Stats are for champions (part 6)

In installment 6 of "Stats are for champions" we take a look at the stats for teams still alive in the national championship race and how their stats aligned with the history of the 10 previous national champions.

Teams eliminated this past Saturday: Texas Tech.

In summary, the past 8 national champions (starting in 2000) look like this: Of those 8 title winners only one (Ohio State in 2002) finished below 10th (23rd) in total defense. The average ranking of the total defense for those 8 teams was 8th.Offense has not been as important statistic in determining the national champion. The average rank for those 8 offenses was 23rd and only 2 of the 8 champions (Miami in 2001 and Texas in 2005) had offenses finish in the top 10. The 2002 Ohio State team actually won the national title while being ranked 70th in total offense. The 2007 LSU team finished 26th in offense and the 2003 LSU team finished 31st in total offense.

With that in mind, here is an updated look at the teams, in my opinion, that remain with a realistic chance at the national title and their current defensive rankings:

USC - 2
Alabama - 3
Florida - 9
Texas - 53
Oklahoma - 56

USC's chances are slim to none, while Alabama and Florida will duke it out next week. The Big 12 picture should become a tad clearer this weekend, but no promises there, as whichever team doesn't make it to the Big 12 Championship game (either Texas or Oklahoma) may still have a shot at the title. So, stay tuned.