Punxsutawney Phil isn't the only mammal who finally emerges from underground each February.
After a busy (hectic? chaotic? torturous?) winter finishing the season, building roster and processing staff changes, February is the time college football comes typically pick their heads up and begin thinking about the team they'll have the upcoming autumn. Areas of deficiency were addressed through recruiting and staff hires, but February is a time where coaches can look across the landscape toward how their colleagues find ways to excel in different areas of the game.
This is commonly referred to as Clinic Season.
This is where we come in.
Each February, FootballScoop publishes the list of champions across 25 different statistical categories from each division of 4-year college football -- all four NCAA divisions, plus the NAIA.
Want to move the ball more efficiently in 2025? I'd consider a visit to Naperville, Ill., where Brad Spencer's North Central Cardinals averaged 8.42 yards a play (7.15 a carry, 10.8 an attempt), were the only team to top 200 in passing efficiency, and scored an incredible 68 touchdowns on 79 red zone trips.
Will you win more games in 2025 if you were better on third down in 2024? Hope College might have some answers for you. Peter Stuursma's Flying Dutchmen were the only college football team to convert more than 60 percent of their third downs.
Offense can be highly specific to scheme, but defenses don't get to choose the type of opponents they defend.
With that in mind, it might be worth seeing how Brett Dietz's DePauw Tigers limited foes to 32.9 rushing yards per game on 1.14 a carry. Or a trip to Wingate, N.C., to see how Rashaan Jordan's Bulldogs surrendered conversions on just 23.8 percent of third downs and touchdowns on just 31.81 percent of red zone trips.
Every coach in college football could probably learn a thing or three of how Grove City College went a whole season with a 1.91 turnover margin, or how Central State blocked one kick a game, or how Plymouth State committed just 2.44 penalties a contest.
Consider this page a primer to your own personal Clinic Season.
Scoring Offense
FBS: Miami -- 43.9 points per game
FCS: Montana State -- 40.8
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 48.1
D3: Illinois College -- 55.4
NAIA: Texas Wesleyan -- 57.5
Yards Per Play
FBS: Miami -- 7.57
FCS: South Dakota -- 7.44
D2: Virginia Union -- 7.74
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 8.42
NAIA: N/A
Total Offense
FBS: Miami -- 537.2 yards per game
FCS: Monmouth -- 489.9
D2: Central Oklahoma -- 538.2
D3: Illinois College -- 589.4
NAIA: OUAZ -- 530
Rushing Offense
FBS: Army -- 300.5 yards per game
FCS: Davidson -- 315.5
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 413.9
D3: Springfield (Mass.) -- 427.5
NAIA: Friends (Kan.) -- 411.6
Yards Per Carry
FBS: New Mexico -- 6.67
FCS: Montana State -- 6.53
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 7.08
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 7.15
NAIA: Friends (Kan.) -- 7.26
Passing Offense
FBS: Syracuse -- 370 yards per game
FCS: Western Carolina -- 335.8
D2: Central Missouri -- 394.6
D3: Saint John's (Minn.) -- 380.3
NAIA: Morningside (Iowa) -- 346.9
Yards Per Attempt (min. 200 attempts)
FBS: Ole Miss -- 10.5
FCS: Missouri State -- 9.6
D2: Virgina Union -- 11.2
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 10.8
NAIA: Montana Western -- 10.8
Passing Efficiency (min. 200 attempts)
FBS: Ole Miss -- 176.59
FCS: North Dakota State -- 178.66
D2: Virginia Union -- 185.96
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 200.91
NAIA: N/A
Third Down Conversions
FBS: Miami -- 56.3 percent
FCS: Eastern Washington -- 56.4
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 56.5
D3: Hope (Mich.) -- 63.4
NAIA: Mount Marty (S.D.) -- 54.44
Red Zone Touchdown Percentage
FBS: Navy -- 80.95
FCS: Montana State -- 82.09
D2: Virginia Union -- 81.81
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 86.08
NAIA: N/A
Scoring Defense
FBS: Ohio State -- 12.9 points per game
FCS: South Dakota State -- 13.9
D2: Kutztown (Pa.) -- 10.2
D3: Central (Iowa) -- 9.5
NAIA: Grand View (Iowa) -- 8.4
Total Defense
FBS: Ohio State -- 254.6 yards per game
FCS: Dayton -- 242.9
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 200.6
D3: St. Norbert (Wisc.) -- 219.5
NAIA: Grand View (Iowa) -- 219.9
Yards Per Play Allowed
FBS: Ohio State -- 4.19
FCS: St. Francis -- 4.13
D2: West Florida -- 3.64
D3: Central (Iowa) -- 3.67
NAIA: N/A
Rushing Defense
FBS: Indiana -- 80.2 yards per game
FCS: Mercer -- 70.8
D2: Fort Valley State (Ga.) -- 52.4
D3: DePauw (Ind.) -- 32.9
NAIA: Friends (Kan.) -- 71.3
Yards Per Carry Allowed
FBS: Ole Miss -- 2.29
FCS: Mercer -- 2.33
D2: Fort Valley State (Ga.) -- 1.79
D3: DePauw (Ind.) -- 1.14
NAIA: N/A
Passing Defense
FBS: Iowa State -- 165.6 yards per game
FCS: Dayton -- 122.9
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 114.8
D3: Delaware Valley (Pa.) -- 118.4
NAIA: Valley City State (N.D.) -- 121.8
Yards Per Attempt Allowed
FBS: Texas -- 5.69
FCS: Dayton -- 5.47
D2: Harding (Ark.) -- 4.77
D3: Central (Iowa) -- 4.93
NAIA: N/A
Passing Efficiency Defense
FBS: Notre Dame -- 104.4
FCS: North Carolina Central -- 100.46
D2: Grand Valley State (Mich.) -- 85.95
D3: UMass Dartmouth -- 85.59
NAIA: N/A
Sacks Per Game
FBS: Ole Miss -- 4.0
FCS: Mercer -- 3.29
D2: New Haven (Conn.) -- 4.18
D3: Bethel (Minn.) -- 4.71
NAIA: Texas College -- 3.9
Tackles for Loss Per Game
FBS: Ole Miss -- 9.2
FCS: Southern -- 8.3
D2: West Florida -- 11
D3: Bethel (Minn.) -- 9.6
NAIA: N/A
Third Down Conversions
FBS: Wyoming -- 25.9 percent
FCS: Dayton -- 26.2
D2: Wingate (N.C.) -- 23.8
D3: North Central (Ill.) -- 25
NAIA: N/A
Red Zone Touchdown Percentage
FBS: Penn State -- 41.46
FCS: Columbia -- 35.71
D2: Wingate (N.C.) -- 31.81
D3: Wisconsin-Whitewater -- 34.78
NAIA: N/A
Turnover Margin
FBS: James Madison -- 1.54
FCS: North Dakota State -- 1.19
D2: Mars Hill (N.C.) -- 1.67
D3: Grove City College (Pa.) -- 1.91
NAIA: N/A
Blocked Kicks Per Game
FBS: Louisville -- 0.46
FCS: The Citadel -- 0.67
D2: Central State (Ohio) -- 1.0
D3: Maryville College (Ben Fox, HC; John Painter, Athletics Comms)(Tenn.) -- 0.82
NAIA: N/A
Penalties Per Game
FBS: Iowa -- 3.15
FCS: Northern Colorado -- 2.92
D2: Minnesota State -- 3.93
D3: Plymouth State (Mass.) -- 2.44
NAIA: Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) -- 2.82