LSU's comparative youth on offense statistically vs. Power 5

Glenn Guilbeau (I know, I know) tweeted on Saturday about young QBs having success all over college football. I think sometimes we like to throw beliefs rather than facts along so I took a look at LSU's youth at the skill positions compared to other teams around college football. Make of it what you wish but I did find it interesting.

Power 5 Conferences

27 of 65 (41.5) teams have underclassman QB leading team in snaps

Soph QBs – (21) Texas A&M (43.9 ppg), CAL (42.8 ppg) Nebraska (41.5 ppg), Oklahoma (40.5 ppg), Florida State (39.0 ppg), Kentucky (36.5 ppg), LSU (34.9 ppg), Washington (34.8), Georgia Tech (33.0 ppg), Colorado (31.7), Virginia (31.7 ppg) Louisville (31.0 ppg), PITT (30.5 ppg), Texas Tech (30.3), Missouri (28.8 ppg), Illinois (28.6), Minnesota (27.0), Purdue (26.9 ppg), Penn State (21.2 ppg), Texas (19.7 ppg), Kansas (15.83)

RS Freshman QBs – (2) Ohio State (44.6 ppg), Arizona (37.5 ppg)

True Freshman QBs – (4) Clemson (37.5), Miami (31.4), Vanderbilt (17.6 ppg), Wake Forest (15.7)

Least Experienced Power 5 Conference Teams at Skill positions (1 QB, 2RB, 3 WRs based on touches; senior 4, junior 3, sophomore 2, freshman 1; did not consider redshirts)
(all teams that tallied fewer than 15 when adding those positions by class)

7 of least experienced 12 teams have underclass QBs
Vanderbilt – QB (FR), RB (FR, FR), WR (FR, JR, SO) – 9 (17.6 ppg)
LSU – QB (SO), RB (FR, SR), WR (SO, FR, FR) – 11 (34.9)
VaTech - QB (JR), RB (FR, FR), WR (SR, FR, FR) – 11 (30.5) – 2.77
Ohio State – QB (FR), RB (SO, FR), WR (So, So, SR) – 12 (44.6)
Oklahoma – QB (SO), RB (FR, SO), WR (JR, JR, FR) – 12 (40.5)
Clemson – QB (FR), RB (FR, JR), WR (FR, SO, SR) – 12 (37.5)
Wake Forest – QB (FR), RB (SR, FR), WR (FR, SR, SO) – 12 (15.7)
Baylor – QB (SR), RB (So, FR), WR (FR, JR, SO) – 13 (52.7)
Arizona State – QB (JR), RB (JR, FR), WR (JR, SO, FR) – 13 (41.2)
North Carolina – QB (JR), RB (FR, SO), WR (SO, SO, JR) – 13 (37.2)
Miami – QB (FR), RB (JR, FR), WR (SR, JR, FR) – 13 (31.4)
N. C. State – QB (JR), RB (JR, SO), WR (FR, SO, SO) – 13 (30.9)

Most Experienced Power 5 Conference Teams
Kansas State – QB (SR), RB (SO, SR), WR (SR, SR, SR) – 22 (40.8)
Georgia Tech – QB (SO), RB (SR, SR), WR (SR, SR, SR) – 22 (33.0)
Stanford - QB (SR), RB (SR, JR), WR (SR, SR, SO) – 22 (26.3)
Michigan State – QB (JR), RB (SR, SR), WR (SR, SO, SR) – 21 (45.5 ppg)
Auburn – QB (SR), RB (SR, SR), WR (JR, JR, JR) – 21 (38.8 ppg)
South Carolina – QB (SR), RB (JR, SR), WR (SO, SR, SR) – 21 (34.2 ppg)
Missouri – QB (SO), RB (JR, SR), WR (SR, SR, SR) – 21 (28.8 ppg)
Oregon State – QB (SR), RB (SR, JR), WR (SR, JR, JR) – 21 (28.2)
Utah – QB (JR), RB (JR, JR), WR (JR, SR, SR) – 20 (39.6)
Duke – QB (SR), RB (FR, SR), WR (SR, JR, SR) – 20 (35.8)
Alabama – QB (SR), RB (JR, SO), WR (JR, SR, SR) – 20 (33.2 ppg)
Iowa - QB (JR), RB (JR, SR), WR (JR, JR, SR) – 20 (26.3 ppg)
Iowa State – QB (JR), RB (JR, SR), WR (SR, SO, SR) – 20 (24.5)
Syracuse – QB (SR), RB (SR, SR), WR (SR, JR, FR) – 20 (21.3) – 1.07


Top Teams Producing Most Offensive Points with Least Skill Experience
Baylor – QB (SR), RB (So, FR), WR (FR, JR, SO) – (52.7/13) – 4.05 – Senior QB
Ohio State – QB (FR), RB (SO, FR), WR (So, So, SR) – 12 (44.6) – 3.71
Oklahoma – QB (SO), RB (FR, SO), WR (JR, JR, FR) – 12 (40.5) – 3.38
Arizona State – QB (JR), RB (JR, FR), WR (JR, SO, FR) – 13 (41.2) – 3.17 – Junior QB
LSU – QB (SO), RB (FR, SR), WR (SO, FR, FR) – 11 (34.9) – 3.17
Clemson – QB (FR), RB (FR, JR), WR (FR, SO, SR) – 12 (37.5) – 3.12
Oregon – QB (JR), RB (FR, SO), WR (JR, FR, SR) – 14 (43.3) – 3.09 – Junior QB
Texas A&M – QB (SO), RB (JR, JR), WR (FR, SR, SO) – 15 (43.9) – 2.92
North Carolina – QB (JR), RB (FR, SO), WR (SO, SO, JR) – 13 (37.2) – 2.86 – Junior QB
Mississippi State – QB (JR), RB (JR, SO), WR (SO, SR, FR) – 15 (41.8) – 2.79 – Junior QB
VaTech - QB (JR), RB (FR, FR), WR (SR, FR, FR) – 11 (30.5) – 2.77 – junior QB
Arizona – QB (RFR), RB (FR, SR), WR (SO, SR, SO) – 14 (37.5)- 2.68
Kentucky – QB (SO), RB (SO, JR), WR (SO, SR, FR) – 14 (36.5) – 2.60
Georgia – QB (SR), RB (JR, FR), WR (SR, SR, FR) – 17 (43.2) – 2.54 – Senior QB
Kansas State – QB (JR), RB (JR, JR), WR U(JR, JR, JR) – 18 (45.8) – 2.5 – Junior QB

Least Productive Teams with Most Experience at Skill Positions
Kansas – QB (SO), RB (FR, JR), WR (SR, SR, SR) – 18 (15.83) – 0.88 - Sophomore QB
Texas – QB (SO), RB (SR, JR), WR (SR, SR, JR) – 19 (19.7) – 1.04 - Sophomore QB
Syracuse – QB (SR), RB (SR, SR), WR (SR, JR, FR) – 20 (21.3) – 1.07
Northwestern – QB (SR), RB (FR, SR), WR (JR, JR, SR) – 19 (21.5) – 1.13
Stanford - QB (SR), RB (SR, JR), WR (SR, SR, SO) – 22 (26.3) – 1.20
Iowa State – QB (JR), RB (JR, SR), WR (SR, SO, SR) – 20 (24.5) – 1.22
Iowa - QB (JR), RB (JR, SR), WR (JR, JR, SR) – 20 (26.3) – 1.32
Oregon State – QB (SR), RB (SR, JR), WR (SR, JR, JR) – 21 (28.2)- 1.34
Missouri – QB (SO), RB (JR, SR), WR (SR, SR, SR) – 21 (28.8) – 1.37 – Soph QB

Most Experienced Conference at Skill Positions – Big 12 (17.4)
Least Experience Conference at Skill Positions – ACC (15.8)
PAC-12 – 16.33; SEC – 16.64; Big Ten 17.21

I'm sure there is a better way to do most productive/least productive because it skewed a bit toward the offenses that were the most and least productive in general but I think it's at least interesting. I think it definitely shows that talent wins over experience but, for most teams, having an underclassman at QB is a challenge, even though "
young QBs are successful all over the place," according to Guilbeau, which simply isn't true. There are only four true or redshirt QBs playing on teams that aren't dreadful (Ohio State, Arizona, Miami, and Clemson).