Big XII Team Rankings (post KSU)

[8timechamps]

Updated after KSU week.

BIG XII by the numbers:
NCAA Rank (out of 120 teams)
Number next to teams in parenthesis show last week’s rank and spots gained or lost.

Total Defense
13. Texas (30 +17)
34. Oklahoma (41 +7)
60. Kansas State (29 -31)
62. Missouri (51 -11)
90. Texas A&M (85 -5)
102. Texas Tech (96 -6)
108. Baylor (97 +11)
111. Oklahoma State (103 -8)
120. Kansas (120 nc)

Passing Defense
21. Texas (49 +28)
48. Texas Tech (53 +5)
53. Oklahoma (75 +22)
66. Iowa State (74 +8)
90. Baylor (84 -6)
94. Missouri (86 -8)
101. Oklahoma State (89 -12)
103. Kansas State (87 -16)
118. Kansas (119 +1)
120. Texas A&M (120 nc)

Rushing Defense
17. Kansas State (13 +4)
19. Texas (37 +18)
21. Texas A&M (5 -16)
34. Oklahoma (28 -6)
45. Missouri (41 -4)
84. Oklahoma State (91 +7)
106. Baylor (90 -16)
108. Iowa State (114 +6)
114. Texas Tech (105 -9)
119. Kansas (120 nc)

Total Offense
2. Oklahoma (4 +2)
3. Baylor (2 -1)
4. Oklahoma State (3 -1)
7. Texas A&M (7 nc)
8. Texas Tech (5 -3)
11. Missouri (12 +1)
49. Texas (72 +23)
63. Iowa State (79 +16)
87. Kansas (52 -35)
93. Kansas State (88 -5)


Rushing Offense
12. Missouri (13 +1)
16. Texas A&M (14 -2)
17. Texas (37 +20)
20. Kansas State (19 -1)
22. Baylor (21 -1)
41. Oklahoma State (56 +15)
43. Iowa State (64 +21)
51. Oklahoma (52 +1)
53. Kansas (31 -22)
70. Texas Tech (60 -10)


Passing Offense
2. Oklahoma (4 +2)
4. Oklahoma State (2 -2)
5. Texas Tech (3 -2)
6. Baylor (7 +1)
17. Texas A&M (20 +3)
46. Missouri (39 -7)
76. Iowa State (68 -8)
88. Kansas (73 -15)
90. Texas (85 -5)
113. Kansas State (110 -3)


Biggest mover of the week: Texas pass defense: up 28 spots It helps when you play Kansas.
Rankings are from the NCAA site Click Me (http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs)

[LASooner]

You lie, OSU has the greatest passing offense ever seen by man..... BY MAN I TELL YOU!!

[Keller Sooner]

That can't be right! Robert Allen has osu #1 in every category and there's not a biased bone in his body.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Up until Oklahoma St.'s rushing explosion against Baylor, Oklahoma was actually averaging more rushing yards per game.

[rekamrettuB]

Boy...#3 team in the country has a defense ranked higher than 9 other defenses?

[SoonerSpock]

Boy...#3 team in the country has a defense ranked higher than 9 other defenses?

No question OSU is giving up an unbelievealbe number of yards for a top 5 team. However they also rank number one in turnover margin with a +2.38 per game. Meanwhile the Sooners are averaging a +0.13. We need to be +2 and over the last 3 games we are averaging -2.00 in the three games since playing Texas. If we lose the turnover margin by -2 in Stoolwater we will come out on the short end of the stick and the pukes will be playing for a national championship.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2011&rpt=IA_teamturnovermrgn&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Well, Landry is certain to throw 2 picks in that game, but BYUdon Weeden will as well if not more. We saw that Weeden didn't handle things to well from a completion percentage standpoint when pressured as shown in the Texas game and Oklahoma brings a lot more pressure from their ends. It will be a high scoring game again like last year, but Oklahoma will win again because of still having a better defense. There is no way to excuse Oklahoma St.'s giving up 27 points per game and the yards they give up. They are also horrible on 1st and 3rd down defense. Landry will most likely have another 500+ yard and 5 TD outing like he did this past weekend against their defense.

[CowboyMRW]

Passes Intercepted: 1st
Pass Efficiency Defense: 25th
Fumbles Recovered: 1st
Turnovers Gained: 1st
Tackles For Loss: 20th
Sacks: 18th
Red Zone Defense: 10th
Turnover Margin: 1st

Our defense is doing their job.

[OU_Sooners75]

Passes Intercepted: 1st
Pass Efficiency Defense: 25th
Fumbles Recovered: 1st
Turnovers Gained: 1st
Tackles For Loss: 20th
Sacks: 18th
Red Zone Defense: 10th
Turnover Margin: 1st

Our defense is doing their job.

Against marginal offenses...yeah they are.

[picasso]

Passes Intercepted: 1st
Pass Efficiency Defense: 25th
Fumbles Recovered: 1st
Turnovers Gained: 1st
Tackles For Loss: 20th
Sacks: 18th
Red Zone Defense: 10th
Turnover Margin: 1st

Our defense is doing their job.
Hold OU to 40 points and you might beat us this year.

[rekamrettuB]

Passes Intercepted: 1st
Pass Efficiency Defense: 25th
Fumbles Recovered: 1st
Turnovers Gained: 1st
Tackles For Loss: 20th
Sacks: 18th
Red Zone Defense: 10th
Turnover Margin: 1st

Our defense is doing their job.

They are forcing turnovers and keeping folks off the board but that won't last forever giving up those types of numbers.

[oSuJeff1997]

Against marginal offenses...yeah they are.

Not sure if serious.

OSU has played the following "marginal" offenses (NCAA rank in total offense noted):

Baylor - #3
Texas A&M - #7
Mizzou - #11
Arizona - #19

OSU is the only Big 12 team to hold all of its conference opponents under 30 points.

Baylor averages 41 ppg. OSU held them to 24.
Mizzou averages 34 ppg. OSU held them to 24.
A&M averages 39 ppg. OSU held them to 27.
Texas averages 32 ppg. OSU held them to 26.

In these four games, OSU held each opponent to an average of 11 points under their season scoring average.

I guess we're just really, really lucky or something. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that the defense is actually much better than people give them credit for being.

[NormanPride]

I am constantly shocked at how teams just turn the ball over against OSU. It doesn't even look like they're really forced most of the time. But it is what it is.

Still, A&M didn't turn the ball over once in the first half and was dominating 20-3. Then they started playing stupid and lost by a point after four turnovers in one quarter. I just don't know what to think about OSU's D...

[AlboSooner]

Not sure if serious.

OSU has played the following "marginal" offenses (NCAA rank in total offense noted):

Baylor - #3
Texas A&M - #7
Mizzou - #11
Arizona - #19

OSU is the only Big 12 team to hold all of its conference opponents under 30 points.

Baylor averages 41 ppg. OSU held them to 24.
Mizzou averages 34 ppg. OSU held them to 24.
A&M averages 39 ppg. OSU held them to 27.
Texas averages 32 ppg. OSU held them to 26.

In these four games, OSU held each opponent to an average of 11 points under their season scoring average.

I guess we're just really, really lucky or something. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that the defense is actually much better than people give them credit for being.

I agree with this.

However if a team doesn't turn the ball over, Okie St is in big trouble. Would you agree with this?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

They are coached well and know how to attack the ball...At a certain point, it's just they are good at knocking the ball away..Shaun Lewis is extremely athletic and a superstar in the making at LB...Martin will be one of the top safeties taken..Their DBs do a great job at cutting routes and gettin front of receivers...Roderick Brown is a very good corner who could be great..

[NormanPride]

Yeah, but the only team to have less than 3 is Arizona at 1. If I was playing them I would stick to low risk plays and make the defense get me off the field through punts. Field position and momentum are a huge reason why OSU's offense is so good.

Then the other team gets behind and starts throwing more, so the OSU D only has to defend one thing. The team takes more risks, which leads to more turnovers.

[NormanPride]

They are coached well and know how to attack the ball...At a certain point, it's just they are good at knocking the ball away..Shaun Lewis is extremely athletic and a superstar in the making at LB...Martin will be one of the top safeties taken..Their DBs do a great job at cutting routes and gettin front of receivers...Roderick Brown is a very good corner who could be great..

Don't you think teams would be taking advantage of this with double moves and stuff? I mean, that's what got our really aggressive Ds in the past.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I think you have to

1.Be able to run the ball...As not good on offense as texas is, they kept it close by running the ball...heck even aTm completely giving up on the run was a mistake...Texas never should have attempted a pass..keep Weeden out of rhythm
2. Involve the TE....
3. Have multiple weapons at WR...They have played some solid 1s and even a couple of 2s but I think, in OUs case, Jaz Reynolds is a key

[NormanPride]

I have no idea why I'm so optimistic about our game with them, but I am. Every indicator points toward them getting about a brazillian turnovers against us and taking us to the woodshed. Still, I think we can run on them, and I think our diversity will make up for other deficiencies.

[LVSOONER15]

You lie, OSU has the greatest passing offense ever seen by man..... BY MAN I TELL YOU!!

BY A MAN WHO'S 40!!!!

[oSuJeff1997]

I agree with this.

However if a team doesn't turn the ball over, Okie St is in big trouble. Would you agree with this?

It depends if we're turning it over. If we have a game where we are negative in turnover ratio, then sure... that could spell trouble... just like it would spell trouble for anyone.

But here's the thing... every week, people keep saying, "if the defense doesn't create turnovers, OSU might be in trouble...", and every week they keep forcing turnovers. I would say that after 8 games, it isn't a fluke... it's a pattern.

And anyway - a more accurate look at the yards we give up would be to look at yards per play, instead of total yards. And by that measure, the defense is about middle of the road. Not great, but not bad either. We give up 5.5 yards per play, which ranks #64 in the country.

For comparison's sake, look at Stanford and Nebraska. Everyone I think agrees that both of those teams are "good" defensively, as they rank #23 and #29 in total defense. Even if you don't think they're "good", nobody questions them. In fact, I often hear that one of the reasons Stanford is so good is because of their "solid" defense.

But both Nebraska and Stanford give up 5.1 yards per play, just slightly better than OSU. The difference is that both teams play a grind-it-out offense that limits the opponents' total possessions, and thus total yards. (And I would also argue that neither has played the gauntlet of high-powered offenses that OSU has.)

[Augusta_Sooner]

It depends if we're turning it over. If we have a game where we are negative in turnover ratio, then sure... that could spell trouble... just like it would spell trouble for anyone.

But here's the thing... every week, people keep saying, "if the defense doesn't create turnovers, OSU might be in trouble...", and every week they keep forcing turnovers. I would say that after 8 games, it isn't a fluke... it's a pattern.

And anyway - a more accurate look at the yards we give up would be to look at yards per play, instead of total yards. And by that measure, the defense is about middle of the road. Not great, but not bad either. We give up 5.5 yards per play, which ranks #64 in the country.

For comparison's sake, look at Stanford and Nebraska. Everyone I think agrees that both of those teams are "good" defensively, as they rank #23 and #29 in total defense. Even if you don't think they're "good", nobody questions them. In fact, I often hear that one of the reasons Stanford is so good is because of their "solid" defense.

But both Nebraska and Stanford give up 5.1 yards per play, just slightly better than OSU. The difference is that both teams play a grind-it-out offense that limits the opponents' total possessions, and thus total yards. (And I would also argue that neither has played the gauntlet of high-powered offenses that OSU has.)

Their D Coordinator emphasizes creating turnovers during practice. If they don't generate 5 turnovers during a practice session, they run a little extra afterwards. Part of this may be due to his philosophy; however, some of it may be due to knowing his personnel and how they don't necessarily have the depth or overall talent to play more conservative on defense. He's a smart guy and been around long enough to know how to overcome personnel disadvantages. As an OU fan, I give them credit for generating turnovers and holding their conf opponents to less than their scoring avg. Against conf opponents, OU played great D against Texas, TTech put up 41 on OU, K-State is one dimensional (run first offense w/no passing attack) and Kansas is putrid on offense (and defense for that matter). OU has yet to play high scoring offenses such as Baylor and aTm. So, we'll see how they fair against similar opponents when Bedlam rolls around. The best offensive conf opponent OU has faced put up 41 pts in Norman. I don't make excuses for OU's poor defensive performance against TTech and neither does the coaching staff. OU had starters out on defense but TTech had starters out on offense as well. Not to mention the overall talent is better at OU than TTech. I believe OU's defense is better despite the difference in turnover margin and will play well against oSu. I think the key to this game is how well OU runs the ball. Need Finch/Clay/Williams to collectively have a big game. Keeps oSu's offense off the field and gives OU's D a breather.

[oSuJeff1997]

Their D Coordinator emphasizes creating turnovers during practice. If they don't generate 5 turnovers during a practice session, they run a little extra afterwards. Part of this may be due to his philosophy; however, some of it may be due to knowing his personnel and how they don't necessarily have the depth or overall talent to play more conservative on defense. He's a smart guy and been around long enough to know how to overcome personnel disadvantages. As an OU fan, I give them credit for generating turnovers and holding their conf opponents to less than their scoring avg. Against conf opponents, OU played great D against Texas, TTech put up 41 on OU, K-State is one dimensional (run first offense w/no passing attack) and Kansas is putrid on offense (and defense for that matter). OU has yet to play high scoring offenses such as Baylor and aTm. So, we'll see how they fair against similar opponents when Bedlam rolls around. The best offensive conf opponent OU has faced put up 41 pts in Norman. I don't make excuses for OU's poor defensive performance against TTech and neither does the coaching staff. OU had starters out on defense but TTech had starters out on offense as well. Not to mention the overall talent is better at OU than TTech. I believe OU's defense is better despite the difference in turnover margin and will play well against oSu. I think the key to this game is how well OU runs the ball. Need Finch/Clay/Williams to collectively have a big game. Keeps oSu's offense off the field and gives OU's D a breather.

I don't think there's any question that OU's defense is better than OSU's.

I just don't think the margin is as wide as people think.

People just can't get past the fact that we're 100-and-something in total defense. And I can't say I blame them. That does look pretty awful on the surface.

It takes a little bit of extra analysis to understand what kind of defense OSU brings to the table.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Passes Intercepted: 1st
Pass Efficiency Defense: 25th
Fumbles Recovered: 1st
Turnovers Gained: 1st
Tackles For Loss: 20th
Sacks: 18th
Red Zone Defense: 10th
Turnover Margin: 1st

Our defense is doing their job.

Not in regards to scoring defense, pass defense, rushing defense, 1st down defense and 3rd down defense. Scoring defense is kind of important and the type of numbers Oklahoma St. is giving up is going to lead to a very similar game to last year in Stillwater. Except this time, Oklahoma has an improved running game and much stronger front four play.

[Hotrod3157]

I'll make a basketball comparison since I've been a basketball player the majority of my life. OSU's defense is like a basketball team that takes and makes a lot of 3's. They might be able to ride it all the way to a championship but it has the potential to not show up one game and leave them looking at a really lopsided scoreboard. Have to wait and see if it ever bites them this season or not. If it doesn't they will probably get there shot at the MNC.

[oSuJeff1997]

Scoring defense is kind of important and the type of numbers Oklahoma St. is giving up is going to lead to a very similar game to last year in Stillwater.

Well again I'll note that OSU is the only Big 12 team to hold all of its conference opponents under 30 points.

And we've already played 3 of the best offenses in the conference, with 2 of those games being on the road.

Look at scoring defense in conference games:

SCORING DEFENSE
------------------------------
1. Oklahoma............ 24.0
2. Oklahoma State...... 26.2

Not really a huge gap there.

And there's also no getting around the fact that the scoring defense numbers for OSU are deceptive. Just look at the Baylor game the other day. OSU was up 49-3 in the fourth quarter before Baylor even scored a TD. So they get 21 points in the fourth quarter against our 2nd and 3rd teamers. Those numbers count against our scoring defense, but in reality, OSU gave up 3 points to one of the highest scoring teams in the country during the part of the game that mattered.


Except this time, Oklahoma has an improved running game and much stronger front four play.

Gonna have to disagree there. Demarco Murray > Roy Finch, etc.

[NormanPride]

It's more about the OL's execution than the RB, but that's beside the point of this thread.

I like the BBall analogy.

[SoonerMarkVA]

That can't be right! Robert Allen has osu #1 in every category and there's not a biased bone in his body.

Eck. Just got a shudder at the thought of having to find a bone in RA's body.

[picasso]

It depends if we're turning it over. If we have a game where we are negative in turnover ratio, then sure... that could spell trouble... just like it would spell trouble for anyone.

But here's the thing... every week, people keep saying, "if the defense doesn't create turnovers, OSU might be in trouble...", and every week they keep forcing turnovers. I would say that after 8 games, it isn't a fluke... it's a pattern.

And anyway - a more accurate look at the yards we give up would be to look at yards per play, instead of total yards. And by that measure, the defense is about middle of the road. Not great, but not bad either. We give up 5.5 yards per play, which ranks #64 in the country.

For comparison's sake, look at Stanford and Nebraska. Everyone I think agrees that both of those teams are "good" defensively, as they rank #23 and #29 in total defense. Even if you don't think they're "good", nobody questions them. In fact, I often hear that one of the reasons Stanford is so good is because of their "solid" defense.

But both Nebraska and Stanford give up 5.1 yards per play, just slightly better than OSU. The difference is that both teams play a grind-it-out offense that limits the opponents' total possessions, and thus total yards. (And I would also argue that neither has played the gauntlet of high-powered offenses that OSU has.)
Speaking of Nebraska. You poke ****ers are lucky they're gone this year.

[oSuJeff1997]

Speaking of Nebraska. You poke ****ers are lucky they're gone this year.

We're lucky that a team Gundy went 3-1 against is gone? OK.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Well again I'll note that OSU is the only Big 12 team to hold all of its conference opponents under 30 points.

And we've already played 3 of the best offenses in the conference, with 2 of those games being on the road.

Look at scoring defense in conference games:

SCORING DEFENSE
------------------------------
1. Oklahoma............ 24.0
2. Oklahoma State...... 26.2

Not really a huge gap there.

And there's also no getting around the fact that the scoring defense numbers for OSU are deceptive. Just look at the Baylor game the other day. OSU was up 49-3 in the fourth quarter before Baylor even scored a TD. So they get 21 points in the fourth quarter against our 2nd and 3rd teamers. Those numbers count against our scoring defense, but in reality, OSU gave up 3 points to one of the highest scoring teams in the country during the part of the game that mattered.



Gonna have to disagree there. Demarco Murray > Roy Finch, etc.

I like how you just did scoring defense in conference play only instead of the season as a whole. And Oklahoma St. has a bad scoring defensive performance every game while Oklahoma just had a major egg layer single game against Texas Tech to skew that number.

Oklahoma is averaging over a yard more per carry than last season as a team and Finch is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. It's indisputable that Oklahoma is running the ball better this season. In reality, Oklahoma St. is giving up close to 27 points per game, which isn't good. There is no way around that after 8 games into the season.

[NormanPride]

We're lucky that a team Gundy went 3-1 against is gone? OK.

Yes.

[sooneron]

I think you mean, 2-1.

[Sooner Among The Pack]

We're lucky that a team Gundy went 3-1 against is gone? OK.

I've heard it mentioned on another site that Kansas State is similar to the Nebraska team that came into Stillwater last year. I know OSU doesn't fear the KSU defense (and why would they after watching our firestorm last week), but is there a concern among Pokes that K-State could cause problems if they play keep away and run the ball effectively?

And, is there an "oh, OU destroyed them, we'll have no problem at home" attitude going on in practice I wonder?

[rekamrettuB]

And, is there an "oh, OU destroyed them, we'll have no problem at home" attitude going on in practice I wonder?

Almost sounds like the Ok State/Texas game.

[picasso]

We're lucky that a team Gundy went 3-1 against is gone? OK.
Yes, you're very lucky because your defense made Taylor Martinez look more like Andrew Luck than the sling blade that he really is.

[8timechamps]

KSU has a good team this year, but their weaknesses play into the strengths of teams like OU and OSU. They win by controlling the clock and depending on the run. OU was able to keep their offense off the field and attack them through the air. If KSU doesn't lose the ball going into the half, maybe things look a little different in the 3rd, but that's doubful.

Stoops layed a blueprint for Gundy to follow. If he does, then the Pokes will have the same success we had last week. If KSU makes some adjustment and can control the clock, it'll be a game.

With all of that said, I still think OSU's defense is suspect. Regardless of whatever stat you want to look at, I've seen them play, and they have a lot of work to do if they want to be considered a good defense.

Also, as for the turnovers...to say that's how their defense plays, I say nonsense. Maybe a forced fumble or interception here and there were caused by the way they practice, but turnovers are one of the most misleading stats in football (which has nothing to do with how they change games). While I agree that OSU has been on the receiving end of a lot of turnovers, that doesn't indicate a "trend" or "pattern" to me. Just like OU leading the country in sacks doesn't mean we'll go into Bedlam and record 5 or 6 sack against the Pokes. In other words, if the Pokes are depending on turnovers to be their only effective defense, then they're setting themselves up for a major letdown if they play someone that doesn't turn the ball over.

[CowboyMRW]

Why is it not a pattern 8time. Last year we were number 2 in the nation in forced turnovers I believe. (Top 10 for sure) When something has happened for 1.5 years of football with the same team, then it's a trend.

[8timechamps]

Why is it not a pattern 8time. Last year we were number 2 in the nation in forced turnovers I believe. (Top 10 for sure) When something has happened for 1.5 years of football with the same team, then it's a trend.

My reasoning (and it's certainly not iron clad) is that turnovers are a very subjective stat in football. As as example: Let's say a QB throws a perfect ball to the WR and the WR slips and the DB makes the pick. Then two series later, the RB (on the same team) mishandles the handoff and loses the ball. Are those forced turnovers? The NCAA doesn't keep a separate statistic for "forced" turnovers. So, looking at the turnover stat by itself (or any stat for that matter) only tells a part of the story.

Now, I think that a team that sees high turnover numbers year after year can be viewed as "ball hawking", but I don't think turnovers are an area that one can say is a "trend" or "pattern". I feel the same way about sacks. If OSU ranks in the top 10 for the next 3-4 years, then maybe there's something to it. But a year and a half doesn't tell me that it's a trend.

My point is that if turnovers are what OSU depends on to win, that's not going to win a national title. Because at some point, they will run into a team that doesn't turn the ball over.

And just to be clear, I think this is the best team you guys have had in the history of your program, and certainly the best offense. I don't think OU will go into Stillwater and destroy OSU, but of course I think we'll win. In other words, I'm not a "hater" (at least not until the week of Bedlam).

[CowboyMRW]

It's cool man. You're one of my favorite posters on here. I just wondered why you didn't turnovers were a great stat. I admit there's a certain element of luck involved, but I look at what Bill Young has done in every stop so far, and I tend to think that is his mojo. He's preached this everywhere and it's worked.

[oSuJeff1997]

I think you mean, 2-1.

Dang memory.

Getting old...


I like how you just did scoring defense in conference play only instead of the season as a whole.

Is 5 games against a relatively equal level of opponents not a good sample size?


And Oklahoma St. has a bad scoring defensive performance every game while Oklahoma just had a major egg layer single game against Texas Tech to skew that number.

Oh - I see... so the Tech game was a fluke, huh. What about Mizzou?

I wonder if you noticed that our crappy scoring defense held Mizzou to fewer points in Columbia (24) than your wonderful scoring defense held them to in Norman (28).


Oklahoma is averaging over a yard more per carry than last season as a team and Finch is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. It's indisputable that Oklahoma is running the ball better this season.

We'll see if Finch keeps that lofty average without Whaley.

Are you really arguing that Demarco Murry as a senior is not as good as what you guys are firing out there now?


Yes, you're very lucky because your defense made Taylor Martinez look more like Andrew Luck than the sling blade that he really is.

We defended Nebraska and Taylor Martinez just like everyone else did. We stacked the box and dared him to beat us throwing the ball. Against everyone else, he couldn't complete a downfield pass... against us he just simply had the game of his life. We couldn't have defended him any better... he was simply more accurate that day than any college game he had before or since.


Also, as for the turnovers...to say that's how their defense plays, I say nonsense. Maybe a forced fumble or interception here and there were caused by the way they practice, but turnovers are one of the most misleading stats in football (which has nothing to do with how they change games). While I agree that OSU has been on the receiving end of a lot of turnovers, that doesn't indicate a "trend" or "pattern" to me.

So if something happens multiple times per game over 8 games, that's not a trend?

[8timechamps]

So if something happens multiple times per game over 8 games, that's not a trend?

Go back to page 2 and read my response to MRW, maybe that'll explain my thinking.