Last year, Michigan was No. 1 in stop rate and Ohio State was No. 2 heading into The Game. We all remember how that one went.
Well, here we are yet again. Michigan’s defense remains No. 1 in this week’s updated standings with a stop rate of 83.5 percent. Ohio State is still in the No. 2 spot at 82 percent. It’s time to find out who truly has the best defense in college football.
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What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. This simple metric can offer a more accurate reflection of a defense’s effectiveness in today’s faster-tempo college football than yards per game or points per game. We’re now in Year 7 of tracking this statistic (here are the final standings for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017) along with every defense’s points per drive average.
Last year, a tight battle between the Big Ten’s best got blown wide open by Michigan’s explosive plays in a 45-23 triumph: a 69-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Johnson, another 75-yard touchdown by Johnson, a 45-yard score from Colston Loveland and then a pair of Donovan Edwards touchdown runs for 75 and 85 yards in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes gave up 349 yards and 35 points on just those five plays and held Michigan to 10 points and 181 yards on 3.3 yards per play over the rest of the game. The Buckeyes would end up finishing No. 10 in stop rate on the year. It was a nice improvement from 2021, when Ohio State finished 22nd under Kerry Coombs/Matt Barnes, but not quite up to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ standard.
A year later, Knowles’ defense has been among the best in the country at preventing those big plays, ranking third in the FBS in fewest plays allowed of 20-plus yards (25) and 30-plus yards (8). Nobody has hit a play for 50 or more yards against them this season. The longest play allowed so far? A masterful trick play by Rutgers on fourth-and-1 for a 45-yard gain.
Ohio State (82.4 percent) actually has a tiny edge over Michigan (82.1 percent) in stop rate during Big Ten play. That’s how comparable these units are. They’re the two best in college football in scoring defense and pass defense and among the top five in yards per play. Neither team had allowed more than 17 points in a game all year until Maryland scored 24 on the Wolverines last week.
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These past two weeks have given us a chance to see what the Wolverines’ top-ranked defense can do when put into some pressure situations. Maryland had three chances in the fourth quarter to drive and take a lead on Michigan. The results of those three drives: 11 total plays for minus-11 yards with a punt, an interception and a safety. Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s crew aced that test.
Does this all mean that, in a year when The Game feels more consequential than ever, we’re in for a 17-14 kind of defensive brawl? That seems unlikely given how many offensive playmakers there are on both sides, but it’s not impossible. J.J. McCarthy and Kyle McCord have been two of the most efficient passers in the country. Which one will do the better job of withstanding pressure and converting tough third downs? Which one will capitalize on scoring opportunities and won’t settle for field goals? Based on everything they’ve shown over 11 games, these defenses aren’t going to make anything easy.
How are the rest of the defenses across the country performing in stop rate? Here are the full FBS-only stop rate standings entering Week 13.
Note: All data is courtesy of TruMedia and Pro Football Focus.
Rk | Defense | G | Drives | Stop Rate | Pts/Drive |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | 115 | 83.5% | 0.86 | |
2 | 10 | 111 | 82% | 0.86 | |
3 | 10 | 114 | 79.8% | 1.14 | |
4 | 11 | 136 | 79.4% | 0.95 | |
5 | 10 | 111 | 75.7% | 1.38 | |
6 | 10 | 117 | 75.2% | 1.31 | |
7 | 10 | 107 | 74.8% | 1.49 | |
8 | 10 | 118 | 74.6% | 1.41 | |
9 | 10 | 110 | 74.5% | 1.40 | |
10 | 10 | 135 | 74.1% | 1.53 | |
11 | 10 | 118 | 73.7% | 1.32 | |
12 | 10 | 129 | 73.6% | 1.52 | |
13 | 10 | 117 | 73.5% | 1.61 | |
14 | 9 | 105 | 73.3% | 1.69 | |
14 | 10 | 120 | 73.3% | 1.59 | |
16 | 10 | 130 | 73.1% | 1.55 | |
17 | 11 | 128 | 72.7% | 1.59 | |
18 | 10 | 116 | 72.4% | 1.56 | |
19 | 10 | 112 | 72.3% | 1.61 | |
20 | 10 | 104 | 72.1% | 1.48 | |
21 | 11 | 131 | 71% | 1.53 | |
22 | 10 | 124 | 71% | 1.68 | |
23 | 10 | 110 | 70.9% | 1.52 | |
24 | 11 | 127 | 70.9% | 1.56 | |
25 | 10 | 113 | 70.8% | 1.75 | |
26 | 10 | 102 | 70.6% | 1.71 | |
27 | 11 | 133 | 69.9% | 1.56 | |
28 | 11 | 126 | 69.8% | 1.79 | |
29 | 10 | 105 | 69.5% | 1.62 | |
30 | 10 | 111 | 69.4% | 1.72 | |
31 | 10 | 104 | 69.2% | 1.79 | |
32 | 10 | 116 | 69% | 1.76 | |
33 | 10 | 113 | 68.1% | 1.87 | |
34 | 10 | 112 | 67.9% | 1.92 | |
34 | 11 | 112 | 67.9% | 1.88 | |
36 | 11 | 126 | 67.5% | 2.06 | |
37 | 10 | 119 | 67.2% | 1.72 | |
38 | 10 | 103 | 67% | 1.84 | |
39 | 10 | 121 | 66.9% | 1.93 | |
40 | 11 | 125 | 66.4% | 2.04 | |
41 | 11 | 130 | 66.2% | 1.95 | |
42 | 10 | 124 | 66.1% | 2.01 | |
43 | 11 | 121 | 66.1% | 2.03 | |
44 | 10 | 109 | 66.1% | 1.98 | |
45 | 10 | 106 | 66% | 2.04 | |
46 | 10 | 111 | 65.8% | 1.84 | |
47 | 10 | 119 | 65.5% | 2.06 | |
48 | 10 | 116 | 65.5% | 1.84 | |
49 | 10 | 110 | 65.5% | 2.03 | |
50 | 10 | 127 | 65.4% | 2.14 | |
51 | 10 | 106 | 65.1% | 2.11 | |
52 | 10 | 123 | 64.2% | 2.17 | |
53 | 10 | 119 | 63.9% | 2.21 | |
54 | 11 | 130 | 63.8% | 2.06 | |
55 | 10 | 113 | 63.7% | 2.19 | |
56 | 10 | 110 | 63.6% | 1.99 | |
57 | 10 | 126 | 63.5% | 2.17 | |
58 | 10 | 120 | 63.3% | 2.05 | |
59 | 11 | 117 | 63.2% | 2.14 | |
60 | 10 | 122 | 63.1% | 2.23 | |
61 | 10 | 119 | 63% | 2.00 | |
62 | 10 | 121 | 62.8% | 2.09 | |
63 | 10 | 126 | 62.7% | 2.33 | |
64 | 10 | 115 | 62.6% | 2.19 | |
65 | 10 | 120 | 62.5% | 2.15 | |
66 | 10 | 109 | 62.4% | 2.06 | |
67 | 10 | 116 | 62.1% | 2.16 | |
68 | 10 | 121 | 62% | 2.31 | |
69 | 10 | 117 | 61.5% | 2.26 | |
70 | 10 | 114 | 61.4% | 2.28 | |
71 | 10 | 119 | 61.3% | 2.12 | |
71 | 10 | 119 | 61.3% | 2.28 | |
73 | 10 | 116 | 61.2% | 2.27 | |
74 | 10 | 108 | 61.1% | 2.18 | |
75 | 10 | 115 | 60.9% | 2.19 | |
76 | 10 | 112 | 60.7% | 2.46 | |
77 | 10 | 111 | 60.4% | 2.25 | |
78 | 10 | 131 | 60.3% | 2.24 | |
79 | 11 | 120 | 60% | 2.34 | |
80 | 10 | 132 | 59.8% | 2.50 | |
81 | 10 | 109 | 59.6% | 2.18 | |
82 | 10 | 99 | 59.6% | 2.64 | |
83 | 10 | 116 | 59.5% | 2.42 | |
84 | 10 | 111 | 59.5% | 2.53 | |
85 | 10 | 118 | 59.3% | 2.31 | |
86 | 10 | 122 | 59% | 2.57 | |
87 | 11 | 136 | 58.8% | 2.40 | |
88 | 10 | 114 | 58.8% | 2.34 | |
89 | 11 | 128 | 58.6% | 2.29 | |
90 | 10 | 111 | 58.6% | 2.40 | |
91 | 9 | 94 | 58.5% | 2.43 | |
92 | 10 | 108 | 58.3% | 2.58 | |
93 | 11 | 136 | 58.1% | 2.65 | |
94 | 10 | 109 | 57.8% | 2.42 | |
95 | 10 | 108 | 57.4% | 2.67 | |
96 | 10 | 103 | 57.3% | 2.38 | |
97 | 10 | 131 | 57.3% | 2.80 | |
97 | 11 | 131 | 57.3% | 2.60 | |
99 | 10 | 121 | 57% | 2.55 | |
100 | 10 | 107 | 57% | 2.74 | |
101 | 10 | 109 | 56.9% | 2.61 | |
102 | 10 | 111 | 56.8% | 2.50 | |
102 | 10 | 111 | 56.8% | 2.58 | |
104 | 10 | 108 | 56.5% | 2.52 | |
105 | 10 | 117 | 56.4% | 2.44 | |
106 | 10 | 119 | 56.3% | 2.62 | |
107 | 10 | 112 | 56.3% | 2.65 | |
108 | 12 | 146 | 56.2% | 2.73 | |
109 | 10 | 116 | 56% | 2.59 | |
110 | 10 | 118 | 55.9% | 3.04 | |
111 | 10 | 127 | 55.9% | 2.46 | |
112 | 10 | 120 | 55.8% | 2.40 | |
113 | 10 | 113 | 55.8% | 2.46 | |
114 | 11 | 121 | 55.4% | 2.79 | |
115 | 10 | 112 | 55.4% | 2.70 | |
116 | 10 | 127 | 55.1% | 2.79 | |
117 | 10 | 115 | 54.8% | 2.68 | |
118 | 10 | 120 | 54.2% | 2.65 | |
119 | 11 | 124 | 54% | 2.90 | |
120 | 10 | 117 | 53.8% | 2.91 | |
121 | 10 | 123 | 53.7% | 2.86 | |
122 | 10 | 121 | 52.9% | 3.02 | |
123 | 10 | 108 | 52.8% | 2.68 | |
124 | 10 | 111 | 52.3% | 2.67 | |
125 | 10 | 121 | 52.1% | 2.74 | |
126 | 10 | 109 | 51.4% | 3.10 | |
127 | 10 | 111 | 50.5% | 3.19 | |
128 | 10 | 117 | 50.4% | 2.95 | |
129 | 11 | 118 | 50% | 3.05 | |
130 | 10 | 116 | 48.3% | 3.10 | |
131 | 10 | 114 | 48.2% | 3.32 | |
132 | 10 | 111 | 47.7% | 3.31 | |
133 | 10 | 101 | 40.6% | 3.41 |
(Photo: Ben Jackson / Getty Images)