As conference play begins, we will finally see which teams are legitimate top defenses and which ones have benefited from cupcake opponents.
25) Miami (FL) Hurricanes
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 86.8
Miami has made a statement in the first three weeks of the season. The offensive line is the pinnacle of good play, and Carson Beck is humming with some stud wide receivers. Even with these guys all balling out, the defense is arguably the most impressive unit on this team.
TruMedia says Miami’s defense ranks 11th in the nation regarding the success rate of defensive rushing. While Notre Dame admittedly aided the Hurricanes’ defense by not playing to its strengths, there is no denying the Hurricanes came in ready for the best running back duo in the nation. Two weeks later, they followed that performance by holding USF to just 1.5 yards per rush after they started off the season at 4.7 yards per rush.
24) Washington Huskies
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.0
The Washington Huskies are a sneakily dangerous team. This defense’s performance is partly due to its third-to-last ranking in the number of defensive plays run and, in large part, its ranking fifth in time of possession this season. The Huskies’ defense will eventually have to figure out what it’s like playing from behind, but it is one of 19 teams that haven’t trailed in the 2025 season.
23) Mississippi State Bulldogs
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.1
After a surprise upset over Arizona State, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are on cloud nine, and this has certainly carried over to their defense. The Bulldogs rank 20th in yards per play allowed and 27th in opponent points per drive. The alarming issue is that they have yet to convert on many of their sacks, ranking 118th per attempt and 124th in pressure-to-sack rate.
22) LSU Tigers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.1
At this point, I’m willing to argue that the only reason the LSU Tigers are ranked in the top five in polls is their incredible defense. Week in and week out, they dominate their opponents, especially through the air. Max Toscano does a great job of explaining and showing part of what makes LSU’s defense so difficult to beat.
Now they’re getting into 2-trap. They show man coverage and he’s just looking for the quick throw against the WLB to get it out but almost throws another pick to the trap corner. https://t.co/ccTWe3Beda pic.twitter.com/jzgrNRFBym
— Max Toscano (@maxtoscano1) September 14, 2025
LSU schematically destroyed Florida and forced young quarterback DJ Lagway into five interceptions with simulated pressures and disguised coverages. If they can figure out how to run the ball, the rest of the league might be in for a surprise.
21) Iowa Hawkeyes
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.1
Like the Tigers, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense has had to carry an absolutely abysmal offense to some wins. The Iowa offense ranks 63rd in points per game and 64th in EPA (expected points added) despite playing Iowa State, Albany, and UMass. Two awful teams sandwiching their one formidable opponent, whom they lost to.
Even still, their defense ranks fourth in opponent yards per play, 21st in points per drive, and 25th in forcing offenses into third and fourth downs. All they need is just a semblance of success on offense, and this defense can really get after it.
20) Vanderbilt Commodores
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.7
The Vanderbilt defense had a marquee win in yet another surprisingly impressive Commodore season. They forced four South Carolina turnovers and held them to their lowest offensive EPA since week 6 of 2024, when they scored three on Ole Miss. Their most significant strength is the pass defense, led by safeties CJ Heard and Randon Fontenette.
19) Florida State Seminoles
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 87.9
The Florida State defensive performance against Alabama has aged incredibly well after weeks two and three. Alabama turned around and absolutely decimated both opponents, looking like a completely different offense despite the same players and scheme as week one. That would be because of the Seminoles’ defense.
It all starts up front for Florida State, which ranks 14th in pressure rate without blitzing. They have nine players with sacks, but not a single player with more than one. This shows their incredible depth and the fact that any one of their players is going to get it done on any given down.
18) Pittsburgh Panthers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 88.4
Despite a brutal loss to West Virginia last week, Pittsburgh’s defense remains among the top in the FBS after its start to the season. We will have more analysis on this as the season goes on, but it’s definitely a bit worrisome that Pittsburgh ranks 109th in Defi score slope, meaning it is trending downwards at the 27th-highest rate in the FBS.
17) Missouri Tigers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 88.7
When creating my 2025 projections, I had Missouri as one of the 15 best defenses in football, so it’s no surprise to see them at 17th three weeks into the season. The Tigers rank fifth in the nation in opponent third and fourth down conversion rate, seventh in passing success rate, and 33rd in rushing success rate.
What makes it more impressive is that they rank 67th in forced turnovers, showing their ability to consistently dominate offenses without splash plays. If those start to come, this defense could easily jump into the top 10. Regardless, with their SEC schedule coming up, turnovers would definitely help.
16) Texas Longhorns
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 88.8
The common theme of the top 15-25 defenses in football thus far has been their counterparts’ lack of offensive success. The Texas Longhorns know this all too well, holding the reigning national champions to 14 points and the best receiver in college (Jeremiah Smith) to just six catches for 43 yards in a loss.
Nonetheless, Texas’s defense remains the sole reason for its ranking in the polls, but it isn’t going to hold up forever. Texas only drops from 19th to 32nd in points per drive with a lead versus without, but it has some tough offensive opponents on the schedule in Oklahoma, Georgia, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt.
15) Houston Cougars
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 88.9
While the Houston Cougars benefitted from playing the third-string quarterback for Colorado, there is no denying the huge difference for Houston from not only 2024 but also their historical performances. Their 88.9 Defi score this season is the only season since 2019 in which their defense has ranked above an 81.0.
They consistently force teams into third and fourth down situations (11th of 136), rank 10th and eighth in passing success rate and passing EPA defensively, and rank sixth in the FBS in opponent conversion rate on those third and fourth down attempts. Lookout for the Cougars!
14) UCF Knights
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.0
The UCF Knights have allowed just 197 passing yards through two games. Their 98.5 passing yards allowed per game ranks third this season, and if it weren’t for them giving up 165 rushing yards per game, it would likely net them a much higher ranking than just 14th.
13) Maryland Terrapins
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.6
The Maryland Terrapins are off to an incredible 3-0 start due to their excellent true freshman quarterback and the very stifling defense. They are tied for first in the FBS in turnovers forced this season with eight. Two of those turnovers went for touchdowns, meaning the Maryland defense has scored 42% as much as they have allowed just from the defensive side of the ball.
12) Texas Tech Red Raiders
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.7
After a solid start to the season, the Texas Tech Raiders get their first real test with a matchup against Utah in week four. The average strength of schedule rank of the top 25 defenses in our impact scores is 38.5, with Texas Tech having the second-easiest top 25.
It’s hard to imagine the Red Raiders continuing this defensive success, considering they currently rank seventh in opponent yards per play, fifth in EPA allowed per rush, and 21st in pressure rate without blitzing. You can book your Big 12 Championship tickets right now if they do.
11) Utah Utes
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.8
With a relatively similar easy schedule, the Utah Utes have much to prove against Texas Tech in week four. This game will go a long way in determining the early pecking order for the Big 12 and should be a low-scoring game, given how both of these defenses have fared thus far.
John Henry Daley continues to dominate this season, having registered five sacks and being one of the major reasons why Utah ranks seventh in pressure rate without blitzing.
10) Louisville Cardinals
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.9
Our 10th-best defense of the 2025 season is the Louisville Cardinals, who pride themselves on a dangerous pass rush. Louisville edge rusher Clev Lubin is one of the top dawgs for this ferocious defense, as shown by his performance against James Madison in week three.
Here are Louisville Cardinals edge rusher Clev Lubin’s highlights against James Madison. Lubin applied pressure on 22.22% of his pass rush attempts while with Coastal Carolina in 2024. #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2026 #2026NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/S5G8n5K1g0
— Sam Teets (@Sam_Teets33) September 10, 2025
Louisville ranks second this year in pressure rate while also ranking eighth in pressure to sack rate. This means they consistently get after the quarterback and are good at finding ways to finish.
9) Minnesota Golden Gophers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 89.9
Minnesota’s defense has shown clear improvement since 2023, going from a 74.6 to an 82.7 and now an 89.9 in 2025. Obviously, there are lots of games left to be played, but Minnesota is getting a lot of juice out of its defense despite star player Koi Perich playing far from his best. They rank first in defensive run success rate and second in rush EPA allowed.
8) Arizona Wildcats
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 90.6
The Arizona Wildcats are one of eight teams with a defensive grade above 90.0 on the season. While this wasn’t on my bingo card, it’s nice to see the Wildcats succeed, ranking fourth in opponent turnover rate, sixth in pass EPA allowed, and fourth in opponent third and fourth down conversion rate.
7) West Virginia Mountaineers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 90.9
West Virginia’s 97.0 impact score in week two of this season is the highest score they have achieved on defense in the PFSN tracking era (2019). Like Pittsburgh, they returned in week three and must regain focus.
The talent is there on run defense, ranking ninth and seventh in success rate and EPA. while also do well rushing the passer with their 10th-best pressure rate without blitzing. Yet, their passing defense as a whole has been relatively average. Of their seven defenders who have had five or more targets in coverage, only one has been able to force incompletions on more than half of them.
6) Penn State Nittany Lions
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 91.2
I am excited to see this Penn State defense face a real offense. Their current strength of schedule ranks 57th, so it’s easy for their defense to look legit. In the absence of Abdul Carter, it’s been Chaz Coleman and Dani Dennis-Sutton leading the team in pass rushing. Coleman ranks third in pressure rate this season at 35.7%, a number I will be excited to monitor as the opponents get tougher.
5) Florida Gators
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 91.3
Despite the offense’s five interceptions against LSU, the Florida defense kept them in this game for the majority of the time. The Gators improve from 32nd to 23rd in points allowed per drive when playing with a lead versus trailing. Unfortunately, with that many turnovers, playing with a lead is nearly impossible.
4) Ohio State Buckeyes
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 94.0
It’s no surprise, the defending national champions are once again a house on defense. They returned the best defensive player in college football, Caleb Downs, while reloading along the defensive line. Despite having one of college’s best in Jim Knowles last season, they have somehow upgraded at defensive coordinator.
If there was a true weakness for this defense (there really isn’t), it would be the lack of turnovers. Thus far, the team ranks 48th in turnovers forced. Caden Curry has separated himself from the pack of defensive linemen, racking up 12 pressures and 2.5 sacks in the first three weeks.
3) Indiana Hoosiers
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 95.0
While the Indiana Hoosiers certainly won’t retain the title of third-best PFSN defense in college football, it’s a nice omen after their week one start. Last season, they finished 65th and heavily relied on their offense to lead them to the college football playoffs. With an equally impressive offense but a much more demanding schedule, it’s on the defense to continue its hot start and keep hopes of a playoff repeat alive.
2) BYU Cougars
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 98.9
Sometimes, you can slightly write off a team’s defensive performance because of the opponents they have faced. Despite a 51st-ranked strength of schedule, what BYU has done this season is nothing short of fantastic. In fact, BYU’s 91.7 average score in the first three weeks of 2025 is the best three-week start to a season since… 2020 BYU!
1) Oklahoma Sooners
- PFSN Season Defi Grade: 99.9
While technically, the Oklahoma Sooners have the fifth-best three-week average to start a season, their strength of schedule adjustments (among other things) make this the best PFSN defensive impact score grade ever recorded. Despite a strength of schedule that ranks fifth, the Sooners have managed some incredible feats.
Their -0.48 EPA per pass allowed ranks first among all FBS teams since 2019. This is also true of their defensive passing success rate. In fact, sticking with just 21 of the top metrics PFSN uses, Oklahoma has ranked in the top 10 since 2019 in 13 of the 21 metrics. If they keep this up, the Sooners will join conversations about one of the most excellent defenses ever.
While I don’t think they quite keep up that pace, it’s hard not to get excited about how this team will look down the stretch with a defense like this, along with John Mateer and the offense, which is also absolutely rolling.
From an individual player perspective, Sammy Omosigho has shown up in a big way, amassing four pressures and two sacks on just seven pass-rushing snaps. This pairs nicely with his eight tackles (third on the team), one pass breakup, and one catch allowed on the season for just seven yards.
College Football Defense Rankings
26) Illinois Fighting Illini (86.8, B)
27) James Madison Dukes (86.6, B)
28) Alabama Crimson Tide (86.2, B)
29) Oregon Ducks (85.7, B)
30) Nebraska Cornhuskers (85.7, B)
31) Wisconsin Badgers (85.4, B)
32) USC Trojans (85.4, B)
33) Auburn Tigers (84.7, B)
34) Georgia Bulldogs (83.6, B)
35) California Golden Bears (83.6, B)
36) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (83.5, B)
37) Michigan Wolverines (83.0, B-)
38) East Carolina Pirates (82.8, B-)
39) Memphis Tigers (82.6, B-)
40) Kentucky Wildcats (82.5, B-)
41) South Carolina Gamecocks (82.2, B-)
42) Arkansas Razorbacks (82.1, B-)
43) Virginia Cavaliers (82.0, B-)
44) Texas A&M Aggies (81.8, B-)
45) Kansas Jayhawks (81.8, B-)
46) SMU Mustangs (81.5, B-)
47) Cincinnati Bearcats (81.2, B-)
48) Arizona State Sun Devils (81.2, B-)
49) Iowa State Cyclones (81.2, B-)
50) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (81.1, B-)
51) Mississippi Rebels (80.9, B-)
52) Boston College Eagles (80.9, B-)
53) Michigan State Spartans (80.7, B-)
54) Stanford Cardinal (80.4, B-)
55) North Texas Mean Green (80.3, B-)
56) Toledo Rockets (80.3, B-)
57) Clemson Tigers (80.3, B-)
58) North Carolina Tar Heels (80.0, C+)
59) Purdue Boilermakers (79.7, C+)
60) Northwestern Wildcats (79.7, C+)
61) San Diego State Aztecs (79.4, C+)
62) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (78.9, C+)
63) TCU Horned Frogs (78.9, C+)
64) Tennessee Volunteers (78.6, C+)
65) Baylor Bears (78.5, C+)
66) Appalachian State Mountaineers (78.3, C+)
67) Boise State Broncos (78.3, C+)
68) North Carolina State Wolfpack (78.2, C+)
69) Colorado Buffaloes (77.7, C+)
70) Syracuse Orange (77.6, C+)
71) Kansas State Wildcats (77.6, C+)
72) Navy Midshipmen (77.0, C+)
73) Temple Owls (76.8, C)
74) Northern Illinois Huskies (76.7, C)
75) Hawaii Warriors (76.2, C)
76) Rice Owls (76.1, C)
77) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (75.8, C)
78) San Jose State Spartans (75.6, C)
79) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (75.4, C)
80) Old Dominion Monarchs (75.4, C)
81) Duke Blue Devils (75.4, C)
82) Wyoming Cowboys (75.2, C)
83) Tulane Green Wave (75.0, C)
84) UTEP Miners (74.6, C)
85) Washington State Cougars (74.6, C)
86) Bowling Green Falcons (74.5, C)
87) Florida International Golden Panthers (74.5, C)
88) Florida Atlantic Owls (73.9, C)
89) Buffalo Bulls (73.3, C)
90) Marshall Thundering Herd (73.3, C)
91) Oklahoma State Cowboys (72.6, C-)
92) Troy Trojans (72.4, C-)
93) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (72.4, C-)
94) Southern Miss Golden Eagles (72.2, C-)
95) Nevada Wolf Pack (71.7, C-)
96) Army Black Knights (71.7, C-)
97) New Mexico State Aggies (71.5, C-)
98) Kent State Golden Flashes (71.5, C-)
99) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (71.1, C-)
100) Liberty Flames (70.9, C-)
101) UTSA Roadrunners (70.6, C-)
102) Connecticut Huskies (70.6, C-)
103) New Mexico Lobos (70.3, C-)
104) USF Bulls (70.3, C-)
105) Fresno State Bulldogs (70.2, C-)
106) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (69.9, D+)
107) Ohio Bobcats (69.6, D+)
108) Oregon State Beavers (69.4, D+)
109) UNLV Rebels (68.8, D+)
110) Air Force Falcons (68.0, D+)
111) Utah State Aggies (67.9, D+)
112) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (67.8, D+)
113) Colorado State Rams (67.6, D+)
114) Kennesaw State Owls (67.2, D+)
115) Charlotte 49ers (67.0, D+)
116) South Alabama Jaguars (66.8, D)
117) Texas State Bobcats (66.5, D)
118) Virginia Tech Hokies (66.2, D)
119) Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (66.1, D)
120) Sam Houston State Bearkats (65.3, D)
121) Delaware Fightin Blue Hens (65.3, D)
122) Western Michigan Broncos (65.1, D)
123) Massachusetts Minutemen (64.4, D)
124) Jacksonville State Gamecocks (64.2, D)
125) Ball State Cardinals (63.9, D)
126) Akron Zips (63.3, D)
127) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (63.3, D)
128) Georgia State Panthers (63.2, D)
129) UCLA Bruins (63.2, D)
130) Miami (OH) RedHawks (63.1, D)
131) Missouri State Bears (62.8, D-)
132) UAB Blazers (60.9, D-)
133) Arkansas State Red Wolves (59.8, F)
134) Central Michigan Chippewas (57.4, F)
135) Georgia Southern Eagles (56.6, F)
136) Eastern Michigan Eagles (53.3, F)
