While a high-scoring offensive showdown draws eyes to the college football field, there is nothing more beautiful than a dominant defensive display that sets the tone for success. Who were the top-performing units last week? As Week 3 gets underway, our college football defense rankings, powered by PFSN’s suite of metrics, examines the very best there is.
25) LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers might not have graced the top 25 in Week 1 (36th with a score of 84.1), but the defense has most certainly been a strength through two weeks. Coming into the season, there were questions about whether the secondary would be able to hold up, and yet neither the Clemson Tigers nor Louisiana Tech has had much success passing the ball.
TruMedia says LSU ranks 18th this season in defensive passing success rate. Part of their success comes from the “money” downs (third and fourth), where they have forced a conversion rate of 29% (32nd). Cornerback Mansoor Delane has been targeted 12 times through two games and has given up just two catches for 25 yards with an interception and three pass breakups.
The Scouting Room does a fantastic job of breaking down Delane’s impressive coverage against Clemson in Week 1. His interception on the 46-yard line midway through the third quarter set up LSU with fantastic field position and would have led to points if it hadn’t been for a missed field goal.
24) Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh Panthers drop from 10th in Week 1 to 24th in Week 2, but are still putting together an impressive defensive performance. While the opponents are still weak early on, it’s hard not to be excited about this pass rush. Eight different Panthers have registered a sack, with three earning two thus far.
23) Tennessee Volunteers
Seeing Tennessee rank in the top 25 of a defensive ranking after the offense’s performance in Week 1 is extremely impressive. It should make their upcoming game against Georgia an intriguing matchup.
In Week 2, the Volunteers forced a third-best 12.5% conversion rate on third and fourth downs. Even more impressive is that the Tennessee defense has to play a lot because its offense ranks 13th in the fastest pace of play in the FBS.
22) Oklahoma Sooners
After finishing second in last week’s rankings, the Oklahoma Sooners followed up with a marquee win over the Michigan Wolverines. Oklahoma’s performance against Bryce Underwood was just what I needed to declare the Sooners a legit contender this season confidently.
Despite being sacked just once, the Sooners’ defense pressured Underwood on 38% of drop-backs, which would rank 26th in FBS. The secondary and overall coverages and schemes also forced Underwood to hold the ball for a significant amount of time. Michigan’s time to throw was 2.91 seconds (91st of 132), compared to 2.28 seconds (10th of 136) in Week 1.
21) East Carolina Pirates
The East Carolina Pirates were no joke in Week 2, ranking third while allowing just 2.4 yards per play against Campbell. The Pirates had quite the bounce back after ranking 113th with a 69.6 in Week 1. With a matchup against Coastal Carolina, we will see which defense shows up for the Pirates.
20) Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are once again ranked inside the top 20 after another solid outing against an inferior opponent. Their Week 3 matchup will be the ultimate litmus test as Joey Aguilar and the Volunteers come to Athens, Georgia.
Heading into the season, my biggest concern for the Bulldogs’ defense was the lack of a superstar pass rusher, a concern similar to recent years. While this concern remains at the forefront of my mind, their pass rush has been relatively solid, ranking 31st in pressure rate and 51st in quick pressure rate.
19) Old Dominion Monarchs
Old Dominion held North Carolina Central to just two field goals and a total of 3.5 yards per play in their dominating Week 2 defensive performance. Monarchs’ safeties Jerome Carter and Nickendre Stiger lead the team in tackles with an average tackle depth of 5.9 and 8.4 yards.
Considering the average for the safety position this year is 6.5, this puts both of them in a solid spot. This means they aren’t having to bail out the rest of the team with touchdown-saving tackles, but also aren’t dominating the line of scrimmage and flying to the ball.
18) Ohio Bobcats
The Ohio Bobcats faced a formidable opponent in West Virginia this week, who had not scored under 14 points since the first week of the 2024 season against Penn State. In the 17-10 win, the Bobcats held them to 10 while sacking the quarterback six times.
Despite Ohio’s offense having three turnovers, West Virginia registered just three plays inside the red zone and gained three yards in those instances. In fact, Ohio’s only defensive touchdown allowed came on a 32-yard run in the first quarter, showcasing their overall dominance in a tight game.
17) Indiana Hoosiers
After an embarrassing game in Week 1, the Indiana Hoosiers bounced back convincingly. They gave up 271 yards and forced two turnovers with a 13th-ranked 80.8% defensive rushing success rate. The Hoosiers needed this one as they have one more cupcake before a huge matchup with Illinois in Bloomington.
16) Texas Tech Raiders
I am beyond excited for the Texas Tech Raiders to play real competition. After improving from 32nd to 16th in our defensive rankings, the Raiders rank seventh this season in yards allowed per play. They are now favorites among video game players after they scored a touchdown through a defensive tackle interception.
15) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina was ranked 122nd in our impact scores last week, posting a 66.0 score to accompany their overall D grade. Just a week later, they rank 15th after a 13-0 shutout victory over Charleston Southern.
14) Miami Hurricanes
Miami graded out average after some CJ Carr heroics prevented the Hurricanes’ defense from completely toppling Notre Dame. In Week 2, no heroics were found as Miami dominated from start to finish.
The pass defense was surprisingly weak, ranking 96th despite allowing only 99 total passing yards. This is a bit misleading because Bethune-Cookman went 14 of 17 on passes, but tried their best to run the ball and prevent disaster in this game.
13) Ohio State Buckeyes
From a grading perspective, the Ohio State Buckeyes performed much better this week, largely due to the inferior opponent. Still, I would argue their Week 1 decimation of Texas was the more impressive defensive game from a film perspective.
Regardless of how you like to splice it, there is no denying that Matt Patricia is absolutely cooking for this defense thus far. Having the ultimate chess piece in Caleb Downs has allowed Patricia to simulate pressure and disguise coverage at a high level, which also helps alleviate some of the early growing pains from the young and inexperienced defensive line.
12) Nebraska Cornhuskers
It’s not every day you see a butt-whooping as crazy as this. Nebraska defeated Akron 68-0, allowing 192 yards and nine completions. The Cornhuskers finished third in defensive passing success rate, allowing a successful pass play on 14.8% of passes. They barely got any pressure without blitzing (88th), but they didn’t need to, because Akron wasn’t good enough to hang.
11) Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State is another one of those top-level defenses that I am beyond excited to see play against real competition in the near future. True freshman Chaz Coleman didn’t play enough to register in our grading system, but he flashed exactly what made him a coveted recruit in Week 2.
On just eight pass-rushing snaps, Coleman had five pressures and a sack. Then, on 15 run plays, he had three tackles and four stops, including a forced fumble. The 6’4, 246-pound edge rusher could be next up for the Nittany Lions.
10) Alabama Crimson Tide
Benefitting from playing an inferior opponent, the Alabama Crimson Tide ranked 10th this week in their much-needed “take your anger out” game after getting destroyed by Thomas Castellanos and the Florida State Seminoles. Alabama’s 44.4% pressure rate without blitzing ranked 13th in the FBS this week.
9) Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats defeated Weber State 48-3. Their passing defense was particularly good, ranking fourth in EPA (expected points added) allowed on passing plays and forcing a turnover on 18.2% of drives (17th). The Wildcats have been particularly effective in gang tackling, which shows in the fact that they don’t have a single defensive player with more than 10 tackles on the season.
8) Florida State Seminoles
Florida State is quickly becoming one of the top teams in the nation with a captivating offense and a bone-crushing defense. The Seminoles rank 33rd in pressure rate this season, 28th in points allowed per drive, and 29th in defensive passing EPA. If they can start to force more turnovers (64th of 136), the Seminoles’ defense could go from good to great.
7) BYU Cougars
The BYU defense is the only one that has ranked in the top 10 in both Week 1 and Week 2, going from a 95.0 impact score to an 89.4 this week. They were fourth in week two in turnovers per drive and are 27th on the season.
Many of these turnovers are coming from their incredible pass rush, which ranks eighth this season in pressure rate without blitzing. Surprisingly, BYU is converting pressures into sacks at a 17.9% clip, which is good for 67th of 136 FBS teams. If they can start finishing on their sacks, the BYU defense could continue this red-hot start to the season.
6) UCF Knights
One of our six defenses with an A- or better is the UCF Knights in their 68-7 win over North Carolina A&T. UCF managed a remarkable 61.5% pressure rate without blitzing, which is suitable for second-best in Week 2. The defense had agents of chaos everywhere, swallowing the three quarterbacks for four sacks and causing three turnovers.
UCF ranked third in EPA allowed on passing plays, allowing just 40 passing yards in the game while also sacking them for a loss of 20 yards. If it wasn’t for a 44-yard run with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knights would have matched their passing prowess with a menacing finish in run defense as well.
5) Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks have flown under the radar due to the lack of competition, but man, oh man, both the offense and defense look incredible. Ranking second in defensive pass EPA, the Ducks took Mike Gundy’s comments seriously. Oregon held Oklahoma State to just 211 total yards and three points while also dropping 69 offensively. Oregon didn’t need extra motivation before this game, but they got it, and it certainly helped.
4) California Golden Bears
It’s hard not to get excited about the California Golden Bears. True freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has garnered some high praise in his first two collegiate starts, and now the defense has shown up, too. The 65-3 win was much different than the other top five teams on this list.
Their main strength was on run plays, where they ranked 12th in EPA allowed per rush and fourth in defensive rush success rate. Cornerback Hezekiah Masses has absolutely shut down opposing wide receivers with two interceptions and four pass breakups on 16 targets. His 4.2 passer rating allowed when targeted ranks second among 116 FBS corners with enough qualifying snaps.
3) Utah Utes
Utah jumped from 30th in Week 1 to third in Week 2 after a very impressive defensive game. Just about every stat you can think of favored the Utes’ defense, from their 24th-best turnover per drive rate to their eighth-best no-blitz pressure rate.
Arguably, the top player for Utah through two weeks has been John Henry Daley. The 6’4 255-pound edge rusher has amassed three sacks and ranks ninth in pressure rate at 28.2%. Not only does Utah, as a defense, rank second in pressure this season, but it also ranks 14th in blitz rate. This defense is going to suffocate you.
2) Auburn Tigers
After facing a tough Baylor offense, the Auburn Tigers’ defense bounced back in Week 2 with a 42-3 destruction of Ball State. Purdue’s 88.9 impact score against Ball State was impressive, but Auburn’s 95.0 score just shows the clear distinction between specific teams in college football.
Allowing just 1.4 yards per play and just three first downs, it’s hard to believe the Tigers finished second on this list. Especially when you consider that starting defensive end Keldric Faulk hasn’t been the driving force for this team’s performance thus far. Faulk is still a unit in the run game, ranking 55th in the nation in run stops, but Keyron Crawford has stolen the show.
Crawford ranks 11th in the nation in pressure rate generated, has three sacks, and keeps this up when adjusting for time-to-throw with a quick pressure rate of 21.1% (14th). If Faulk gets going opposite of Crawford, the Tigers’ defense could show up on this list more often as we progress through the season.
1) Minnesota Golden Gophers
It’s hard to believe the Minnesota Gophers only scored a 96.3 impact score. With just 1.1 yards per play allowed and an absolutely absurd -1.50 EPA per drop-back allowed, the Golden Gophers are easily the top defense of Week 2.
For context on that EPA number, this means that every time Northwestern State dropped back to pass, they lost 1.5 expected points. In other words, every pass was worth gifting Minnesota a point and a half because of how disastrous and high-leverage the plays were. For further context, this ranks first in every game played (FBS or FCS) since 2019.
College Football Defense Rankings
26) Wake Forest (85.0, B)
27) Northwestern (84.7, B)
28) Maryland (84.5, B)
29) Texas (83.9, B)
31) Temple (83.8, B)
31) Washington (83.6, B)
32) South Carolina (83.4, B)
33) Georgia Tech (83.1, B)
34) Appalachian State (82.7, B-)
35) James Madison (82.7, B-)
36) Arkansas (82.5, B-)
37) North Carolina (82.4, B-)
38) Mississippi (82.3, B-)
39) Hawaii (82.2, B-)
40) Texas A&M (82.2, B-)
41) Wyoming (82.1, B-)
42) Memphis (82.0, B-)
43) Iowa State (81.8, B-)
44) Missouri (81.7, B-)
45) Louisville (81.5, B-)
46) Houston (81.2, B-)
47) Colorado (81.1, B-)
48) Wisconsin (81.1, B-)
49) Buffalo (80.8, B-)
50) West Virginia (80.4, B-)
51) Clemson (80.0, B-)
52) Mississippi State (80.0, C+)
53) Washington State (79.9, C+)
54) Florida (79.8, C+)
55) Florida Atlantic (79.7, C+)
56) USC (79.7, C+)
57) Syracuse (79.6, C+)
58) UTEP (79.5, C+)
59) Missouri State (79.5, C+)
60) Arizona State (79.0, C+)
61) Nevada (78.8, C+)
62) Boise State (78.6, C+)
63) Vanderbilt (77.9, C+)
64) Tulsa (77.9, C+)
65) Connecticut (77.8, C+)
66) Troy (77.2, C+)
67) Colorado State (77.1, C+)
68) Massachusetts (76.9, C)
69) Rutgers (76.6, C)
70) Cincinnati (76.4, C)
71) Iowa (76.2, C)
72) Illinois (76.1, C)
73) Navy (76.1, C)
74) Stanford (76.0, C)
75) Purdue (75.9, C)
76) Southern Miss (75.9, C)
77) Toledo (75.8, C)
78) USF (75.0, C)
79) Oregon State (74.8, C)
80) Texas State (74.8, C)
81) Kentucky (74.7, C)
82) Northern Illinois (74.7, C)
83) Marshall (74.4, C)
84) Louisiana (74.4, C)
85) Army (74.3, C)
86) Charlotte (74.2, C)
87) North Texas (74.2, C)
88) Baylor (74.0, C)
89) UNLV (74.0, C)
90) Boston College (73.9, C)
91) San Jose State (73.8, C)
92) New Mexico State (73.7, C)
93) Delaware (72.9, C-)
94) New Mexico (72.8, C-)
95) Jacksonville State (72.7, C-)
96) San Diego State (72.5, C-)
97) FIU (72.1, C-)
98) Duke (71.8, C-)
99) Tulane (71.7, C-)
100) Rice (71.7, C-)
101) Kansas State (71.7, C-)
102) Michigan (71.3, C-)
103) Kansas (70.8, C-)
104) Michigan State (70.7, C-)
105) Sam Houston State (70.6, C-)
106) Louisiana Tech (70.4, C-)
107) UTSA (70.4, C-)
108) NC State (69.9, D+)
109) Liberty (69.7, D+)
110) SMU (69.6, D+)
111) Western Kentucky (69.0, D+)
112) Eastern Michigan (69.0, D+)
113) Virginia (68.8, D+)
114) Fresno State (68.6, D+)
115) UCLA (68.2, D+)
116) South Alabama (68.0, D+)
117) Western Michigan (66.9, D)
118) Utah State (66.3, D)
119) Bowling Green (66.1, D)
120) Kent State (65.5, D)
121) Georgia State (64.0, D)
122) UAB (63.2, D)
123) Central Michigan (62.0, D-)
124) Oklahoma State (61.9, D-)
125) Middle Tennessee (61.7, D-)
126) Ball State (61.7, D-)
127) Miami (OH) (59.1, F)
128) Kennesaw State (58.0, F)
129) Georgia Southern (57.6, F)
130) Virginia Tech (56.7, F)
131) Akron (56.7, F)
132) Arkansas State (54.5, F)
133) Louisiana-Monroe (54.1, F)
