With less than 100 hours to roll before the most important Oregon Ducks game in 10 years, we are officially into the nervousness and anxiety time for fans. The Ohio State team the Ducks are set to face is fantastic, and this game will be as much of a toss up as the Ducks win over the Buckeyes in October was.
This year’s College Football Playoff is a difficult situation to adjust to, because it’s the opposite of what college football has always been. But still, winners are decided by a 60 minute football game, and the best team — usually — wins.
Oregon has a fantastic offense this season, but the real star of the show in 2024 has been the defense that Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi have fostered in Eugene. During Lanning’s tenure, Oregon has shifted away from being a team just with a high-flying offense, and they’ve become an team with great physicality and speed on defense.
All eight teams left in the College Football Playoff boast spectacular defenses, but some still rise above the rest. Below, we’ve ranked the eight remaining defensive units from worst to best, giving you an idea of which offensive units are the most dangerous going forward.
8
Boise State Broncos
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa
Scoring Defense: 22.6 ppg (35th nationally)
Total Defense: 369.1 ypg (59th nationally)
Analysis: Boise State has a solid defense in the grand scheme of things, but when you consider the level of talent that they have played in the Mountain West this season, and you compare their numbers to the remaining teams in the playoff, they are clearly at the bottom of the barrel in terms of defensive units.
7
Arizona State Sun Devils
Syndication: Arizona Republic
Scoring Defense: 21.3 ppg (22nd nationally)
Total Defense: 333.2 ypg (28th nationally)
Analysis: Give credit to Kenny Dillingham’s defense in his second year at Arizona State, because they have vastly improved and turned into a really solid defensive team. Like with Boise State, though, the level of competition hasn’t been quite as high as someone in the SEC or Big Ten, and comparatively, the Sun Devils’ D doesn’t quite hold up to the other teams in the playoff.
6
Georgia Bulldogs
Syndication: Online Athens
Scoring Defense: 21.8 ppg (26th nationally)
Total Defense: 358.8 ypg (43rd nationally)
Analysis: You may be shocked to see Georgia so low on this list, because historically they have had a great defense under Kirby Smart. That isn’t as much of the case this year, though. Their scoring defense is below standards in Athens, as is their total defense. Some would say that this is because of the level of competition in the SEC, but I think we’ve seen that teams in the Big Ten play against schools who are just as talented and explosive, if not more so. The Bulldogs have talent on defense, for sure, but compared to the rest of the playoff field, it’s lower on the list.
5
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Syndication: Journal-Courier
Scoring Defense: 13.8 ppg (3rd nationally)
Total Defense: 295.3 ypg (6th nationally)
Analysis: If you look at Notre Dame’s defensive numbers, there is an argument to be made that they should be higher on the list, ahead of the Oregon Ducks. However, considering the level of competition that they’ve played this season, I think you have to take into account the lack of conference affiliation and see how that skews some of their statistics.
4
Oregon Ducks
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Scoring Offense: 18.1 ppg (9th nationally)
Total Offense: 280.1 ypg (5th nationally)
Analysis: This is arguably one of Oregon’s best defenses ever, and Duck fans should feel great about having a top-10 scoring defense and a top-5 total defense. This is a unit that is good enough to take Oregon all the way, but I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to say it isn’t the best defense in the nation right now.
3
Penn State Nittany Lions
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Scoring Defense: 15.9 ppg (5th nationally)
Total Defense: 309.0 ypg (10th nationally)
Analysis: This is another one that feels like it could have moved a bit in the rankings — Oregon, Notre Dame, and Penn State were all very close — but I think the Nittany Lions are deserving of the No. 3 spot here with the elite level of talent that they have in the front 7. It may not have shown against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, but Penn State has one of the best defenses in the nation, undoubtedly.
2
Texas Longhorns
Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports
Scoring Defense: 13.3 ppg (2nd nationally)
Total Defense: 261.4 ypg (2nd nationally)
Analysis: Texas is another team who I think has seen their defensive numbers inflate a bit due to the competition that they’ve faced — the best offense they saw all year was probably Georgia, and they aren’t as elite in 2024 as we’ve seen in past years — but this unit is still incredibly talented across the board. I will be curious to see how they hold up against better competition in the playoff as they get tested down the road.
1
Ohio State Buckeyes
Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Scoring Defense: 11.4 ppg (1st nationally)
Total Defense: 242.6 ypg (1st nationally)
Analysis: There was no question as to who has the top defense remaining in the playoff. The Ohio State Buckeyes have had the No. 1 defense in the nation all year long, and they’ve gone over 2 months now without giving up a passing touchdown, while allowing more than 20 points just once this year — to the Oregon Ducks. The talent is there, and the scheme from Jim Knowles is there as well. The Buckeyes are a clear top dog in this category.
