But you can win betting against losers!

For football bettors, the challenge is finding teams that will not only win, but cover the point spread.

As we’ve seen from season to season, winning a game doesn’t always translate into cashing a ticket. Last year, for instance, Texas compiled a stellar 13-1 record, but they were a dismal 5-8-1 against the spread (ATS).

In addition to seeking value in winning teams, it’s helpful to identify teams that don’t win and, correspondingly, fail to cover the point spread.

That’s where GT’s Dirty Dozen comes in.

Last year, college football’s 12 worst teams had a combined won-loss record of 48-101. More importantly, their combined record against the point spread was 34-98, for a 25.7 percent "winning" mark.

On the flip side, if you had bet against these teams, you would have cashed bets at a 74.3 percent clip. Even last year’s two top teams, Alabama (14-0) and Boise State (14-0) couldn’t match that winning record; they were a combined 18-8 ATS for a 69 percent winning margin.

This year, we’ve identified 12 teams that appear headed into the point-spread abyss. Coaching changes, as well as personnel losses due to graduation, can dramatically affect how teams perform on the field from year-to-year.

These bottom feeders represent the worst of the worst and should pay off handsomely when betting against them.

Eastern Michigan: Ron English debuted as the Eagles, new coach last year and compiled a 0-12 record. They were virtually overmatched in all their games, giving up nearly 40 points and scoring just 16 per game. On defense, the Eagles gave up 277 yards rushing per game, for a 6.3 yards per carry average. They should improve this season, but not enough to consider backing with a wager.

New Mexico State: The Aggies are another team who hired a new coach last season, DeWayne Walker, who finished the year 3-10. Walker has 15 returning starters so it’s likely the team will play better, but with an offense that scored only 11.5 points per game last year, the road is a long one. This is another team that was pushed around on the line of scrimmage, giving up 221 rushing yards per game.

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers enter their third year of FBS (Division 1A) competition. In two seasons, they’ve compiled a 2-22 record, with both wins coming against FCS (Division 1AA) teams, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State. That record wasn’t good enough for coach David Elson, who was fired and replaced by Willie Taggart, a long-time Hilltopper assistant who spent the last two years coaching running backs at Stanford. With a defense that gave up nearly 40 points/game (they allowed more than 60 points three times), he has his work cut out for him.

Tulane: The Green Wave haven’t beaten a ranked team since 1982, and they haven’t had a winning record since 2002. It hasn’t always been for a lack of coaching. Head coach Bob Toledo, now in his fourth season, was the former head coach of UCLA, and previous coaches have included Tommy Bowden, Greg Davis and Mack Brown. As with most bad teams, the glaring problems are on defense; the Green Wave allowed nearly 37 points/game, and their third-down defense was ranked 116th out of 120 FBS schools.

Akron: The Zips fired head coach J.D. Brookhart after four losing seasons and hired Rob Ianello, who gets his first head coaching job. He comes from Notre Dame, where he was an assistant coaching the offense and wide receivers. With the team learning new schemes, this appears to be another rebuilding year.

San Jose State: The Spartans get a new head coach, Mike MacIntyre, who was the defensive coordinator at Duke for two years, following stints in the NFL with the Jets and Cowboys. While the Spartans have 13 starters returning, they lost 27 lettermen to graduation. That’s not a good omen for a defense that gave up 34.5 points and 259 rushing yards per game.

Florida International: Now in his fourth season, coach Mario Cristobal has a 9-27 record (3-9 last year). That’s obviously a step up from the 0-12 team he inherited, but he’s probably on the hot seat in Miami. The Golden Panthers have only 11 returning starters (five on defense), which won’t help improve their yards gained to yards lost ratio of – 126.8 ypg, the worst in the Sun Belt Conference.

Memphis: Coach Tommy West led the Tigers to five bowls in seven seasons, but was dumped after going 2-10 last year. He’s replaced by Larry Porter, who returns to his alma mater after spending the last five years as an assistant at LSU. Porter has some decent talent to work with, but with only 13 returning starters, the Tigers might be a year away from posting a winning season.

Bowling Green: The Falcons overachieved last year with new head coach Dave Clawson, who compiled a 7-6 mark which included a 43-42 loss to Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl. With only eight returning starters, it appears difficult to repeat that effort. They will especially miss Bowling Green’s No. 2 all-time quarterback Tyler Sheehan and their No. 2 all-time wide receiver Freddie Barnes.

ULM: Even though coach Charlie Weatherbie compiled a 6-6 mark last season, he was fired after going 31-51 in seven years. The Warhawks hired another former military academy coach, Todd Berry, who had a 5-35 record as head coach of Army in 2000-2003. While the Warhawks were decent last year, allowing 27.3 points while scoring 25.6 points per game, they have only 10 returning starters, the fewest in the Sun Belt Conference.

Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns are coming off back-to-back 6-6 seasons, but head coach Rickey Bustle, now in his ninth year, was given only a one-year contract extension, so he’s definitely on the hot seat here. While the defense should improve on its 30 points/game average allowed, they’re rebuilding on offense and face a brutal schedule. So it’s not likely they’ll have a winning season.

New Mexico: Mike Locksley is in his second year as head coach, taking over for Rocky Long, who resigned after 11 seasons. The Lobos were just 1-11 last year, allowing nearly 36 points/game while scoring only 16.3 points. There’s some good players here, but with only 11 starters they’re lacking experience. They may top last year’s one-win total, but a year away from contending.