While a strong defense is still important for any championship team, the reality is that in order to be a legitimate contender in both conference play and in the national title picture, teams need to have an offense that can put up some points. Ohio State’s championship run last year is proof that a dominant offense can help make up for other areas in which a team isn’t as strong and a number of other teams are following that pattern. Here are the best offenses in each of the power conferences so far this year:
Baylor Bears
Big 12
Baylor’s top-ranked offense didn’t miss a beat with freshman quarterback Jarret Stidham taking over for Seth Russell. He torched the Kansas State offense for 419 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win. Stidham has completed 77% of his passes for 750 yard and nine touchdowns without an interception. There is no reason to expect an offense that has averaged 666.0 yards per game this season to slow down. At 57.4 points per game, the Bears have the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense and that is obviously the biggest reason why they are still very much in contention both in the Big 12 and in the pursuit of a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Oregon Ducks
Pac-12
Oregon has taken a step back with this season with three losses through its first nine games but that has nothing to do with an offense that leads the Pac-12 in both total offense and scoring. The Ducks have averaged 543.0 yards and 42.2 points per game this season despite senior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. missing time with injuries. While they might not contend for a Pac-12 title this season, their offense is just fine. We can put all of those Chip Kelly-back-to-Oregon rumors to bed. They’re flawed but not on offense.
Ole Miss Rebels
SEC
The SEC has long been known beating up opponents with tough defense and rushing attacks that overpower opposing defenses, but the Rebels have taken a different approach this season. That’s led to an offense that ranks 10th in the nation in passing yards per game with an average of 348.8. Ole Miss ranks fifth in the country in total offense and 11th in scoring offense, and while they won’t contend for an SEC title, they still hold the distinction of being the only team to beat Alabama this year after putting up 43 points against their elite defense back in September.
Clemson Tigers
ACC
Clemson’s 38.7 points per game isn’t enough to crack the top 10 in the country but they lead the ACC in the category. The big numbers they have put up on that side of the football have complemented a tough defense and helped the Tigers earn the No. 1 ranking in the country according to the College Football Playoff selection committee. Deshaun Watson has put himself in Heisman consideration with 2,233 passing yards and 21 touchdowns along with 493 rushing yards and an additional four scores. As long as the offense continues to perform at such a high level, it’s hard to doubt Clemson in the ACC and as a national title contender.
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Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten
The Ohio State Buckeyes have taken a ton of flak for their offensive shortcomings this season but let’s take a step back for a second. They still leads the Big Ten with 37.3 points and 455.0 yards per game this season. Yes, Cardale Jones has struggled and they’ve had to switch to J.T. Barrett at quarterback, but they’re still averaging 37.3 points per game. That’s quite impressive.
Ohio State will need either Barrett or Jones to emerge as the man at quarterback (it looks like it’s Barrett right now) in order to repeat as national champions. However, running back Ezekiel Elliott has been as consistent as it gets. They can lean on him and hope that the offense continues to improve as they prepare for season-ending back-to-back contests against Michigan State and Michigan.
