16.

The Tribe had a short lifespan in the FCS. Oklahoma's finest will be remembered for having some hefty injury woes while also ushering in some of the FCS elite like Stefon Diggs. All in all, Easley just didn't have what it took to lead her franchise to success. It has always been a dogfight out west, and struggling to land stars and stay healthy made it impossible for OK to compete. The Okies left the league with just 5 total wins before passing the torch to Chris Webb and the Colorado IceCats.

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15.

The eye test will clearly point to Oklahoma as the worst team in FCS history, but being apart of this league day in and day out mind lend a different perspective. Little Rock, despite 14 total wins and a playoff appearance in 2016, will go down in infamy for his extremely questionable trade sending Christian McCaffrey to Charleston for next to nothing. The Lumberjacks were a wildcard that always kept us guessing, for good or bad, but ultimately when you hold the record for least amount of points scored in a week with just over 22(!), it's hard to escape the bottom. Rest In Peace, Lumberjacks. Godfrey's boys were passed on to Chase Miller in 2019.

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14.

It's been a long slide for Barnes despite his persistence. The Bronx, formerly known as the Toronto Terror, had a slow start in 2016 winning only two games all year as they rounded out the East. 2017 saw a strong turnaround for the Owls as they finished with 7 wins thanks to Melvin Gordon and Isaiah Crowell. Since that peak, Barnes has struggled to stay afloat in the Northeast and consistently compete for a playoff birth. They now sit 3 years removed from the postseason, but with a backfield led by Derrick Henry and Joe Mixon, things might be on the up and up in the Bronx.

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13.

Some of our owners have haven't had the luxury of a five-year history, making their placement on this list a little more difficult. Gairhan and his Cutthroats live their FCS life to the fullest, always embracing a balls to the wall approach that has left their coaches with a short leash and star security at the minimum. This leadership style has led Reno through a tumultuous view years as they've experienced the highs of a near Victor Bowl trip and the lows of cleaning house on their way to two wins last season. Their third head coach in as many years, Matt LeFleur, looks to carry the Cutthroats back to the playoffs with their star-studded backfield of McCaffrey and Jones.

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12.

The Big Sky Country story aligns well with The Bronx, just with a few more wins. The Mayor and his small market have skidded by with little star power and a keen eye on the waiver wire. This philosophy culminated in 2018 when the then Jack Rabbits came within 3 points of a title appearance. Since then, the Jacks have fallen and maintained their status quo in the bottom three of the west. With a new brand, along with a new collection of WR talent added this offseason, Big Sky Country aims to once again grapple for a Western Division title.

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11.

Utah's finest wasted no time taking the FCS by storm in their inaugural season in 2016. Their offensive battle with Austin out west that season led to our most exciting race in history for the Smart Mammals scoring award as they stole it from Blankenship late in week 12. The Stomin' Mormons made an early trade for DeMarco Murray that shot them into favor out west only to be upset in the wildcard match against Tucson. Following that defeat, Salt Lake City, led by Calvin Coon, never truly recovered, going 6-6 in 2017 and then managing only one win in their final season. SLC moved west in 2018 as Nate Gairhan relocated the franchise.

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10.

Neese wasted no time in his first year in the FCS as he took a three-win Ottawa team and carried them to the postseason. The Rovers scoffed at salary cap woes and went all in, trading for compensated stars Mike Evans, Amari Cooper and Josh Jacobs. That total a combined $172 for those three starters alone. VB, led ultimately by star QB Patrick Mahomes and wideout DK Metcalf, 8-4 which was good enough for 2nd in the East. Despite having home field advantage in the Eastern Division wildcard match, Neese fell short to the eventual champs DC and very quickly was faced with their offseason contract issues staring back at them in the mirror. The melting pot of only a year in the league, a playoff appearance in that sole year and an offseason cleaning up their money mess led us to land Virginia Beach in the top ten all-time.

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9.

Speaking of the Ottawa Braves, they come in at number nine despite a lackluster history in the FCS’ Eastern Division. Godfrey and the Braves spent a long time in this league consistently staying relevent in their division and making the playoffs year in and year out. The Braves were postseason bound their first four years in the FCS, tying Tucson as the only franchises at that time to make the playoffs every year possible. From there, Ottawa continually fell short as they were never able to overcome the wildcard hump and plunge into the Eastern Division Finals. Stepping away from the onfield numbers, the outlook continues to be negative. Godfrey, not unlike his brother, gathered a reputation for making questionable trades and consistently outplaying his potential. That culminated in 2019 when they recorded only 3 wins and failed to make the playoffs for the first time. Godfrey called it quits after that disappointed outing and turned things over to Neese. The Braves, although scrappy and persistent, ultimately will be remembered for their wildcard curse and inability to take that next step forward.

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8.

Miller may have adopted the toughest turnaround job this league has ever seen back in 2018 when he took over for the Lumberjacks. To help make the transition easier, he decided to keep the franchise in Little Rock and maintain Arkansas as thier home base. From there, the Caps got to work changing the culture and trying to bring a winning mindset to the state capital. Miller spent his first summer adding stars like Dalvin Cook and Keenan Allen to quickly show the league that the Capitals meant business right out of the gate, and they did that and more. LR would go on to make it all the way to the Victor Bowl in their first year out East where the lights became too bright as they fell hard to MVP Lamar Jackson and the IceCats. Since then, Miller’s squad has been chasing the high of 2019 as they work to build an eastern contender once again. The Caps ended 2020 with disappointment as they only eclipsed four wins and showed signs of a full on rebuild, taking strides to get younger and cheaper. Their early success lands them in the top ten all time, but only time will tell if they will be able to maintain that status in the years to come.

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7.

Recency bias might lead you to question the Outlaws position at seven, but make no mistake; this franchise has a high standing out west. Despite a downhill slide the last 4 years, Blankenship has done a great job maintaining star power in Texas and being competitive in the always stout Western Division. Austin burst onto the scene in 2016 tying the FCS record for regular wins at eleven and coming a game short of a Victor Bowl appearance. The next year saw them go 7-5 and fail to get out of the wildcard. 3 years later, the needle has struggled to move as ATX has unfortunately found a home among the bottom of the west. Despite the struggles, Blankenship has a history of making smart trades and being level-headed with his team’s potencial. Winning the lottery this spring, along with a good but pricy group of keepers heading into the 2021 FCS Draft, has the outlook on the Outlaws looking up.

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6.

Year after year we would examine the preseason Ripper lineup and brace for them to finally breakthrough, and year after year they would disappoint. It’s never hard to find star power in the PNW, but they were just never able to put everything together and make a run in the West. Finally, after a stunning 2020 season, the mediocre jokes might be ready to be laid to rest. With that being said, I can’t help but point out that this latest postseason run also took off from yet another 6-6 season, but it’s all about what you do when you get there. Hendricks is still riding high as he goes into the fall defending his aWestern Division title, but we all know if you stand still out west, you’re going to get left in the dust. Despite the history of disappointment, it really feels like the winning ways might stick around for awhile up in the pacific northwest.

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5.

The Bombers have been very consistently inconsistent over their five year tenure. In that time frame, they have posted two winning season, two .500 seasons, and one losing season with two playoff appearances and 17 dubbies. Despite back-to-back 6-6 seasons, Charleston still deserves to be top five. The hard truth of the FCS is staying consistent is very hard. Injuries, trade woes and game scripts make it impossible to guarantee success no matter what your roster looks like. So compared to some other teams floating around in this area, Enloe belongs. In 2018, they came a mere catch away from a championship. The Bombers have yet to burst through their current ceiling, but in the revolving door that is the Eastern Division, anything is possible.