25 Best CFB Defenses of Then and Now

SEC teams are bolded. I'd like to hear the opinions of the older fans. Where the hell is that 01 Miami squad? How about those wrecking crew units?

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Why the 2005 divider? Teams that played since 2005 are graded using the normal S&P+ formulas. Before 2004, all I have are points scored and points allowed. For these 2005-to-present teams, there is a normal, bell-shaped distribution, meaning most teams rank toward the middle. But for 2004 and before, it's not quite bell-shaped because, well, everybody starts with zero points. The maximum for an offense is limitless, but the minimum is zero no matter what. That means there are more offenses in the 99th percentile or higher than there are defenses.

It seems as if each progressive year is college football's highest-scoring to date. Tempo, yards, and points creep upward, and it becomes more difficult to judge defenses.

In the 1950s, for instance, a top-20 defense might expect to allow 10 points per game. In 2015, that number was closer to 20. At one point, allowing five yards per play was considered a sign of weakness; now, that average would rank in the top 30.

Here is, of course, another area where stats can come in handy. Stats cannot provide end-all, be-all answers, but they can define a baseline for us, and they can add proper context to a team's accomplishments.

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1890-2004

15. 1959 LSU
14. 1985 Michigan
13. 1997 Michigan
12. 1992 Arizona
11. 1907 Michigan
10. 1980 Florida State
9. 1919 Washington & Jefferson
8. 1971 Alabama
7. 1965 Michigan State
6. 1962 LSU
5. 1977 Tennessee State
4. 1994 Washington State
3. 1979 Texas
2. 1966 Ole Miss
1. 1978 USC

2004-2015

10. Alabama 2009
9. Alabama 2012
8. 2006 Virgina Tech
7. 2014 Ole Miss
6. 2009 Nebraska
5. 2012 Michigan State
4. 2011 LSU
3. 2012 Florida
2. 2015 Alabama
1. 2011 Alabama