What are the teams you think have the best college football defenses in the US? The truth is, even though more points are scored and the game moves at a breakneck pace, college football teams still thrive on defense.
This is although the offensive side of the ball gets the most attention. Although they are uncommon, these teams have demonstrated over an extended time that they are capable of giving opposing offenses a challenge. They are tough and well-disciplined, and they never stop giving their team a chance to win, even when their offense is having trouble scoring points.
The F/+ ratings from Football Outsiders, an opponent-adjusted metric for efficiency, were utilized quite heavily in creating this list. In addition to this, it considered sustained defensive performance over an extended time to be the benchmark of a program.
Teams such as Ole Miss and Clemson, for example, fielded defenses that ranked among the top five in the nation last season. However, these teams had not made defense their primary focus before that season. The same can be said for Florida State and Wisconsin, who have depended equally on their offensive and defensive capabilities. They do not fit the bill of what we had in mind.
Instead, we searched for programs that had already established themselves as legitimate defense entities. We used a sample that spanned five years to calculate F/+, although even three consecutive years of high-quality play were sufficient. In all honesty, after having one or two successful seasons in a row, we didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
In this article, we will pinpoint the best college football defenses in the US and also explain in detail the features of these best college football defenses.
Table of contents
- What Is The Difference Between Division 1 And Division 2?
- What Are The Best College Football Defenses In The US?
- #1. Georgia Bulldogs
- #2. WISCONSIN BADGERS
- #3. CINCINNATI BEARCATS
- #4. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
- #5. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
- #6 IOWA HAWKEYES
- #7. SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS
- #8. N.C. STATE WOLFPACK
- #9. CLEMSON TIGERS
- #10. HOUSTON COUGARS
- #11. AIR FORCE FALCONS
- #12. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
- #13. UTAH UTES
- #14. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
- #15. WISCONSIN BADGERS
- Frequently Asked Questions
- References
- Recommendations
What Is The Difference Between Division 1 And Division 2?
The major universities and colleges are found in Division 1, whereas member institutions in Division II and Division III are smaller.
A widespread misconception among athletes is that Division II is automatically inferior to Division I, or that Division III is inferior to Division II.
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What Are The Best College Football Defenses In The US?
Here are the best college football defenses in the US:
#1. Georgia Bulldogs
The defense of Georgia is on the verge of writing a chapter out of history.
The Georgia defense gives the impression of being among the very best in the annals of college football each time it hits the field.
The best off-ball linebacker in college football is Nakobe Dean, who plays for Florida State University.
Because of his exceptional ability to blitz, he currently shares the PFF rating for the position that is the highest as of Week 11, and this is the primary reason for this.
The college football team with the best overall grade for its interior defensive line is the one that features Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Devonte Wyatt.
There is just four SEC interior defensive lineman that can declare they have a PFF grade of at least 80.0 at this point in the season, but all three of those guys have earned grades higher than that.
Derion Kendrick and Kelee Ringo are the third highest-graded outside cornerback combo in the Power Five, and Lewis Cine and Christopher Smith Jr. are the first and third highest-graded safeties in the SEC, respectively.
In every position group, Georgia is in the running for the top in the nation.
The Georgia defense is second to only the Alabama defense from 2016, which had six picks in the first round of the draft.
The defense played by the Bulldogs is an entirely different animal. Their defense is one of the best college football defenses in the US.
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#2. WISCONSIN BADGERS
In the history of college football, Jim Leonhard has established himself as one of the most accomplished defensive coordinators.
In particular, the manner that he adjusts the level of pressure has contributed to the exceptional performance of his Badgers defense this season.
The Badgers have the strongest pass defense in the FBS when they put pressure on the quarterback, as seen by the fact that they only allow a successful pass percentage of 17.7 percent.
Just over 36 percent of the time, Wisconsin’s blitz defense is in the top 15 among the Power Five in terms of efficiency this season.
Even when they aren’t blitzing, Leonhard still makes an effort to cause mayhem by performing a healthy dose of antics.
The Wisconsin Badgers have a record of using a stunt in non-blitz situations 49.5% of the time, which is the highest rate among the Power Five.
When blitzed, off-ball linebackers Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn have been able to generate pressure for their team, as seen by the fact that they rank second and eighth, respectively, among off-ball linebackers in the Power Five for a pass-rush grade.
Both Chenal and Sanborn have been very effective in run defense, ranking in the top five of the Power Five in terms of their grade in run defense.
The Badgers’ defense as a team has allowed an explosive run rate of only 5.2 percent so far this season, which is the best mark in the Power Five by more than three percentage points.
They rank among the best college football defenses in the US.
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#3. CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Under new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel in 2024, Cincinnati has not veered from Marcus Freeman’s single-high scheme, which places the team’s outside corners in one-on-one single coverage and isolates those corners from the rest of the defense.
And this is a very positive development considering that Freeman, who is currently the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, led the Bearcats to possess one of the best defenses in college football in 2020.
Before the start of Week 12, Cincinnati’s covering unit had received the fourth-highest grade in all of college football.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner has emerged as the team’s most valuable player for the third year in a row, and good reason.
The true junior is having one of the best seasons ever recorded by an outside corner in the history of the PFF College (2014-present).
Throughout his 10 games this season, Gardner has allowed only 87 yards of total offense and zero touchdowns, while also intercepting three passes and breaking up another.
He gives up only 0.27 yards on average for each coverage snap, which is the lowest total allowed by any outside cornerback in the FBS.
They are among the best college football defenses in the world.
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#4. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
This team has one of the top college football defenses in the US. The Michigan defense is led by its best players on the perimeter.
Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, of whom are among the 11 edge defenders in the country who have a pass-rush grade of 91.0.
They are on the Michigan Wolverines. They have achieved a combined total of 83 pressures, including 20 sacks and 16 quarterback hits.
Because of the influence of Hutchinson and Ojabo, the Wolverines are currently in the lead among the Power Five in pressure rate generated thus far this season (38.8 percent ).
When playing at the Power Five level, pass rush is important since it can just as easily explain what happened on a particular pass play as coverage can.
This is certainly the case with Michigan, which is ranked in the top five of the Power Five in terms of its defensive successful play rate versus the pass.
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#5. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
One of the college football teams with the best overall defense is Oklahoma State, which plays for Oklahoma State.
The Pokes are one of only four Power Five defenders, along with Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan, to receive a grade of 80.0.
In particular, when compared to offenses from Power Five schools, Oklahoma State is ahead of Georgia in terms of EPA per pass allowed this season (garbage time excluded).
Malcolm Rodriguez, an off-ball linebacker, has been the most impressive performer of the bunch thus far.
In high school, Rodriguez was a state champion wrestler and a three-time state champion quarterback.
He possesses a keen eye for the ball, which helped him win those titles. This season, he has been involved in 48 defensive stops, which ties him for the most among off-ball linebackers in the Power Five conferences.
The Oklahoma Cowboys are also among the teams with top college football defenses in the US.
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#6 IOWA HAWKEYES
Even though they were defeated by the Purdue Boilermakers in Week 7, the Iowa Hawkeyes continue to be one of the three teams in the Power Five with the highest coverage grades.
The zone defense that defensive coordinator Phil Parker implemented has been quite successful, resulting in a significant number of turnovers.
When playing in a zone defense, Iowa vaults to the top spot among the Power Five in terms of coverage grade and the percentage of successful pass plays allowed.
During the season, they have only conceded four touchdowns while picking off 18 passes while playing zone defense.
This is six more than any of the other Power Five defenses combined. They also have one of the top college football defenses in the US.
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#7. SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS
San Diego State is essentially a West Coast version of Iowa because its offense is ineffective but the defense consistently dominates its opponents.
This season, opposing offenses have produced a success percentage of 34.3 percent, which is the third-best figure that has been allowed by an FBS defense.
Cornerback Tayler Hawkins is the leader of the San Diego State University secondary.
He has a coverage grade of 89.9 for the season and has only allowed 146 yards in his 348 coverage snaps.
Cameron Thomas, a multi-talented linebacker who anchors the trenches and has established himself as one of the most spectacular defensive lines in college football, is one of the players.
Along with a score of 90.5 as a pass rusher, he has a grade that is greater than 86.0 for his performance versus the run.
While playing in a variety of defensive positions, including nose tackle and edge rusher, Thomas has piled up a total of 26 sacks and quarterback hits.
San Diego State Aztecs also have the top college football defense in the US.
#8. N.C. STATE WOLFPACK
Another team with one of the top college football defenses in us is the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack defense has been one of the best in college football on a down-for-down basis so far this season, which is one of the reasons why N.C.
The state is considered to have one of the most underrated defenses in all of college football.
Through Week 11, the Wolfpack are ranked fourth among the Power Five programs in terms of the success rate that they have allowed, which is 35.6%.
In particular, when playing against offenses from Power Five teams, the Wolfpack moved up to the third place, behind only Georgia and Wisconsin.
Drake Thomas, an off-ball linebacker, is the best defensive player on the team at the moment.
He has earned an 80.4 PFF grade in 2024, which is the highest of any player on the team, and ranks seventh among all Power Five off-ball linebackers.
Thomas has been a fantastic player in every facet of the game, but his impact has been most noticeable against the run, where he currently sits second in the Power Five in terms of grade (89.3).
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#9. CLEMSON TIGERS
The defense coached by Brent Venables is not the reason why Clemson has been one of the most disappointing teams of the 2024 college football season.
This season, Clemson’s defense ranks among the top 10 in terms of the success percentage allowed while going up against Power Five offenses.
The Tigers are eighth in the rankings for the fewest yards allowed per play among teams from the Power Five conferences because they give up only 4.9 yards.
This season has been another example of why Venables is considered to be one of the greatest in the game when it comes to plotting and applying pressure.
This year, Clemson is putting pressure on its opponents at the seventh-highest rate among the Power Five schools.
After showing promise early on in his undergraduate career, outside cornerback Mario Goodrich has emerged as a star performer for the secondary unit.
This year, in eight of his nine appearances, he has allowed less than 20 yards of total offense (there have been only 135 yards of total offense), while also collecting an interception and breaking up six passes.
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#10. HOUSTON COUGARS
The pressure rate that the Cougars generate (47 percent) is nearly four percentage points higher than any other team in college football, making them one of the best pass-rush units in all of college football.
The Cougars rank first in the country in terms of pass-rush grade, and they are the team that generates the highest pass-rush grade.
They’ve been putting pressure on the quarterback whether or not they’ve been using a blitz.
And even on the other half of pass plays where they haven’t applied pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the Houston secondary has more than made up for it.
When it comes to EPA per pass allowed to opposition quarterbacks who have a clear pocket, the Cougars are ranked seventh in the FBS.
The Cougars are one of the top teams with top college football defenses in the US and the world at large.
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#11. AIR FORCE FALCONS
This is Troy Calhoun’s fourth season as head coach of a team that has finished with double-digit wins since 2014.
This season, Air Force won ten games, including a bowl game against Louisville.
The Falcons finished as the college football leaders in time possession, which kept their defense off the field for the majority of the game and enabled that unit to finish as the No. 5 defense in the nation in yards allowed per game (total defense).
The notion of maintaining possession of the ball is successful in the service academies, particularly when the defense is strong.
They also rank among the top college football defenses in the US.
#12. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Billy Napier’s final season as head coach at Louisiana ended on a high one, as he guided the team to a conference championship with one of the school’s most formidable defensive units in recent history.
After starting the season with a setback against Texas, Louisiana went on a tear, winning 13 consecutive games, seven of which were decided by a single possession.
The fact that this team was able to execute so well when it mattered most and make defensive stops when it mattered most is a credit to that.
#13. UTAH UTES
Utah Utes are also one of the top teams with the best college football defenses in the US.
This season, Utah’s defense was a play-making team highlighted by potential first-round choice Devin Lloyd, who was seventh in sacks and tenth overall in tackles for loss.
During its first appearance in the Rose Bowl, Utah has the opportunity to finish the season with a victory over Ohio State that would be significant in terms of generating momentum.
#14. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Aidan Hutchinson, who was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, served as the anchor for a consistently aggressive front seven for the Wolverines, who were also propelled by a breakout season from David Ojabo.
The tandem finished the year with a combined total of 25 sacks, including several takedowns of Ohio State’s C.J.
Stroud in the rivalry finale that helped pave the way for Michigan’s first appearance in the Big Ten championship game under the direction of Jim Harbaugh.
#15. WISCONSIN BADGERS
On our last list of the top teams with the top college, football defenses are the Wisconsin Badgers.
Not only did the Badgers end the fall season ranked #1 in total defense, but they were extremely dominating against the run, finishing first with 61 yards per game allowed to opposing running backs.
After allowing only 13 points in their victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Thursday, the team coached by Paul Chryst was able to put an exclamation point on an outstanding defensive season.
In 2024, despite having a veteran-heavy roster, the Badgers finished with a record that prevented them from qualifying for the Big Ten Championship.
Despite this, the defensive campaign was a resounding success.
Conclusion
In every football team, defense plays a major role in the winning rate of any football team.
In this article, we have tried our best to bring to you the best college football defenses in the US in particular.
So, you can decide to go through the article once again to fully know the top teams that rank among the top college football defenses in the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. States in the US have in previous times been ranked as the top college football defenses in the world.
Football Teams are the ones that sign and sell players. A player can’t Just join a team anyhow, he has to undergo some requirements through his agent before he can be signed to a team.
Yes. Most of the football teams in the US rank among the top college football defenses in the world.
References
- SBNation. com—The 25 best college football defenses of then and now
- longformarticle. com—College football rankings: 20 Top college football defenses in the US
- bleachereport. com—10 College Football Teams Whose Defense Is Their Calling Card
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