Regular season play has concluded and bowl games are set. The 2012 college football season hasn’t disappointed in terms of excitement and is sure to raise some eyebrows before it’s all said and done. Let’s take a look at the top 10 stats of the season.
10.) 17, the number of spots Arkansas dropped when the Razorbacks fell from the Top 25 after a loss in the second week of the season to Louisiana-Monroe. After beginning the year ranked in the Top 10 and seeming to some like a dark-horse national title contender, Arkansas (4-8, 2-6) finished the year under first-year head coach John L. Smith.
9.) 578.8, the number of yards Baylor averaged in total offense per game. The Bears didn’t skip a beat after Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III headed to the NFL. Behind senior quarterback Nick Florence, Baylor ended the season No. 1 in yards per game.
8.) 1,983, the number of combined yards Georgia freshmen Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall rushed for in their inaugural season. The duo complimented quarterback Aaron Murray and the passing game, rushing for a combined 24 touchdowns. Gurley alone rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns versus Alabama in the SEC Championship.
7.) 4, the number of quarterbacks from the Big 12 Conference in the Top 10 in passing yards per game. Texas Tech’s Seth Doege, Baylor’s Florence, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and West Virginia’s Geno Smith rank 2, 3 ,5 and 6, respectively.
6.) 0, the change in Stanford’s win-loss column from 2011. The (11-2, 8-1) Cardinal impressed in the post-Andrew Luck era, winning the Pac-12 title and a spot in the Rose Bowl.
5.) 693, the number of yards Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk rushed for in the final five games of the season. The Oregon transfer was one of the keystones in the Kansas State upset, rushing for 185 yards and a score.
4.) 63, the number of additional yards on average the Alabama defense has given up this year as opposed to last. The Crimson Tide led the nation in total defense, giving up 246 yards per game after leading the nation in 2011 with 183.6.
3.) 4,733/43, the number of yards and touchdowns Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch has accounted for. The junior, who leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,771 yards alone, was not invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Northern Illinois will play Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
2.) 10.3, 10.7, the number of points the Notre Dame and Alabama defenses give up per game on average respectively, ranking No. 1 and 2 in the nation.
1.) (10-2, 6-2), Texas A&M’s record in its inaugural season in the SEC. Many wrote off the Aggies before the season began. Behind Heisman favorite freshman Johnny Manziel (4,600 yards, 43 touchdowns), Texas A&M upset the No. 1 Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and lost two games by a combined eight points. The Aggies will play Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl next month.
Printed on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 as: Looking back at this season's key statistics
