We aim to please here at FootballScoop. So, with spring ball approaching, we thought now was the time to trot out our annual list of statistical champions across the NCAA and NAIA. As always, the goal here is the same: instead of referring colloquially to FBS as the entirety of "college football" we set out to find the very best rushing defense/passing offense/pass rush in all of college football, spanning all 758 football-playing, four-year colleges and universities -- 130 in FBS, 125 in FCS, 166 in Division II, 248 in Division III and 89 in NAIA.
In all, we looked at 22 categories, and a plurality (nine) of the statistical champions were found in Division III -- which is to be expected, given that division easily owns the largest roster of programs -- there are things to be learned across all divisions, you just have to know where to find them.
Before we dive in, a few spoilers:
-- Opponents attempted 226 passes against Southeastern University, an NAIA school in Lakeland, Fla. They completed 85 of them, for 1,044 yards and eight touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Maybe just try another run.
-- On the flip side, opponents attempted 263 runs against The College at Brockport, a Division III school in upstate New York. Those 263 runs gained 81 yards -- total -- and scored five touchdowns. (Which actually seems a bit high, all things considering?). In 158 third down situations, opponents converted 25. First-and-10, second-and-1, third-and-goal, just try your luck passing.
-- On the flip side of that coin, there's Davidson. The public best knows Davidson College, a liberal arts college of 2,000 students just north of Charlotte, as Steph Curry's alma mater, if it knows the school at all. But you should know it as the very best running team in college football. The Wildcats ran the ball 655 times in their 11 games, gaining 4,713 yards and scoring 55 touchdowns. Head coach Scott Abell's team was the most prolific and the most efficient rushing attack in the sport.
-- You know this already, but if you're a coach with an opportunity to have an audience with Lincoln Riley, do whatever necessary to get there. His offense was not only the most prolific and the most efficient in college football -- 7,984 yards and 89 touchdowns on 928 plays -- his efficiency in 2018 was simply off the charts. No other team in the country averaged eight yards a play, and Oklahoma was pushing nine. OU led FBS in yards per carry and was one or two drops away from leading FBS in yards per attempt, too. Again, drive, fly, hitchhike, hop a train, borrow your 9-year-old cousin's bike, crawl over broken glass -- just go.
Without further ado, here are your statistical champions for the 2018 college football season.
Scoring
FBS: Oklahoma -- 48.4 points per game
FCS: Princeton -- 47.0
D2: Valdosta State (Ga.) -- 52.0
D3: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) -- 53.4
NAIA: Bethel (Tenn.) -- 55.0
Total Offense
FBS: Oklahoma -- 570.3 yards per game
FCS: Davidson -- 547.5
D2: Colorado School of Mines -- 556.8
D3: Franklin College (Ind.) -- 558.3
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 562.2
Yards Per Play
FBS: Oklahoma -- 8.60
FCS: South Dakota State -- 7.65
D2: Valdosta State (Ga.) -- 7.89
D3: Hardin-Simmons (Texas) -- 7.66
NAIA: Langston (Okla.) -- 7.55
Rushing Offense
FBS: Georgia Tech -- 325.0 yards per game
FCS: Davidson -- 428.5
D2: Carson-Newman (Tenn.) -- 347.6
D3: Salisbury (Md.) -- 348.5
NAIA: Reinhardt (Ga.) -- 339.2
Yards Per Carry
FBS: Oklahoma -- 6.57
FCS: Davidson -- 7.20
D2: Valdosta State (Ga.) -- 7.19
D3: Hardin-Simmons (Texas) -- 6.87
NAIA: Cumberlands (Ky.) -- 6.32
Passing Offense
FBS: Washington State -- 373.8 yards per game
FCS: Samford -- 392.7
D2: South Dakota School of Mines -- 332.4
D3: Shenandoah (Va.) -- 386.5
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 377.0
Passing Efficiency
FBS: Alabama -- 197.34
FCS: San Diego -- 170.87
D2: Ohio Dominican -- 176.92
D3: Saint John's (Minn.) -- 186.59
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 192.39
Third Down Conversions
FBS: Army -- 57.1 percent
FCS: Davidson -- 55.4
D2: South Dakota School of Mines -- 55.5
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 54.5
NAIA: Benedictine (Kan.) -- 51.0
Red Zone Offense
FBS: Miami (Ohio) -- 97.7 percent
FCS: Fordham -- 95.2
D2: Missouri Western -- 92.9
D3: Hobart (NY) -- 96.9
NAIA: N/A
Scoring Defense
FBS: Clemson -- 13.1 points per game
FCS: Colgate -- 9.3
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 11.3
D3: Monmouth (Ill.) -- 8.3
NAIA: Marian (Ind.) -- 11.5
Total Defense
FBS: Mississippi State -- 263.1 yards per game
FCS: Colgate -- 237.7
D2: Minnesota-Duluth -- 205.7
D3: St. Thomas (Minn.) -- 207.2
NAIA: Marian (Ind.) -- 249.6
Yards Per Play Allowed
FBS: Mississippi State -- 4.13
FCS: Colgate -- 3.85
D2: Colorado State-Pueblo -- 3.45
D3: Trinity (Conn.) -- 3.27
NAIA: Marian (Ind.) -- 3.85
Rushing Defense
FBS: Michigan State -- 77.9 yards per game
FCS: Maine -- 79.2
D2: Minnesota-Duluth -- 59.2
D3: Brockport (NY) -- 6.8
NAIA: Marian (Ind.) -- 98.7
Yards Per Carry Allowed
FBS: Clemson -- 2.51
FCS: Maine -- 2.42
D2: Minnesota-Duluth -- 1.99
D3: Brockport (NY) -- 0.31
NAIA: Evangel (Mo.) -- 2.62
Passing Defense
FBS: Miami -- 135.6 yards per game
FCS: Campbell -- 122.5
D2: Southeastern Oklahoma State -- 118.7
D3: Wesley College (Del.) -- 128.9
NAIA: Southeastern (Fla.) -- 104.4
Pass Efficiency Defense
FBS: Miami -- 101.39
FCS: Colgate -- 88.77
D2: Colorado State-Pueblo -- 86.73
D3: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) -- 83.15
NAIA: Southeastern (Fla.) -- 75.71
Sacks Per Game
FBS: Penn State -- 3.6
FCS: Alcorn -- 4.0
D2: West Chester (Pa.) -- 4.6
D3: John Carroll (Ohio) -- 5.2
NAIA: Southern Oregon -- 4.8
Third Down Defense
FBS: Miami -- 25.3 percent
FCS: North Carolina A&T -- 25.4
D2: Shorter -- Minnesota-Duluth -- 22.5
D3: Brockport (NY) -- 15.8
NAIA: Reinhardt (Ga.) -- 21.8
Red Zone Defense
FBS: Fresno State -- 66.7 percent
FCS: North Dakota State -- 54.2
D2: Notre Dame College (Ohio) -- 51.3
D3: Linfield (Ore.) -- 33.3
NAIA: N/A
Takeaways
FBS: Ohio/Utah State -- 32
FCS: Southeast Missouri State -- 36
D2: Colorado State-Pueblo -- 45
D3: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) -- 46
NAIA: N/A
Turnover Margin
FBS: Georgia Southern -- 1.69
FCS: Southeast Missouri State -- 1.85
D2: Colorado State-Pueblo -- 2.00
D3: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) -- 2.20
NAIA: N/A
Penalties Per Game
FBS: Northwestern -- 2.9
FCS: Elon -- 3.7
D2: Hillsdale College (Mich.) -- 3.2
D3: Randolph-Macon College (Va.) -- 3.3
NAIA: St. Francis (Ill.) -- 4.2