I didn't find it to be a critical factor, mostly because

by APND02 , Winston-Salem, NC, Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 11:02 (5798 days ago) @ Jay

there wasn't a cluster of teams that really excelled in this area. Sure, most were above 30 minutes of possession per game, but that isn't exactly indicative of ball control football. In my mind time of possession is only really meaningful in games where there is a decisive advantage (e.g. >10 minutes) for one team. Of course, I seem to recall Pittsburgh holding something like a 19-minute edge in time of possession last year when they played Cincinnati. And they still lost.