noncontender

noun

non·con·tend·er

variants or non-contender

ˌnän-kən-ˈten-dər

plural noncontenders or non-contenders

: a competitor who is considered to have no real chance of winning something (such as a championship or an election)

The first round of the high school football playoffs generally is where the noncontenders—those teams with losing records that slid into the postseason as No. 4 seeds—quickly are weeded out.—

Chip Saye, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 19 Nov. 2010

Here's a vote for Minnesota's Gary Gaetti, often overlooked because he has been playing for a non-contender in a low–visibility market, as the league's best all-round third baseman.—

The Sporting News, 8 June 1987