College Football’s Top Defenses: A Mid-Season Look
As the college football season reaches its midpoint, one thing is clear: a strong defense is crucial to success. While high-powered offenses often grab the headlines, it’s the defenses that can shut them down that truly make a difference. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the top defenses in college football, using a metric called “stop rate” to measure their effectiveness.
What is Stop Rate?
Stop rate is a simple yet powerful metric that measures the percentage of drives that end in punts, turnovers, or turnovers on downs. It’s a basic measurement of a defense’s success, and it can offer a good reflection of a team’s defensive effectiveness on a per-drive basis.
The Top 10 Defenses in College Football
Using data from TruMedia, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 defenses in college football, based on stop rate. Here are the results:
- Texas: 82.1%
- Ohio State: 81.8%
- Tennessee: 81.3%
- Notre Dame: 80.2%
- Army: 78.9%
- Iowa State: 77.6%
- James Madison: 76.8%
- Ole Miss: 75.7%
- Indiana: 75.4%
- Wisconsin: 75%
Movers and Shakers
Several teams made big moves in the stop rate standings this week, following impressive performances. Texas’ stop rate dropped from 87.1% to 82.1% following its loss to Georgia, but the Longhorns still rank No. 1 in the country. Wisconsin and Colorado also made big moves, jumping into the top 12 after blowout wins over Northwestern and Arizona, respectively.
Defensive Standouts
Several defensive coordinators and players stood out this week, including Indiana’s Bryant Haines, who led his team to a shutout win over Nebraska. The Hoosiers’ defense grabbed five takeaways, including three interceptions, and got nine third-down stops. Haines’ crew also became the only FBS defense to go 5-for-5 on stopping fourth-down conversions in a game this season.
What to Watch For
As the season enters its second half, several teams will be looking to make a push up the stop rate standings. Oklahoma, despite its struggles on offense, has a stout defense that ranks 14th in stop rate. South Carolina, Oregon, Missouri, and SMU all moved into the top 25 this week, and will be looking to continue their momentum. Meanwhile, Nebraska dropped from No. 6 to No. 24 following its loss to Indiana, and will need to regroup if it wants to climb back up the rankings.
Conclusion
As the college football season heats up, one thing is clear: defense will be key to success. Whether it’s Texas, Ohio State, or one of the other top teams, a strong defense will be essential to making a deep run in the playoffs. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the stop rate standings as the season progresses, so be sure to check back for updates.
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