Runs of unexpected bliss in college football can be built on many different dynamics, but the foundation is often the same thing: a sizable advantage in turnover margin. You want to have a Cinderella season? Take the football away many more times than you give it away. It’s the most direct path to victory.
That stat, born at the intersection of opportunity and preparedness, helps explain surprise undefeated starts for the Iowa State Cyclones (plus-nine turnover margin), Pittsburgh Panthers (plus-seven), Indiana Hoosiers (plus-eight) and BYU Cougars (plus-seven). And it certainly has come into play at the service academies—the Army Black Knights are plus-eight, and the Navy Midshipmen entered Saturday’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a whopping plus-12, second-best in the nation.
