This week's picks

Big plays: hitting them vs. giving them up

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Big plays: hitting them vs. giving them up

Explosiveness allowed (adjusted) (up) against Explosiveness (adjusted) (across). 138 teams.

Up and right are always better: metrics where lower is better (like ranks or points allowed) run in reverse. Dashed lines are the averages of the teams shown and split the chart into four groups. There's no trend line or gray band here: the chart compares two separate skills, so no spot is "expected." The lists rank teams on both skills together. Tap or click a team to open it in Head to head.

What this shows

Explosiveness is how much a team gets out of its successful plays. Right hits the big ones; up keeps the other team from hitting them.

There is almost no relationship here (r = -0.10): knowing a team's Explosiveness (adjusted) tells you little about its Explosiveness allowed (adjusted).

Split by the averages: Wins the big-play battle 31, Gives up nothing, hits nothing 37, Lives and dies by the big play 35, Loses the big-play battle 35.

Winning the big-play battle: Louisville (1st and 4th), Cincinnati (4th and 67th), Western Michigan (25th and 12th). Losing the big-play battle: Sacramento State (134th and 130th), Florida Atlantic (49th and 138th), Stanford (117th and 136th). Ranks are among the 138 teams shown, Explosiveness (adjusted) first, then Explosiveness allowed (adjusted).

Pac-12: 2 of 8 in Wins the big-play battle, 0 in Loses the big-play battle. Top of the list: San Diego State (90th and 5th of 138).

Mountain West: 3 of 10 in Wins the big-play battle, 1 in Loses the big-play battle. Top of the list: New Mexico (6th and 110th of 138).

Where the data comes from. Explosiveness allowed (adjusted): CollegeFootballData.com advanced stats, games through Oct 24, 2026. Explosiveness (adjusted): CollegeFootballData.com advanced stats, games through Oct 24, 2026.

Winning the big-play battle

  1. Louisville 1st and 4th of 138
  2. Cincinnati 4th and 67th of 138
  3. Western Michigan 25th and 12th of 138
  4. Iowa 57th and 2nd of 138
  5. Tulane 2nd and 91st of 138
  6. Nebraska 3rd and 85th of 138

Losing the big-play battle

  1. Sacramento State 134th and 130th of 138
  2. Florida Atlantic 49th and 138th of 138
  3. Stanford 117th and 136th of 138
  4. Penn State 109th and 135th of 138
  5. Bowling Green 118th and 128th of 138
  6. Charlotte 132nd and 111th of 138

About the stats on this chart

What is explosiveness?

Average EPA on successful plays, adjusted for opponents: how big the good plays are.

Where does the explosiveness data come from?

From CollegeFootballData.com advanced stats, games through Oct 24, 2026.

Where does the explosiveness allowed data come from?

From CollegeFootballData.com advanced stats, games through Oct 24, 2026.