Penalties are a part of life for your favorite football team. But if it gets flagged for too many, those close games could wind up in the loss column.

Still, not all penalties are created equal. A 15-yard pass interference flag that saves a 60-yard touchdown pass is easier to stomach than a delay of game call because the coaches and quarterback can’t settle on a play call. Or a false start because the left tackle can’t remember the snap count.

So, how does each SEC team rank in penalty yardage over the past five years? With the help of cfbstats.com, let’s have a look:

SEC TEAM PENALTY YARDAGE, PAST 5 SEASONS

Team 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 5-year total
Tennessee 561 630 455 444 530 2,620
Mississippi St. 567 538 515 513 506 2,639
Arkansas 593 528 461 581 477 2,640
Alabama 369 467 520 562 835 2,753
South Carolina 632 526 543 606 468 2,775
Kentucky 482 496 593 604 676 2,851
Vanderbilt 653 584 518 630 566 2,951
Ole Miss 692 480 541 549 702 2,964
Missouri 593* 519 543 815 517 2,987
Georgia 664 749 617 527 592 3,149
Auburn 676 601 569 896 603 3,345
LSU 702 753 732 595 784 3,566
Texas A&M 855* 735 690 663 713 3,656
Florida 773 895 711 710 737 3,826

* – denotes penalty data from Big 12

MOST PENALTY YARDS BY SEASON

2015: Alabama Crimson Tide (835)
2014: Auburn Tigers (896)
2013: LSU Tigers (732)
2012: Florida Gators (895)
2011: Florida Gators (773)

MOST PENALIZED PROGRAMS IN THE PAST 5 YEARS

1. Florida Gators: Thanks to the Will Muschamp era, the Gators led in this stat last year. The first year of Jim McElwain’s tenure saw the Gators amass 737 penalty yards, which was the third-highest total in the SEC last fall. It’s progress, even if it’s slight.

Nov 15, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp reacts after they were called for a pass interference penalty during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Florida Gators 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2. Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies were right behind the Gators in last year’s rankings, and Kevin Sumlin’s squad is still the second-most penalized team over the past five seasons. In 2015, Texas A&M was flagged for 713 yards in penalties, which was fourth-most in the SEC.

3. LSU Tigers: After being hit with 784 penalty yards last fall, the Tigers edged Auburn for the third-place spot in this dubious category. Auburn dropped to fourth after accumulating 603 yards in infractions, which was almost 300 yards fewer than it had in 2014.