College Football: Inside the Numbers

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CFB Stories Only Numbers Can Tell

Before I was given the opportunity to write for Greenville Sports Media, I ran a weekly column discussing some of the weirdest and most obscure stats from that weeks’ college football games. For the first time since joining this great company, I am beyond excited to bring that column to Greenville Sports Media. Each week for the rest of the season, I will be discussing all the wild, weird, and obscure numbers that jump off the screen so you don’t have to go looking yourself.

Week four of the 2026 season brought us more of the same from the first three weeks: Upsets, blowouts, and chaos. And it wasn’t reserved for just the FBS either. A whopping six ranked FCS teams were upset on Saturday, the most so far this year. We saw a couple of incredible team and individual performances this week, so let’s get started.

0 – That’s how much time was left on the clock as Reece Vander Zee caught the game winning touchdown pass. Iowa is a legitimate national championship contender. Kirk Ferentz is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, and is the second oldest in the FBS behind only Bill Belichick. For the first time maybe in his entire career, he has a quarterback that can throw. That should scare the crap out of you if you’re a fan of a Big 10 team. Like Western Michigan, Iowa beat Michigan on the last play of the game as time expired. Unlike Western Michigan, this one was officiated correctly and Iowa got the win.

8 – Sticking with Iowa, (sorry Cyclones) it looks like everything is back to its’ rightful place. The Hawkeye defense looks to be yet another monster. Through four games, the Hawkeyes are giving up an average of only 8 points per game. This is good for the best mark in the country, ahead of Miami and Notre Dame. Iowa also ranks 18th in average rush yards allowed per game. Look for the Hawkeyes to make a run at the Big 10 title.
84.6 – Kevin Jennings has had an interesting journey despite never leaving SMU. He turned in arguably the best passing performance I’ve seen since some guy at Western Carolina named Taron Dickens broke a couple NCAA records. Jennings went an absurd 33/39 passing with 464 yards and 3 TDs thru the air and another TD on the ground. This was a Heisman caliber performance in a game where the SMU defense never showed up. Make no mistake, the Mustangs lose to Missouri State without this performance from Jennings.
12 – Rocco Becht and Penn State did not have a very fun day against the Wisconsin Badgers. Becht went only 12/29 for just 114 yards an interception, and a fumble. The Nittany Lions only managed 233 yards of total offense. I am honestly not sure how this game was even this close outside of the three Wisconsin turnovers. Penn State hasn’t exactly looked phenomenal through four games, and it would be tough to argue they are better than they were under James Franklin.

268 – Will Aaron Philo be throwing passes in the NFL on Sundays? Probably not. But his teammates Jaden Baugh and Duke Clark will almost certainly be running people over someday on Sundays. The two combined for 268 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 41 carries. Clark averaged 10.5 yards per carry while Baugh averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The Gators absolutely demolished what many foolishly believed to be a top 5 Ole Miss team. The highly touted Golden Defense was completely ineffective against Florida.
#13 Tylee Craft Award – Austin Romaine became the first FBS player in 13 years to return two interceptions on consecutive plays against the Sam Houston Bearkats. If that doesn’t qualify as historic, nothing does. Keep Swinging!-

–AND FINALLY–
309 – This spot used to be reserved for the counter of how many days it had been since the UMass Minutemen football team had a winning record. After starting 4-0 thanks to Heisman candidate Pop Watson. The homegrown quarterback has looked essentially unstoppable this season. I couldn’t be happier for all the Minutemen fans out there. So, instead of the old countdown, I am coming along for the ride. Each week, this spot will be held for how long it has been since the UMass Minutemen had a losing record. ZOO MASS BACK!