College football continues to prove why many call it the most incredible spectacle. Time and time again, the rankings don’t mean much, and quite frankly, neither do the previous week’s results. Just one team from our week six defensive rankings has made it back into the top 10 this week, and the best team since 2019 (Georgia Bulldogs) has cracked the top 10 just 36.0% of the time.
Without further ado, here are Week 7’s top 10 defensive teams.
10) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 82.7 (B-)
Coastal Carolina earns their second-best rating of 2025 with an 82.7 Defi Impact score. Their 23-8 win over Louisiana-Monroe marks the fifth of six games in which they (or an opponent) have scored below 10 points. The Chanticleers have a knack for low-scoring affairs.
9) James Madison Dukes
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 84.5 (B)
The James Madison Dukes continue to excel defensively, and it’s keeping them alive in the playoff conversation. According to TruMedia, the Dukes rank in the top 10 in 12 out of 19 PFSN-approved advanced defensive statistics. Since joining the FBS in 2022, the Dukes have placed 11th, 25th, 38th, and 11th in our defensive rankings.
8) Liberty Flames
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 85.7 (B)
Liberty is 2-4 this season primarily due to their 116th-ranked offense, which has a D+ grade in our system. Luckily for them, they got to face off against UTEP this weekend, winning 19-8 and finishing eighth in this week’s rankings.
Defenses to play UTEP this season are averaging an 80.9 Impact score with a standard deviation of 4.1. This means the Flames turned in a respectable 75.8th percentile performance against the Miners.
7) LSU Tigers
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 85.7 (B)
Despite media clinging to this defense as legit (I agree), this is actually the first time the LSU Tigers’ defense has ranked in our top 10. Their 20-10 win over South Carolina included an impressive three turnovers and three sacks. The defense still ranks 20th on the season, so it’s only a matter of time before their statistical performance backs up what we see on the field.
6) Texas Longhorns
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 85.8 (B)
I don’t understand the Texas Longhorns. One week, the offensive line is struggling to keep Arch Manning afloat, causing them to fall out of the top 25 rankings. Now, they dismantle an injured John Mateer en route to a victory in the Red River Rivalry. No matter what you think of their offense, one thing rings true. The defense is still legit.
Their defense ranks fifth this season with a 91.3 impact score and has also achieved another top 10 ranking against Sam Houston State, where they ranked first. With the offenses’ struggles, Graceon Littleton’s emergence, and the continued success of this defense will be needed to stay alive in the upcoming SEC gauntlet.
5) Kent State Golden Flashes
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 85.8 (B)
For the first time since week 7 of 2019, the Kent State Golden Flashes have made our top 10 defensive rankings. In their 42-6 win over UMass, they forced two turnovers and held the Minutemen to just 271 yards of total offense. They allowed just 3.3 yards per play and were able to pressure the quarterback on 41.9% of non-blitz drop-backs.
The last time the Golden Flashes appeared in our top 10, they held the Akron Zips to just 95 yards and 202 yards passing on their way to a 26-3 victory.
4) Indiana Hoosiers
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 86.3 (B)
The Indiana Hoosiers had a statement win against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Since 2019, the Oregon Ducks have allowed just three defenses to place inside the top 10. The Utah Utes scored a 76.0 in Week 15 of 2019 and an 81.9 in Week 17 of 2021. The Hoosiers’ defense topped both of those scores with an impressive 86.3 score in Week 7.
Indiana has the number one defense in the nation according to PFSN, with a 98.6 score, which would rank first among all teams since 2019. They are allowing just 0.82 points per drive (3rd of 136 FBS teams) and have a sack rate of 13.8% (3rd of 136).
3) Iowa Hawkeyes
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 87.2 (B+)
The Iowa Hawkeyes’ placement in the top 3 of our defensive rankings suggests that nature is healing and college football is returning to precisely what it should be: defensive battles with the Hawkeyes’ defensive line taking over the game. Despite zero sacks in the shutout over Wisconsin, Iowa still managed to pressure them on 36.4% of drop-backs, topping their 30th-ranked 35.9% on the season.
Iowa has placed in the top 10 18 times since 2019 and in the top three eight times. That ranks 12th and 10th in that same time frame among all FBS teams.
2) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 87.8 (B+)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish sucked offensively, yet this was one of the most promising games I have seen from them all season. The defense completely shut down future first-round pick CJ Bailey, sacking him four times and picking him off three times.
Notre Dame’s defense ranks 37th on the season, marking their fourth straight game in the top 31, third of four in the top 25, and the second straight in the top 15. With an offense that still ranks 16th despite the performance last week, Notre Dame could really do some damage, but it all hinges on their big-time matchup with rival USC this week.
1) Western Michigan Broncos
Week 7 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 91.5 (A-)
The only defense to rank within the top 10 this week and last week also ranked first in our rankings this week. A fitting finish for the Western Michigan Broncos defense that ranks 32nd in the nation after trouncing Ball State 42-0. This is just the second time since 2019 that the Broncos’ defense has produced a shutout.
Perhaps it was the strength of the opponent, but it’s pretty impressive that the Western Michigan defense started this season with three games ranked 109-113th and then followed it up with four straight weeks in the top 21.