Heartbreak

Played for it. Never held it.

143 programs have lined up against the belt holder — 394 games between them — and walked off without it every time. The mirror image of the records page.

Most belt games without ever winning it

Programs that have never held the belt, by attempts

1Wesleyan (CT)30 belt games30 losses · 1883–1910 · closest: 6 points, 1892

2Amherst16 belt games16 losses · 1878–1911 · closest: 1 point, 1878

3Dartmouth14 belt games14 losses · 1884–1951 · closest: 3 points, 1911

4Stevens13 belt games13 losses · 1875–1912 · closest: 6 points, 1875

5Williams13 belt games13 losses · 1888–1916 · closest: 2 points, 1909

6Crescent A.C.10 belt games10 losses · 1885–1895 · closest: 5 points, 1889

7Franklin & Marshall10 belt games10 losses · 1890–1925 · closest: 8 points, 1897

8Boston College9 belt games8 losses, 1 tie · 1924–2025 · closest: 3 points, 1930

9Bates8 belt games8 losses · 1899–1914 · closest: 11 points, 1909

10Chattanooga8 belt games8 losses · 1938–2016 · closest: 9 points, 1955

11Houston8 belt games8 losses · 1957–1991 · closest: 1 point, 1967

12Indiana8 belt games8 losses · 1926–2019 · closest: 10 points, 1975

13Holy Cross7 belt games6 losses, 1 tie · 1903–1947 · closest: 6 points, 1930

14Iowa State7 belt games7 losses · 1923–2015 · closest: 4 points, 2015

15Trinity (CT)7 belt games7 losses · 1877–1903 · closest: 2 points, 1878

Closest calls

Narrowest losses by programs that still haven’t won it

1Tufts 18771 pointlost 0–1 to Yale 2Amherst 18781 pointlost 0–1 to Yale 3Houston 19671 pointlost 13–14 to Ole Miss 4San José State 19901 pointlost 34–35 to California 5Trinity (CT) 18782 pointslost 0–2 to Yale 6Williams 19092 pointslost 6–8 to Harvard 7SMU 19252 pointslost 7–9 to West Virginia Wesleyan 8Dartmouth 19113 pointslost 0–3 to Princeton 9Boston College 19303 pointslost 0–3 to Fordham 10Hawai'i 19943 pointslost 10–13 to Wyoming 11San Diego State 20033 pointslost 13–16 to Ohio State 12Springfield 19074 pointslost 5–9 to Harvard 13Utah State 20114 pointslost 38–42 to Auburn 14Kansas 20144 pointslost 30–34 to TCU 15Iowa State 20154 pointslost 31–35 to Oklahoma State

Most belt games lost, all programs

Losses as the challenger, holders included

1Pennsylvania36 losses37 belt games as the challenger · has held it

2Wesleyan (CT)30 losses30 belt games as the challenger · never held it

3Rutgers21 losses21 belt games as the challenger · has held it

4Columbia19 losses19 belt games as the challenger · has held it

5Florida19 losses19 belt games as the challenger · has held it

6Michigan19 losses20 belt games as the challenger · has held it

7Oregon19 losses20 belt games as the challenger · has held it

8Harvard18 losses19 belt games as the challenger · has held it

9California17 losses17 belt games as the challenger · has held it

10Mississippi State17 losses19 belt games as the challenger · has held it

A belt game the challenger loses (or ties, since a tie keeps the belt with the holder) counts as an attempt. Programs that have held the belt at any point are excluded from the first two lists — their waiting is measured on the records page as a drought, not here as heartbreak.