All those statements were finalized Saturday when the Hilltoppers (1-7 overall, 0-4 Conference USA) took a 38-17 home loss to Florida International.
The defeat eliminated WKU from bowl contention for the first time since the 2010 Toppers finished 2-10. Every WKU team from 2011-17 won at least six regular-season games and either went bowling or was eligible but didn’t receive a bid.
Saturday’s loss kept the Hilltoppers in the cellar of C-USA’s East Division, two years after they won the conference for a second straight year.
WKU’s 0-4 league start is the program’s worst since the 2009 Tops went 0-8 in Sun Belt Conference play.