestern record without acquiring a Shame Mask? Would I know it? This is something I need to start keeping track of.

Three teams ride 10 game losing streaks into the 2008 season, but one is the worst among equals.

1. Idaho. The Vandals 20-13 win in Week 2 of 2007 was over I-AA Cal Poly. This means their losing streak against I-A teams goes back to when they were still officially called I-A teams. On October 14, 2006, Idaho beat Louisiana Tech 24-14. Since then they have lost 16 games against I-A opponents. Idaho's next opportunity to beat a team is on August 30 at Arizona. At first glance, this might seem like a tough task for the WAC team going against the PAC-10. However, as I pointed out here under Mike Stoops, Arizona in only 2-11 against I-A opponents in the months of August and September, and so anything's possible?

1A. Southern Methodist. SMU's last win was September 8, 2007, at home against North Texas, 45-31. The Mustangs' ten game losing streak includes a couple of tough ones. The second was a 48-45 overtime lost to UTEP in which they led 42-28 in the fourth quarter and allowed a game tying touchdown with 7 seconds left. Loss 5 was 29-23 at Tulsa, allowing the winning 51-yard touchdown pass with 43 seconds left. Loss 7 saw SMU let a 42-27 fourth quarter lead over Rice evaporate with a 31-yard game winning field goal as time expired giving the Owls the 43-42 win. And then the season ended with a 55-52 triple overtime loss at Memphis. SMU's 2008 campaign starts August 29 seeking revenge at Rice. Their schedule has them leaving the state of Texas only twice, and their second game is against I-AA Texas State, and so I don't see their losing streak last all that long.

1B. Minnesota. The Golden Gophers' last win came on September 8, 2007, when they let a 16-point fourth quarter lead slip away at home against Miami (OH), only to win 41-35 double overtime. Following that win there was a 42-39 loss at Florida Atlantic. Along the way, they squandered a 14 point fourth quarter lead at Northwestern, allowed the tying touchdown with 8 seconds left, and then lost 49-48 in double overtime, when Minnesota scored a touchdown in the second overtime and went for two and the win, but missed. The next week, they let a 21-17 fourth quarter lead over I-AA North Dakota State get away, losing 27-21. (To be fair, the go-ahead touchdown was tight end Thor Brown's second catch of the season, and so they can be excused for not covering him. Sort of.) Minnesota hosts Northern Illinois on August 30.

Which one will win? Which one will lose? Who knows? Maybe Duke with their nine game losing streak will come from behind. Watch this space.