A different way to look at the Big 12

Photo Attribution: USATSI

Over at Football Study Hall, I put together a piece on the F/+ top 25.

This is a companion piece for the Big 12. Now that the offensive and defensive F/+ ratings are being published each week, it is possible to look at each teams’ strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the ball.

In the chart below, you want to be in the upper NE corner. A team with a good offense is at the top of the chart. A team with a good defense is at the right of the chart.

The diagonal line running through the chart is the average of the teams currently in the F/+ top 25, so if you are NE of that line you are in very good company.

Baylor stands alone in the Big 12. That isn’t new, but they used to stand alone on the other side of the chart. Now, they are one of the elite teams in the country. Their offense ranks 2nd behind only Texas A&M, and Baylor’s defense is a not-too-shabby No. 34.

This team reminds me of a few recent OSU teams, but we’ll leave that depressing thought alone for now.

OSU has the best defense in the Big 12. Both systems agree: FEI has OSU’s defense ranked No. 13 in the country and S&P+ has us at No. 11. This weekend will be a good test: Can our defense shut down a below average TCU offense?

This chart gives me some comfort. We lost to a team we had no business losing to, and while OSU is far from balanced we are still one of the better teams in the Big 12, capable of beating every team remaining on the schedule (okay, maybe not Baylor but we get the Bears at BPS, so who knows?)