10 College Football Teams with Serious Defensive Deficiencies

Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

If defense wins championships, these 10 teams are in serious trouble.

Last season, Alabama proved what a team can do with a lights-out defense. Namely, the Crimson Tide humiliated LSU and took home the crystal football. 

These teams need upgraded defenses if they want to compete at the highest level. Offense is fun to watch, but all the points in the world won't do you any good if the other team can score more.

So, what teams have serious defensive deficiencies? Read on.

Arizona Wildcats

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The main reason why Mike Stoops is working for his brother in Oklahoma instead continuing on as head coach at Arizona is because he couldn't get his team to play good defense.

It also explains how a team can win only four games despite having a great quarterback like Nick Foles.

The Wildcats held only two teams under 14 points, and the rest of their opponents scored 27 points or more.

Now, remember that Stoops is a defensive coach, and incoming head coach Rich Rodriguez is an offensive coach. 

And don't forget that Michigan ran into similar problems on defense before the Wolverines ran RichRod out.

New Mexico State Aggies

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

The Aggies had a hard time stopping anyone last season. Their opponents gained an average of 462 yards and 36.8 points per game.

What's worse, New Mexico State is in serious danger of having to drop a division to the FCS as the WAC falls to pieces. If they're going to convince a FBS conference to pick them up, one thing they've got to do is show that they can field a viable defense.

Colorado Buffaloes

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Last season the Buffaloes traded the Big 12 for the Pac-12. 

However, the results on defense were more or less the same.

The Buffaloes got run over to the tune of 439 yards and 36.5 points per game, which helps explain how Colorado lost nine games last season. 

And they can't count on a good team like Utah having a meltdown to pick up a win like what happened last year. 

Maryland Terrapins

Rob Carr/Getty Images

I don't know exactly what the designers of Maryland's uniforms were thinking, but maybe they thought that those ugly rags would intimidate opposing offenses.

If that was the case, then they thought wrong.

The Terrapins gave up 457 yards and 34.3 points per game. Apparently, only FCS Townson was afraid of Maryland's defense, as the Terrapins held them to just a field goal. Everybody else scored at least three touchdowns.

Indiana Hoosiers

Mark A. Cunningham/Getty Images

The Hoosiers were the Big Ten's whipping boy last season due to their bad defense. 

This is the Big Ten we're talking about, not the offensive-happy Big 12.

Only Penn State scored less than three touchdowns on Indiana, and in your average game, Indiana gave up 37.3 points and 458.7 yards. Even Northwestern scored a whopping 59 points on the Hoosiers.

UAB Blazers

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The Blazers just picked up former Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, who will certainly help raise UAB's mediocre-at-best offense.

But where they really need help is on the other side of the ball.

UAB gave up 485 yards and 36.8 points on average last season. Even offensively-challenged Florida scored 39 on the hapless Blazers.

Maybe they can have Nick Saban or Kirby Smart come over and at least coach these guys up a little.

I wouldn't bet on that happening, though.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

The Red Raiders finished No. 26 in scoring offense last season with 33.8 points per game, and yet they went 5-7 and won only two Big 12 games.

Their defense is the reason why.

The offense scored an average of 25.1 points per game in their seven losses, which is a bit less than their overall average. However, they gave up an average of 48.9 in those same games. Only two teams in the entire FBS had an average scoring offense potent enough to compete with those kind of numbers, and they were Houston (50.8) and Oklahoma State (49.3).

Defense does win championships, and that's something that former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville should know by now. Being able to score all the points in the world is great unless you can't prevent the other team from scoring more.

Baylor Bears

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Baylor was able to accomplish some unprecedented things. For example, RGIII became the first Baylor Bear to win the Heisman, the Bears won 10 games and they finished No. 12/13 in the Coaches/AP respectfully. 

But Baylor certainly doesn't owe its success to its defensive ability.

The Bears gave up an average of 477 yards and 35.7 points per game last season. However, Baylor was able to pick up double-digit wins by outgunning its opponents. The Alamo Bowl shootout against Washington is the perfect example.

But now that Robert Griffin III is gone to play for the Redskins, Baylor is going to need to get a defense. 

And fast.

New Mexico Lobos

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

New Mexico was college football's Chernobyl last season.

The Lobos managed to win a single game against fellow Mountain West bottom-feeder UNLV. Former head coach Mike Locksley only lasted four games into the season.

And I have two words for their defense:

Epic. Fail.

The Lobos gave up an average of 492 yards and 41.7 points per game, and 10 of their 12 opponents scored 30 or more points on them.

Best of luck to new head coach Bob Davie! Even a defensive genius like Gary Patterson or Kirby Smart would have a hard time whipping this defense back into shape.

Kansas Jayhawks

Handout/Getty Images

I sure hope new Kansas defensive coordinator Dave Campo knows what he's getting himself into.

He'd be blind if he didn't know. After all, the Jayhawks finished dead last in the FBS in total defense (516 yards/game) and scoring defense (43.75 points/game).

Really hard to win games that way.

Campo will help his woefully awful defense improve. But I think it's going to take some doing to raise the Jayhawks from the nation's basement, particularly since Kansas has to face offensive powerhouses like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.