Now halfway through the regular season, the statistical comparisons are becoming more representative of the college football realities.
That’s especially clear when looking at Alabama’s standing in relation to Tennessee, its next opponent at 8 p.m., CT Saturday in Tuscaloosa. It’s safe to say the gulf you see with your eyes are backed up by the data.
No. 1 Alabama (6-0) has one of the nation’s best passing offenses while the Vols are No. 93. The rest speaks for itself coming off a 47-28 win over Texas A&M.
Special teams are something to note for Alabama. Sophomore Jaylen Waddle now leads the nation in punt return average at 22.3 yards per attempt. On the flip side, the average punt for the Tide ranks No. 129 of 130 at 34.5 yards a try. The 13 attempts, however, are the second fewest in the country.
The weekly rundown of Alabama’s statistical rankings with Tennessee as a frame of reference:
Rushing offense
1. Navy 327.2
58. Alabama 170.83
86. Tennessee 146.33
Passing offense
1. Washington State 452.7
3. Alabama 366.0
93. Tennessee 207.2
Total offense
1. Oklahoma 621.7
6. Alabama 536.8
101. Tennessee 353.5
Scoring offense
1. LSU 52.5
4. Alabama 51.0
101. Tennessee 23.0
Rushing defense
1. Wisconsin 44.7
47. Alabama 133.2
69. Tennessee 159.67
Passing defense
1. Wisconsin 129.0
33. Tennessee 199.0
44. Alabama 202.8
Total defense
1. Wisconsin 173.7
36. Alabama 336.0
48. Tennessee 358.7
Scoring defense
1. Wisconsin 4.8
14. Alabama 17.0
59. Tennessee 25.8
Turnover margin
1. San Jose State +12
6. Alabama +8
61. Tennessee 0
Penalties
1. Rice 24.5 yards per game
38. Tennessee 49.8
100. Alabama 66.2
3rd down offense
1. Ohio State 55.9 percent
14. Alabama 53.4 percent
52. Tennessee 41.8 percent
3rd down defense
1. Wisconsin 15.6 percent
35. Alabama 34.1 percent
102. Tennessee 42.5 percent
Red zone scoring
1. Three teams, 100 percent (LSU is 34/34)
43. Alabama 88.0 percent (22/25)
101. Tennessee 75.0 percent (15/20)
20-yard plays
1. Oklahoma 60
5. Alabama 45
98. Tennessee 23
20-yard plays allowed
1. Wisconsin 9
8. Tennessee 16
49. Alabama 25
Punt returns
1. FIU 30.9 average
3. Alabama 22.1 average
9. Tennessee 16.8 average
Punting
1. Kentucky 50.4 average
58. Tennessee 42.4
129. Alabama 34.5 average