In High-Scoring Era, Playoff Contenders Prove Defense Still Wins Championships
While the debate raged into the late-night and early-morning hours about which four teams should get into the College Football Playoff, one aspect of championship weekend went mostly overlooked.
In two of the three championship games featuring teams that most people believed had win-and-in status for the semifinals, defensive players took home the Most Valuable Player trophies: Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and Washington safety Taylor Rapp.
Even though the trend in college football has been for more offense and more scoring, it's been that kind of season.
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The teams that are at the top nationally in total offense—Texas Tech, Louisville, Oklahoma, Baylor and Toledo were the first five—got a lot of attention, but it's the squads that have played the best defense that are still in the running for the national title.
All eight teams that played in a Power Five title game came in ranked in the top 20 in total defense.
The teams expected to be heading to the semifinals were, in order: 1. Alabama, 4. Ohio State, 8. Clemson and No. 10 Washington. (Michigan was second and Penn State 20th). That could be the pecking order for the playoff seedings.
| Year | Plays | Yards/Play | TDs | Points |
| 1995 | 71.2 | 372.8 | 3.21 | 25.1 |
| 2000 | 71.0 | 370.2 | 3.33 | 26.2 |
| 2005 | 70.6 | 379.8 | 3.36 | 26.8 |
| 2010 | 68.4 | 384.1 | 3.53 | 28.0 |
| 2015 | 71.5 | 411.6* | 3.74 | 29.7 |
The defenses could be characterized as follows:
Washington: The Underrated Defense
Washington's defense gets overlooked since it plays in the Pac-12, but it's more than formidable. It starts with a massive line featuring Greg Gaines (318 pounds), Elijah Qualls (321) and Vita Vea (332), and the Huskies led the nation in turnover margin.
They also haven't let an opponent score more than 28 points this season. Washington limited Stanford—with Christian McCaffrey—to six points and high-flying Washington State to 17.
In the Pac-12 Championship Game, Colorado managed just 163 yards of offense. Washington intercepted beat-up Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau three times, with Rapp scoring on a 35-yard pick-six.
Clemson: The Bring-Your-Guts Defense
Quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Mike Williams get the most headlines at Clemson, but statistically, the defense has been as good as the Tigers offense.
Granted, that didn't hold true in the ACC Championship Game, where Virginia Tech had 386 yards and Watson accounted for five touchdowns to lead a narrow 42-35 victory, but over the course of the season, it was comparable.
Led by defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, linebacker Ben Boulware, cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and safety Jadar Johnson, who all earned first-team All-ACC selections last week, Clemson was second nationally in tackles for a loss, fourth in sacks and fifth in third-down defense.
It's also in the top 10 in scoring defense and passing-efficiency defense.
Ohio State: The Outrageous Defense
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh may have been referring to the officials when he used the word "outrageous" last week, but he could have been talking about the Ohio State defense that highlighted the then-No. 2 vs. No. 3 showdown.
Safety Malik Hooker had a pick-six off a pass attempt that linebacker Raekwon McMillan deflected, and an interception by linebacker Jerome Baker set up the Buckeyes' other touchdown in regulation.
Defensive tackle Davon Hamilton recovered a fumble at the 2-yard line, and the defense limited Michigan to a field goal in the second overtime, giving its offense a chance to win.
"We did our part," Baker told Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch (via CantonRep.com). "We definitely did our part."
Overall, Ohio State has allowed 4.24 yards per play, third-best in the FBS.
Alabama: The Hateful Defense
That's what Nick Saban's called his defense this season, as in the players are so competitive that they play like a "hateful" bunch. They agree.
"Mostly we are hateful guys," Alabama senior linebacker Ryan Anderson said. "We hate everybody on the other team."
Although Alabama gave up its first two touchdowns since playing Texas A&M on Oct. 22, it got a pick-six from sophomore defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and a goal-line stand in the SEC Championship Game. Florida's ground game had 30 attempts for zero yards.
Coming in, Alabama's unit was ranked first nationally in total, scoring and rushing defense, and it led the nation in defensive touchdowns, three-and-outs and red-zone touchdowns allowed (six). It hadn't allowed a touchdown from anywhere on the field in more than a month, and opposing offenses had only executed six plays inside Alabama's 10-yard line since September.
It also blew out Florida 54-16 without safety Eddie Jackson (knee). Saban disclosed afterward that linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton (knee) suffered a season-ending injury during the game and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (hamstring) was held out.
The other concern with the Crimson Tide is the way other SEC teams struggled down the stretch, which has left some wondering if Alabama has been tested.
For example, Fox Sports announcer Joel Klatt said last week that "The SEC is soft as Charmin outside of Alabama."
It may look that way, as every other team in the league finished with at least four losses, but Alabama played eight opponents that were ranked at the time. To suggest Ole Miss wasn't good with Chad Kelly or Texas A&M with Trevor Knight, and so on, isn't just wrong, it's also insulting to those teams.
Moreover, the SEC may have more players selected in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft than any conference ever—the SEC (2013) and ACC (2006) are tied for the record with 12. In his last mock draft, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had 17 SEC players going in the first round.
So forget looking for a signature win. With a 13-0 record, Alabama's having a signature season.
As the top seed, it'll get to play close to home, back in Atlanta, and after the playoff pairings are announced, the debate will shift to whether anyone can beat the reigning champions, who have won 25 straight games.
"I would have to say Ohio State or Clemson [has the best chance]," said Klatt's colleague Robert Smith, although both think the Crimson Tide's still the team to beat.
"Alabama's defense is so good that they would provide a nightmare for any of those offensive lines. Clemson's offensive line hasn't been great all year. Ohio State got sacked six times against Penn State. Washington didn't perform well against USC's defensive front."
It's the same old adage that's been proved over and over again: Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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