The Michigan Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes have been getting a similar whistle to the Army Black Knights, Navy Midshipmen, and Air Force Falcons over the last five years, per Action Network’s “Dirty Score” rankings.
This is to say, they’ve not been penalized much at all.
“Air Force was the cleanest team in the country, with a remarkably low Dirty Score of just 0.75. Over five seasons, the Falcons averaged only 3.76 penalties, 32.76 penalty yards, and 1.26 penalty first downs per game, with flags thrown on just 3% of their plays,” the rankings read.
“Iowa and Army followed closely behind in second and third place, with Dirty Scores of 1.49 and 2.24, respectively. Both teams were among the most consistent in avoiding penalties year after year.
“Michigan and Navy rounded out the top five cleanest teams, with scores of 2.99 and 3.73, respectively.”
Getting penalized the most doesn’t always indicate being the “dirtiest,” per se. Certain programs have always been known to get a favorable whistle.
Of the five, it’s fair to say Michigan would qualify for that designation. They certainly seem to survive major scandals that other programs wouldn’t. At least for now.
Their day might be coming, though. On Friday, to be exact.
Iowa and the military academies’ FBS programs are known for focusing on the little things and the incremental gains, as opposed to the big, explosive plays. It’s not shocking to see them there.
As for the other side of the spectrum, the rankings had three lowly Group of Five squads and two ACC squads.
“New Mexico turned out to be the ‘dirtiest’ team in college football, earning a perfect Dirty Score of 100.00. From 2020 to 2024, the Lobos averaged 7.74 penalties, 68.30 penalty yards, and 2.10 penalty first downs per game, while committing penalties on 6% of their total plays - the highest rate in the nation,” the rankings read.
“UAB ranked second dirtiest with a score of 99.25, driven by an NCAA-worst 72.28 penalty yards per game; their undisciplined play was consistent across all seasons and all measured categories.
“Toledo came in third with a Dirty Score of 98.51, showing a steady pattern of high penalties per game and penalty yards, placing them among the most penalized teams in the country.
“Pittsburgh and Miami rounded out the top five dirtiest teams, with Dirty Scores of 97.76 and 97.01 respectively.”
Every team is fairly close, so it’s hard to make too many inferences. The Big Ten has two teams with the lowest “Dirty Score,” and two ACC teams have the highest. That’s just an observation.