Baylor Football
By Savannah Stancil
Statistical Analysis of the 2013 Baylor Football Team
Baylor had the number one ranked total offense in NCAA Division I-A football. They amassed a total of 7,439 total yards and averaged 572.2 yards per game. Although not first, the team scored a total of 578 points in the season and averaged a total of 44.5 points per game, which was fourth in the nation.
Unfortunately for Baylor, all those yards and points did not yield a superior record or even a very good record. Baylor was had eight wins and five losses on the year and went 4-5 in the Big 12 Conference. The question is why? Why did Baylor lead the nation in total offense and score the fourth most points yet only win a total of eight games?
The answer is of course looking to the other side of the ball. Baylor tied for the 93rd total defense in NCAA Division I-A football and ranked 113th out of 125 teams in total points allowed. The defense allowed 37.2 points per game. While they were very good at piling up yards and points on offense, they were conversely just as bad at stopping their opponents from doing the same thing. That is generally not a winning recipe and , in fact, Baylor won only 61.5% of their games.
In addition, if you analyze Baylor's wins and losses and their performance in those games, it is easier to understand the average record they amassed. Baylor compiled 4,735 yards and scored 47 touchdowns in their eight wins. However, they only had 2,704 yards and 25 touchdowns in their five losses. Therefore, it appears that when they won they dominated those games, piled up yards and points, and "padded" their overall offensive season statistics. Conversely, when they lost they were being dominated by their opponent and not scoring very many points and had a difficult time stopping their opponents from scoring in both wins and losses.
Therefore, the overall strength and success of the Baylor football team can be very misleading if you only looked at the total offense of the team. In reality, they were a very average team because their defense did not equal the effort and success of their offense and they were able to compile significant yards and points in their wins and much less in their losses, while giving up almost more yards and points than any other team in NCAA Division I-A football.