We're in the sweet spot of the college football calendar. Spring football is still a few weeks out for the vast majority of programs and recruiting has slowed down as much as it can slow down these days. As a Division I head coach put it to me yesterday, "We're in that six week window where we get to work bankers hours."
Given that, it's the time of year where coaches can truly catch their breath and plot what kind of team they want to have for the upcoming season. They can assess areas where they're deficient, then study the teams that were succeeded in those areas.
Which is where we come in.
If I were looking to improve my passing game, I'd study what GJ Kinne (now at Texas State) did at Incarnate Word. The Cardinals didn't lead all of college football in any individual category, but they're the only college football team to lead their respective division in scoring, yards per play, passing efficiency, and yards per attempt.
In the running game, I'd look at North Central. The Cardinals -- maybe it's the nickname? -- finished fifth in the entirety of the NCAA in rushing, and still averaged more yards per carry than any team in the entire nation.
If I wanted to force more turnovers, I'd go to Waverly, Iowa, to learn how the Wartburg Knights led Division III in interceptions (29) and tied for second in fumble recovers (16) over their 14-game season.
Without further ado, here are the statistical champions of the 2022 college football season.
Scoring Offense
FBS: Tennessee -- 46.1 points per game
FCS: Incarnate Word -- 51.5
D2: Colorado School of Mines -- 44.6
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 52.4
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 53.1
Yards Per Play
FBS: Ohio State -- 7.28
FCS: Incarnate Word -- 7.86
D2: Southern Nazarene (Okla.) -- 7.39
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 8.18
NAIA: N/A
Passing Offense
FBS: Washington -- 369.8 yards per game
FCS: Fordham -- 413.8
D2: Concord (W. Va.) -- 333.4
D3: Wabash (Ind.) -- 363.5
NAIA: Pikeville (Ky.) -- 357.2
Passing Efficiency
FBS: Tennessee -- 181.40
FCS: Incarnate Word -- 193.62
D2: Colorado School of Mines -- 175.94
D3: Randolph-Macon (Va.) -- 197.94
NAIA: N/A
Yards Per Attempt (min.: 150 attempts)
FBS: Tennessee -- 10.0
FCS: Incarnate Word -- 10.3
D2: Ouchita Baptist (Ark.) -- 10.1
D3: Randolph-Macon (Va.) -- 11.0
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 10.2
Yards Per Carry
FBS: UCLA -- 6.00
FCS: Montana State -- 6.49
D2: Southern Nazarene (Okla.) -- 7.16
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 7.57
NAIA: Texas Wesleyan -- 6.28
Rushing Offense
FBS: Air Force -- 326.7 yards per game / Ole Miss -- 256.5 yards per game
FCS: Davidson -- 331.5
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 335.4
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 355.3
NAIA: Friends (Kan.) -- 275.1
Third Down Conversions
FBS: Washington -- 56.8%
FCS: North Carolina Central -- 55.8%
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 57.4%
D3: Randolph-Macon (Va.) -- 59.2%
NAIA: Northwestern (Iowa) -- 54.8%
Sacks Allowed
FBS: Oregon -- 0.39
FCS: Butler -- 0.64
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 0.18
D3: Washington & Lee (Va.) -- 0.10
NAIA: N/A
Scoring Defense
FBS: Illinois -- 12.8 points per game
FCS: Princeton/Jackson State -- 13.5
D2: Bentley (Mass.) -- 10.5
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 6.7
NAIA: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) -- 10.3
Yards Per Play Defense
FBS: Iowa -- 3.99
FCS: Jackson State -- 3.97
D2: Angelo State (Texas) -- 3.75
D3: Delaware Valley (Pa.) -- 3.16
NAIA: N/A
Pass Efficiency Defense
FBS: Illinois -- 92.64
FCS: Jackson State -- 86.75
D2: Notre Dame (Ohio) -- 86.73
D3: Westminster (Pa.) -- 78.01
NAIA: N/A
Yards Per Attempt Allowed
FBS: Iowa -- 5.3
FCS: Jackson State -- 5.0
D2: Notre Dame (Ohio) -- 5.0
D3: Illinois College/Westminster (Pa.) -- 4.1
NAIA: N/A
Yards Per Carry Allowed
FBS: James Madison -- 2.48
FCS: South Dakota State -- 2.84
D2: UIndy -- 1.92
D3: Wartburg (Iowa) -- 1.56
NAIA: N/A
Rushing Defense
FBS: Georgia -- 77.0 yards per game
FCS: South Dakota State -- 88.1
D2: UIndy -- 53.0
D3: Wartburg (Iowa) -- 45.1
NAIA: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) -- 31.1
Sacks Per Game
FBS: Louisville -- 3.85
FCS: Jackson State -- 3.69
D2: Colorado School of Mines -- 4.44
D3: Linfield (Ore.) -- 3.91
NAIA: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) -- 4.33
TFLs Per Game
FBS: Liberty -- 9.3
FCS: Incarnate Word -- 9.2
D2: Wingate (N.C.) -- 10.1
D3: TCNJ/East Texas Baptist -- 9.2
NAIA: N/A
Takeaways
FBS: Western Kentucky -- 32
FCS: Furman -- 29
D2: Colorado School of Mines -- 33
D3: Wartburg (Iowa) -- 45
NAIA: Indiana Wesleyan -- 40
Third Down Defense
FBS: Marshall -- 23.5%
FCS: Jackson State -- 25.9%
D2: Ferris State -- 23.1%
D3: Westminster (Pa.) -- 21.6%
NAIA: N/A
Penalties
FBS: Minnesota/Oklahoma State -- 3.5 per game
FCS: Chattanooga -- 3.6
D2: Minot State (N.D.) -- 3.2
D3: Wisconsin-Stevens Point -- 2.3
NAIA: Taylor (Ind.) -- 2.8