I am up late with the smoker, tending a pork butt while the hickory and apple blend rolls through the yard. It smells incredible. This pork butt is ready to feed a crowd. Come grab a plate, talk ball, and hang with the Champion Standard crew. Bring a friend, bring your appetite, and let’s make a little pregame noise before we get inside. While the meat does its thing, I finally wrapped a mini project that has been on my mind for a while. I built my own Advanced Metric Index.
Every season brings another shiny metric. This stat does this, that stat isolates that, and before long the conversation turns into alphabet soup. I wanted to cut through the clutter and put the focus back where football is truly decided. The line of scrimmage. The trenches.
I pulled data from multiple places, including PFF, SIS, and CollegeFootballData. Then I built measures that give real credit to offensive and defensive line play. The goal is simple. Reduce the noise, elevate the snaps that decide drives, and make trench wins visible. The old saying still holds. Win the line, win the game. The greatest coaches in our program say it best:
“Football, in its purest form, remains a physical fight.” - Bud Wilikinson
“For us to be successful, our line must create a crease for our fullback and isolate the hand-off key.” - Barry Switzer
“A dominant defensive tackle means everything for the defense.” - Bob Stoops
Today sets a perfect stage. We have a battle of titans with real Sunday talent on both sides of the ball. R Mason Thomas, Jayden Jackson, David Stone, Kendric Faulk, Connor Lew, and Xavier Chaplin are future pros. That is not hype. That is what the film says.
I went back to last year’s game. Auburn’s offensive line was legit. Their power game rolled downhill for most of the night. It was not completely unstoppable because R Mason Thomas kept forcing adjustments to him, which freed the backers to run and hit. Even with that disruption Auburn still rushed for 144 yards, and we needed a late pick six to close it. Our offense was rough, no doubt. Auburn still found answers on the ground.
I watched the Baylor game this year and Auburn looks like the same physical outfit. They move bodies. They reset the line of scrimmage. Not having R Mason Thomas in the first half matters in a big way.
There is something about offensive line play that casual fans miss. Communication is everything. The best lines do not just block the called scheme. They talk, they point, they set the count, and they own the rules. They check to better doubles. They change the pull path. Auburn’s line communicates at a high level and they clearly have the green light to adjust on the field when the look demands it.
Now turn to our defensive line. It is deep and it is explosive. Last week I called Jayden Jackson and Damonic Williams the Bash Brothers. Add David Stone to that club. He is starting to make a weekly habit of clubbing centers into the dirt. When your interior can dent the pocket and your edges can win the corner, everything on defense gets easier. Coverage gets cleaner. Blitzes hit faster. Tackles arrive sooner.
This matchup is more than a single Saturday. It shapes how the 2025 season will feel. It is also a showcase game for future pros. Strength against strength. Communication against chaos. Power against quickness. All of that together pushed me to finish what I started. This propelled me to finished this next step out for the season.
Introducing the Trench Warfare Index. This is my advanced, line focused framework that blends multiple trusted data sources to highlight who is really winning at the snap. It measures how consistently an offensive line creates clean run lanes and steady pockets, and how consistently a defensive line destroys timing, resets the line of scrimmage, and finishes plays. It is designed to reward repeatable trench skill, not just splash plays, while still crediting the difference makers who end drives.
Here is what I want this index to do for readers and viewers. It should clarify the story when your eyes and the box score disagree. It should explain why a team keeps getting to third and short or why a quarterback looks rushed even when the sack number is low. It should separate reputation from proof.
And with that, here are the results of the Trench Warfare Index.
Snapshot
OU → O-TWI ~ 0.30, D-TWI ~ 1.68
Auburn → O-TWI ~ 1.28, D-TWI ~ 1.54
What that means
OU Defensive Line is the best unit on the field. Top-tier D-TWI (≈1.68). Penetration/TFLs/sack impact look real.
Auburn Offensive Line is elite. O-TWI ≈1.28, upper-right quadrant. They create creases and protect well.
Auburn Defense is also strong. D-TWI ≈1.54—better trench résumé than OU’s offense.
OU Offense Line is middling by this metric. O-TWI ≈0.30—solid but not carrying games with rush success rate from RBs lacking.
Matchup matrix
Auburn O-line vs OU D-line = strength-on-strength.
Key down: early downs. If OU forces 2nd-and-long with negative rush plays, the Auburn OL’s pass pro advantage gets blunted.
OU O-line vs Auburn D-line = advantage Auburn.
Expect Auburn to win more often on standard downs; OU needs tempo, RPOs, and quick game to stay on schedule.
Why Auburn might rank higher overall while OU sits higher D - TWI
The scatter is O-TWI vs D-TWI . OU is higher on because its DL is best in the SEC. Auburn’s combined can edge OU because both of Auburn’s units grade strong (O ≈1.28 and D ≈1.54), while OU is great on D but only okay on O. A weighted combined score rewards Auburn’s balance.
Final Thought
This weekend isn’t just another SEC clash. This is a Battle of Titans in the most unforgiving real estate on the field: the line of scrimmage. The outcome will hinge on who controls the snap, who resets the line, and who dictates the terms of each down. That is why I built the Trench Warfare Index. In the coming weeks, I’ll peel back the curtain on how this metric works. Combining metrics into one simple, honest view.
Hope to see you at the tailgate!
Win the trenches. Win the game.
Boomer!
Rob