Preparing for the return of college football and the return of the College Football Champion Index, posts are in order along the way.
What is it you think you know about the big picture of offense in college football?
Would you agree with these statements?
1. Over the last few seasons, hurry-up or no huddle offenses have squeezed in more plays into games and changed the landscape of college football.
2. Hurry-up and no-huddle offenses have brought more passing attacks.
3. College football teams really favor “balanced” attacks, i.e. 50-50 run v. pass play calling.
The following graph is deceptively simple but is probably one of the few places you’ll ever see college football offense expressed in such a broad way in one small place.
Average Yearly Totals Across All of Division I Football
Year Carries Carries % Patt Patt % Total Yards TDs Yds/GM
2012 492 0.54 414 0.46 907 5194 44 408
2011 483 0.54 404 0.46 888 4993 42 391
2010 476 0.55 392 0.45 869 4884 42 383
2009 465 0.54 393 0.46 859 4788 40 377
2008 465 0.54 393 0.46 859 4745 41 373
2007 484 0.53 425 0.47 909 4997 42 394
2006 441 0.54 369 0.46 810 4420 36 348
2005 448 0.55 372 0.45 821 4425 37 379
2004 455 0.56 359 0.44 815 4372 36 375
2003 497 0.56 394 0.44 892 4808 39 381
2002 499 0.56 394 0.44 893 4753 40 375
2001 446 0.56 354 0.44 801 4280 36 380
2000 442 0.56 352 0.44 794 4144 34 370
This graph represents are the averages of all Division I football programs for each year for rushing plays, passing plays, total plays, yardage per school, TDs, and yards per game from 2000 through 2012.
The percentages of rushing and passing plays have also been added.
The average number of plays DI teams have run over a season is cyclical at best. In fact, 2012 was only the second highest average over the last 13 years. 2007 was the highest. Since 2000 a wave pattern emerges coming off of lower numbers in 2000 and 2001, peaking in 2002 & 2003, and going back down again until 2007 exploded. The numbers went down again before climbing back up the last two seasons.
But has passing been the difference? It was in 2007 but consider this.
In a rough sense, since 2002, both the numbers passing and rushing plays have moved upward together, so to view it that passing offenses predominate is to look at only a few teams where that has happened.
In fact, it may be fairly stated that the ratio of rushing to pass plays over the last 13 years has remained at 55% rush and 45% pass. The difference between 44% pass and 46% pass has been an increase of roughly 20 passing plays over an entire season (or really, the choice to throw on 10 plays instead of run).
One thing which can be inferred from the chart but not included is the number of yards which an offense has to gain before scoring a touchdown on average, and it does not vary greatly from year to year over the last 13 seasons. The fewest yards teams traveled to score an offensive TD was 115 yards in 2008. The most was 123 yards in 2003.
Overall, it’s a fallacy to say that college football has undergone any huge offensive revolution.
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