2012 CFN Preview - Unit Rankings, Defenses

CFN 2012 Preview Unit Rankings from top to bottom - Defenses

Preview 2012 - Unit Rankings

Defenses

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2012 CFN Preseason Rankings 
1 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | 21 to 30 | 31 to 40 | 41 to 50
51 to 60 | 61 to 70 | 71 to 80 | 81 to 90 | 91 to 100 | 101 to 110 | 111 to 124 

CFN 2012 Unit Rankings
- Offenses | Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Receivers | Offensive Lines
- Defenses | Defensive Lines | Linebackers | Secondaries | Special Teams  
- 2011 Unit Rankings | 2010 Unit Rankings

Note: This is based on talent, returning starters and skill. It’s not necessarily based on what the final order will be.
 
1. Alabama

Alabama’s defense didn’t play anyone with a passing game other than Arkansas – giving up 209 yards through the air in the blowout win – but it was still a dominant season no matter what finishing No. 1 in total defense, scoring defense, run defense and pass defense. While there might be a slight step back after losing Dont’a Hightower, Mark Barron, Courtney Upshaw, Dre Kirkpatrick and Josh Chapman, this is still going to be among the nation’s best defenses with a who’s who of superstar prospects across the board. Everything starts up front with future NFL anchor Jesse Williams on the nose to go along with very strong, very tough run stoppers on the front three. The linebacking corps will be every big as dominant with a swarming group of athletes who’ll keep the big plays to a bare minimum. There might be a few question marks in the secondary, but don’t expect much of a drop-off, if any, with Dee Milliner one of the nation’s top corners and a nice influx of JUCO transfers and star recruits to help fill in the gaps.

2. Texas

If this isn’t the best defense in America, it’ll be in the running to be the fastest and most athletic. The Big 12’s No. 1 defense of 2011 gets back six starters and will enjoy an upgrade in athleticism at almost all the openings after leading the league in run defense, pass defense and finishing second in scoring D. The defensive front is stunningly quick for its size helped by a pair of NFL defensive ends in Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat. The line is big and fast, and so is the linebacking corps that might be even better and will be far more athletic despite losing leading tacklers Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson; Steve Edmond and Demarco Cobbs bringing jaw-dropping speed. And then there’s the secondary with warp wheels at all four spots.

3. Florida State

Mark Stoops’ coaching plus Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting has Florida State on the short list of top defenses in the country heading into the summer. From a unit that ranked no lower than No. 8 nationally in run defense, scoring defense, sacks and total D, the ‘Noles return just about every one of last year’s starters. Each level boasts an all-star caliber defender, and the rotation is SEC deep. Up front, ends Brandon Jenkins, Bjoern Werner and Cornelius Carradine form a downright scary trio of pass rushers for opposing tackles to handle. Athletic linebackers Christian Jones, Telvin Smith and Vince Williams are poised to step outside of the shadow of Nigel Bradham, who has graduated. And the secondary is virtually air-tight. SS Lamarcus Joyner and corner Xavier Rhodes are ball-hawks, with a nose for the back on running downs. Not only does Stoops have no holes on this side of the ball, but his kids have now had the time to fully digest and adopt his coaching philosophy. The potential is there for this to be the kind of vintage ‘Noles D that builds a bridge to the glory days when coordinator Mickey Andrews was a coaching icon in Tallahassee.

4. LSU

The LSU defense has been among the best in the nation over the last several years, and last season it took things to another level with a dominant defensive front, a phenomenal secondary, and a solid linebacking corps with it all adding up to a group that allowed just 262 yards and 11.3 points per game. There are some massive losses, including Thorpe-winning corner Morris Claiborne, Tyrann Mathieu and star tackle Michael Brockers, but defensive coordinator John Chavis is locked up with a whopper of a contract to keep him around. If the outside linebackers can shine early, the starting 11 will be as good as any in college football, but there are experience and depth issues everyone except at tackle. No one’s running on this line, and the secondary will be terrific if everyone can stay healthy, but the linebackers are a bit thin. This won’t be the defense it was last year, but it won’t be too far off.

5. Georgia

It might be hard for a defense to stand out in the SEC, but Georgia’s was able to do it last year finishing fifth in the nation in yards allowed. It wasn’t always great at keeping the better offenses under wraps – allowing 75 points to LSU and Michigan State to close things out – but overall it was a good D. Now it should be even better. The front seven in the 3-4 alignment has the potential to be a killer with a loaded line led by the tackle rotation of John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers. Pass rushing terror Jarvis Jones is one of the nation’s top outside linebackers in an athletic and active corps. And then there’s the secondary. After losing a slew of young players to suspensions and transfer, there were even more problems with three starters getting hit with suspensions for a variety of reasons. After the first few weeks all will be fine, but it could take a bit of adjusting early on to find the right combination.

6. Michigan State

After finishing sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in total defense, the Spartans should be even better. Even with the loss of DT Jerel Worthy and FS Trenton Robinson, defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has a heater of a defense to work with. The linebacking corps should be dominant with three terrific starters returning led by big-hitter Max Bullough in the middle and pass rushing terror Denicos Allen on the outside. The loss of Worthy up front hurts, but there’s plenty of size in the interior and a dominant pair of ends on the outside in William Gholston and Marcus Rush to get excited about. Johnny Adams should be one of the nation’s top corners as part of a great-looking secondary, but unlike the front seven, the depth in the defensive backfield is a concern.

7. Oklahoma

Welcome back, Mike Stoops. The defense didn’t exactly fall off the map after Stoops left to take the Arizona job in 2003, but it seemed to lose its killer instinct. That should be back now as he takes back his old defensive coordinator gig inheriting a loaded defense full of veterans. Finding a sure-thing pass rush from the ends is a must after losing most of the key parts, but the tackles are strong and deep and there’s plenty of athleticism and promise on the outside. The veteran linebacking corps is fast, fast, fast led by tone-setter Tom Wort in the middle, but it’s the secondary that should be the biggest strength with five good veterans and an outstanding corner tandem in Demontre Hurst and former safety Aaron Colvin to work around. Overall, the defense has to be consistent and has to avoid the meltdowns in key moments like it suffered in losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, but Stoops should turn this group into a killer.

8. USC

For good reason, the offense is making a lot of offseason headlines and watch lists. The D has a chance to be pretty special, too. The Trojans have decent depth, but a terrific first line of defenders, especially along the back seven. The trio of sophomore linebackers Dion Bailey, Hayes Pullard and Lamar Dawson is oppressive, covering the field with the range of safeties. Bailey was All-Pac-12 in 2011, while Pullard and Dawson have the skill set to join him in coming years. Although the defensive backfield lacked consistency—and takeaways—last fall, it’s far too talented to underachieve for a second straight year. Lockdown corner Nickell Robey and FS T.J. McDonald are returning all-stars, with All-American potential. Strong safety is a battle between Jawanza Starling, Demetrius Wright and JUCO star Gerald Bowman when he arrives. The other cornerback position will come down to Isiah Wiley, Torin Harris or Brian Baucham. All eyes will be on the defensive line, the same one that lost three key players. On the outside, the time has arrived for ends Devon Kennard and Wes Horton to finally fulfill all of their potential. The Trojans need the seniors to deliver as steady pass rushers. The defense could be especially vulnerable on the inside, where underclassmen George Uko and J.R. Tavai don’t yet have the experience to match their considerable responsibility.

9. Ohio State

Co-defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Everett Withers are about to take a good defense and make it special. It’s not like the young D was bad last season – it finished 19th in the nation and allowed just 21 points per game – but it was inconsistent and didn’t seem to be able to put the clamps down in close games. That shouldn’t be a problem this season with nine returning starters led by a deep and loaded secondary that should be among the best in the country, and a defensive front with two future NFL stars in tackle Johnathan Hankins and end John Simon. The underwhelming linebacking corps might not be up to normal Ohio State snuff, but it’s experienced and has young talents in Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant to get excited about.

10. Virginia Tech

Bud Foster is at it again. The longtime Hokies’ coordinator led a sophomore-dominated D to seventh nationally in points allowed in 2011. Now that all of those second-year players are gradually becoming upperclassmen, Virginia Tech expects to be one of the nation’s nastiest units. Only two starters are being replaced, both from the secondary. Cornerbacks Antone Exum and Kyle Fuller are back, looking to reprise their roles as All-ACC performers. The newcomers on the last line of defense will be FS Detrick Bonner, a converted corner, and rover Kyshoen Jarrett. The front seven is going to be mentioned right there with Florida State as the most dominant in the ACC. The defensive line rotation is deep and oppressive, slapping opposing lines with explosiveness from the inside and the outside. Ends James Gayle and J.R. Collins are lightning quick, combining for 13 sacks a year ago. On the inside, Derrick Hopkins, Luther Maddy and Antoine Hopkins are undersized and extremely hard to block. Besides the safeties, linebacker is the other pressing concern. Oh, the unit has talent, but it also has durability issues after Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and Bruce Taylor couldn’t finish the 2011 season, and Tariq Edwards missed spring following surgery. If the linebackers can stay healthy all year, this team has the ingredients to become Foster’s best D in years.

10 is high in the unit ranking number.

Illinois	Big Ten	24
Missouri	SEC	24
Oregon	Pac-12	24
South Carolina	SEC	24
Oklahoma State	Big 12	23.5
Stanford	Pac-12	23.5
Wisconsin	Big Ten	23.5
Florida	SEC	23
Louisville	Big East	23
Michigan	Big Ten	23
Mississippi State	SEC	23
Penn State	Big Ten	23
Rutgers	Big East	23
South Florida	Big East	23
Utah	Pac-12	23
BYU	Ind	22.5
Texas A&M	SEC	22.5
Boston College	ACC	22
California	Pac-12	22
Connecticut	Big East	22
Maryland	ACC	22
NC State	ACC	22
Nebraska	Big Ten	22
North Carolina	ACC	22
Arkansas	SEC	21.5
Clemson	ACC	21.5
Notre Dame	Ind	21.5
Purdue	Big Ten	21.5
UCLA	Pac-12	21.5
Boise State	M-West	21
Georgia Tech	ACC	21
Kansas State	Big 12	21
Arizona State	Pac-12	20.5
Auburn	SEC	20.5
Cincinnati	Big East	20.5
Iowa	Big Ten	20.5
Miami	ACC	20.5
Ole Miss	SEC	20.5
Oregon State	Pac-12	20.5
Pitt	Big East	20.5
TCU	Big 12	20.5
Tennessee	SEC	20.5
Virginia	ACC	20.5
West Virginia	Big 12	20.5
Iowa State	Big 12	20
Kent State	MAC	20
Wake Forest	ACC	20
Washington	Pac-12	20
Colorado	Pac-12	19.5
Kentucky	SEC	19.5
Minnesota	Big Ten	19.5
Northwestern	Big Ten	19.5
Syracuse	Big East	19.5
Vanderbilt	SEC	19.5
Arizona	Pac-12	19
Temple	Big East	19
Texas Tech	Big 12	19
Air Force	M-West	18.5
Indiana	Big Ten	18.5
Tulsa	C-USA	18.5
FIU	Sun Belt	18
Houston	C-USA	18
SMU	C-USA	18
UCF	C-USA	18
Northern Illinois	MAC	17.5
Ohio	MAC	17.5
Southern Miss	C-USA	17.5
Washington State	Pac-12	17.5
WKU	Sun Belt	17.5
Baylor	Big 12	17
Fresno State	M-West	16.5
Nevada	M-West	16.5
Wyoming	M-West	16.5
Kansas	Big 12	16
Louisiana Tech	WAC	16
Marshall	C-USA	16
San Diego State	M-West	16
UTEP	C-USA	16
Bowling Green	MAC	15.5
Buffalo	MAC	15.5
Duke	ACC	15.5
East Carolina	C-USA	15.5
Eastern Michigan	MAC	15.5
Hawaii	M-West	15.5
New Mexico	M-West	15.5
Toledo	MAC	15.5
Tulane	C-USA	15.5
UL Monroe	Sun Belt	15.5
Western Michigan	MAC	15.5
Colorado State	M-West	15
Florida Atlantic	Sun Belt	15
Miami Univ.	MAC	15
Middle Tennessee	Sun Belt	15
North Texas	Sun Belt	15
San Jose State	WAC	15
UL Lafayette	Sun Belt	15
UNLV	M-West	15
Utah State	WAC	15
Arkansas State	Sun Belt	14.5
Idaho	WAC	14.5
Navy	Ind	14.5
South Alabama	Sun Belt	14.5
Troy	Sun Belt	14.5
UAB	C-USA	14.5
Akron	MAC	14
Massachusetts	MAC	14
Rice	C-USA	14
Memphis	C-USA	13.5
New Mexico State	WAC	13.5
Texas State	WAC	13.5
UTSA	WAC	13.5
Army	Ind	13
Central Michigan	MAC	13
Ball State	MAC	12.5