Many here like to write about statistics and facts. So do I. Many folks bring up statistical rankings. They are quick and handy and give an nice estimation but using rankings can lead to some inaccuracies. My favorite statistic to look at yards per attempt minus yards per attempt allowed. This statistic correlates highly with winning percentage regardless of the conference. Last season the correlation was 0.81. Other seasons correlate around that number as well. Essentially a team the higher the positive difference in offensive YPA and defensive YPA the more than likely the team will have a higher winning percentage. Last season an average team had a positive YPA of 0.13 and had a roughly a .500 winning percentage. WSU, in 2014, had a YPA of -0.05. This YPA should have translated to a .489 winning percentage, or rounded to .500 or 6 wins. As an example, Oregon had a YPA of 1.94 which should have been an .827 winning percentage. In real life, Oregon had an .870 winning percentage. The offensive YPA minus the defensive YPA is a statistic that measures gives a good estimation of potential winning percentage.
The other thing that I did with the YPA differential statistic is normalize it to 100 with a standard deviation of 15 like an IQ number. A team with an 'IQ' of 100 will be about .500. For the 2014 season, compared to their peers, WSU had an IQ of 97. This is an increase from 93 in 2013 and 87 in 2012 and a 91 in 2011. The WSU football 'IQ' scores based on YPA differential of offense and defense for the last few years are-
2014- 97
2013- 93
2012- 87
2011- 91
2010- 75
2009- 54
2008- 60
2007- 104
You are free to draw any conclusions you like. I conclude that last year WSU probably didn't get the breaks they needed and in 2013 they probably got some breaks that allowed them to get to 6-6.
The other thing that I did with the YPA differential statistic is normalize it to 100 with a standard deviation of 15 like an IQ number. A team with an 'IQ' of 100 will be about .500. For the 2014 season, compared to their peers, WSU had an IQ of 97. This is an increase from 93 in 2013 and 87 in 2012 and a 91 in 2011. The WSU football 'IQ' scores based on YPA differential of offense and defense for the last few years are-
2014- 97
2013- 93
2012- 87
2011- 91
2010- 75
2009- 54
2008- 60
2007- 104
You are free to draw any conclusions you like. I conclude that last year WSU probably didn't get the breaks they needed and in 2013 they probably got some breaks that allowed them to get to 6-6.
