Relative Statistics

The lowest TRP by a national champion since the 2002 Ohio State team was 20.09 by 2006 Florida (8.07 RPS, -12.02 RPA). Every national champion since 2010 Auburn (22.87) has produced a TRP of at least 25.00. From 1980 Georgia (15.12 TRP) to 1990 Colorado (19.10) and 1990 Georgia Tech (18.99), five of 12 national champions produced TRPs lower than 20.00, and four produced TRPs of at least 25.00. 1987 Miami-FL produced the highest TRP of that span (30.08 TRP, 15.22 RPS, -14.86 RPA).

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In the College Football Playoff era, only one playoff participant produced a positive RPA (allowing opponents more points per game than they average against other opponents):  2018 Oklahoma (3.51 before playoff, 3.23 after playoff). The lowest RPS by a playoff participant was 2020 Notre Dame (3.09 before playoff, 2.35 after playoff). The lowest in a non-pandemic season was 2018 Notre Dame (5.45 before playoff, 4.16 after playoff) and 2015 Michigan State (5.68 before playoff, 4.06 after playoff).

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1995 Nebraska produced the best TRP (42.46) and the best RPS (28.99) of any national champion since 1980. The Huskers TRP was at least 5.84 points better than any national champion from 1980 until 2005 Texas (38.33) and still well ahead of the next-best national champion since 1980—2013 Florida State (39.53). 2018 Clemson (35.18) is best in the CFP era.

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2021 Georgia (-19.98) produced the best RPA of any national champion since the 1980 season. 2011 Alabama (-18.97) previously held the record, which bettered 1991 Miami-FL (-18.76). Only four national champions have produced RPAs worse than -10.00 since the start of the BCS era (1998 season): 2010 Auburn (-5.98), 2003 USC (-7.96), 2014 Ohio State (-8.23) and 2019 LSU (-8.38). All four produced an RPS of at least 16.00, including 2019 LSU's CFP-era best 23.90 RPS.

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RELATIVE POINTS SCORED (RPS)

Consider: Team A averages 38.3 points per game, and Team B averages 25.6 points per game. On the surface, Team A is clearly the better scoring team by virtue of averaging nearly two touchdowns more per game than Team B. However, if Team A's opponents collectively average 37.7 points per game allowed against their other opponents and Team B's opponents collectively average 19.2 points per game allowed against their other opponents, then Team B should be viewed as the better scoring team.

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In 2013, Baylor scored 52.4 points per game; that average led the nation and is tied with 1995 Nebraska for the third-best season average behind 1944 Army (56.0 ppg) and 1989 Houston (53.5 ppg). Which was the better scoring team if they both averaged 52.4 points per game—2013 Baylor or 1995 Nebraska? Relative points scored answers the question: 1995 Nebraska.

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Baylor scored on average 25.63 points per game more than its opponents allowed to other opponents on average. The Bears scored more points than the opponent allowed against other opponents in 11 of 12 games that season. The outlier was the Oklahoma State game, in which Baylor scored 17 points—6.73 points below what OSU's other opponents scored on average against the Cowboys (23.73 ppg).

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Meanwhile, Nebraska scored on average 28.99 points per game more than its opponents allowed to other opponents on average. The Huskers scored at least 10 points more than the opponent allowed against other opponents in all 12 games, scoring at least 30 points more in six games. Nebraska scored 77 points against Arizona State, which allowed 25.3 points per game against its other 10 opponents that season. The Huskers' 51.70 RPS in that game is one of the all-time best games.

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For the record, the 1944 Army team produced an RPS of 42.71, including a single-game RPS of 70.25 against the mighty Coast Guard Bears, who surrendered 76 points to the Midshipmen and 5.75 points per game to the other eight opponents on their schedule.

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RELATIVE POINTS ALLOWED (RPA)

Consider: Team A allows 21.6 points per game, and Team B allows 34.8 points per game. On the surface, Team A is clearly the better defensive team. However, if Team A's opponents collectively average 18.4 points per game scored against their other opponents and Team B's opponents collectively average 38.3 points per game scored against their other opponents, then Team B should be viewed as the better defensive team.

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TCU allowed 9.64 points per game in 2000, an average that led the nation and is the fourth-best average since that season behind 2011 Alabama (8.15 ppg), 2008 USC (9.00 ppg) and 2001 Miami-FL (9.36 ppg). Was TCU's defense really the nation's best in the 2000 season? According to relative points allowed, the Frogs were not really close to nation's best defense.

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In 2000, TCU held each opponent below its scoring average against its other opponents until the Mobile Alabama Bowl, in which Southern Mississippi scored 28 points against the Frogs after scoring 24.82 points per game against its previous 11 opponents. TCU finished the season with an RPA of -13.79, which essentially means the Frogs, on average, held their opponent to nearly two touchdowns below its scoring average against other teams. The Frogs best game was against Northwestern, holding the Wildcats, who averaged 37.64 points per game in their other 11 games, to 14 points for an RPA of -23.64.

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Meanwhile, both teams that played in that season's BCS National Championship—Oklahoma and Florida State—produced better RPAs. Oklahoma produced an RPA of -15.74, which included holding the Seminoles to 40.42 points below their scoring average against other teams (OU won, 13-2). The Sooners held 12 of 13 opponents that season below their scoring average against other teams; the outlier was Oklahoma's 1.73 RPA against Texas A&M (Sooners won, 35-31).

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Florida State was even better. The Seminoles posted an RPA of -18.73, holding all 13 opponents below their scoring average against their other opponents. FSU held Oklahoma to 26.00 points below its scoring average in the championship game. The Seminoles' best performance (-34.70) was a shutout against Louisville, which averaged 34.7 ppg against its other opponents. FSU's closest call was holding Duke to 14 points; the Blue Devils averaged 14.1 ppg in thei 10 other games.

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The Florida State-Duke game demonstrates that RPA is limited: the best RPA the Seminoles could have produced against Duke was -14.00. Meanwhile, FSU produced a -14.80 RPA against Miami-FL, which averaged 41.8 ppg against its other opponents.

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Sure, TCU held its opponents to 9.64 points per game in 2000; however, only three of its 12 opponents averaged at least 30.00 ppg against their other opponents. Conversely, the 2021 Georgia team, which held its opponents to 10.20 points per game, played seven opponents that averaged at least 30.00 ppg against their other opponents. The Bulldogs held 13 of 14 opponents below their scoring average. The lone exception was Alabama (2.92 RPA) in the SEC Championship; one month later, Georgia produced an RPA of -21.85 against Alabama in the CFP Championship.

 

BlindFold Sports has researched relative statistics for every team since 2014 and every national champion since 1980, and Georgia's 2021 RPA (-19.98) is the best mark. The 2011 Alabama team, which holds the modern (since 2000) NCAA record of 8.15 points per game allowed, produced an RPA of -18.97, including a -37.33 RPA against LSU in the BCS Championship (Alabama won, 21-0) after a -30.83 RPA against LSU in the regular season (LSU won, 9-6, in overtime). The 2011 Alabama-LSU rematch and the 2021 Alabama-Georgia rematch highlight another aspect of relative statistics: each game is its own entity; therefore, an opponent is considered a new opponent in multiple meetings.

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OVERTIME

NCAA scoring offense and scoring defense both include points scored in overtime games, which can significantly skew the perception of a team's offensive or defensive prowess.

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Consider: In 2018, LSU ranked 26th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 21.8 points per game. The Tigers allowed 283 points in 13 games. However, one of those games was the epic seven-overtime game against Texas A&M, in which LSU allowed 72 points. The score at the end of regulation was 31-31. The teams' seven overtime possessions was equivalent to three quarters of an additional game. Therefore, its misleading to use a statistic that says LSU allowed 21.8 points per game.

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In reality, the 2018 LSU team allowed 240 points in 13 regulation games—18.5 points per game. When looking at points allowed in regulation for all teams, the Tigers ranked 14th, not 26th. Army, which allowed seven overtime points to Oklahoma and nine overtime points to Miami (Ohio), allowed 16.5 points per game and ranked seventh, not 10th, as reflected in the NCAA scoring defense statistic.