2010 College Football: 10 BCS Teams That Must Improve Defensively

"Defense wins championships." Sure, it's cliche. But it's also 100 percent accurate.

For verification of that point, one need look no further than last season's BCS participants. Seven of the BCS' 10 participants last season had defenses ranked in the top 14 in the nation.

In the '08 season there were six BCS teams whose defense ranked in the top 14.

Coincidence? Not a chance.

Among these next few slides, you will see the teams that must shape up on defense in order to even come close to a BCS berth at the end of the 2010 season.

Notre Dame

The knock on much of Charlie Weis' tenure was the disparity of his defense versus the overabundance on offense that plagued every one of his teams in South Bend.

Enter Brian Kelly.

Kelly's Cincinnati teams were not known for their stellar defense. No, they were known for high-powered offenses and good-enough-for-the-Big-East defense.

The talent level is higher for Kelly at Notre Dame than it was at Cincy, and with nine starters back from last year's defense, the Irish could be on the verge of putting two good units on the field.

Florida State

It was a surprise to see the 'Noles defense ranked at No. 108. After boasting one of the best defenses in the country for more than a decade, last year's ineptitude was quite the oddity in Tallahassee.

FSU's defense gave up 435 yards and 30 points per game in 2009. That's a full 140 yards and 10 points greater than it gave up in '08.

The 'Noles figure to be much better on that side of the ball in 2010. Coupled with Christian Ponder's predicted coming out party, FSU could just find itself in a much more familiar place than it ended up in last season.

Georgia

Exhibit A: The much maligned former Tennessee quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, had his "coming-out-party" against this defense.

Exhibit B: In each of its last three losses, Georgia gave up 45, 41, and 34 points respectively. In its first two wins, that defense gave up 37 and 41 points respectively.

With former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Todd Grantham taking over the unit, things should get better fast.

Georgia's struggles were not because of a lack of talent. It was a combination of a lack of discipline and a scheme that just wasn't cutting it any longer. Both those areas are fixed and Georgia will likely be much better for it in 2010.

Michigan

Michigan's defense actually gave up one point less per game in '09 than it did in '08, but in doing so it gave up 26 more yards per game than in the previous year.

Early on, Michigan was able to outscore their opponents. But all that good fortune caught up with the Wolverines as they lost each of their last five games by a combined score of 177-93.

If that doesn't improve substantially in 2010, head coach Rich Rodriguez will be long gone before then end of January.

Houston

Few teams were worse on defense than the Cougars in 2009. Of the 120 teams in the FBS, Houston ranked No. 111.

With QB Case Keenum at the helm of the offense, Houston just relied on his arm and their offensive speed to outscore most opponents.

For a team in Conference USA, that's not going to cut it on the national scene.

If Houston wants to take the next step and become a top non-BCS program, it will have to improve greatly on that ninth-from-last defense.

Auburn

Last year was bizarro world on the plains. Normally, Auburn fans are used to smash-mouth offense and defense. In 2009 Auburn featured a high-octane offense and not much of anything on the other side of the ball.

Auburn is not used to being ranked in the bottom half of the nation's defensive statistics. But in '09 that's exactly where they finished. Of the 120 schools in the FBS, Auburn ranked No. 68.

Seeing all of that transpire during Gene Chizik's, the defensive coordinator-turned head coach, first year on the job was quite startling—at least until you realize that Auburn struggled, in part, because of serious injuries to many of its major contributors.

With the influx of an incredibly talented freshman class, and the return of each of the injured contributors, expect Auburn to be Auburn again on defense in 2010.

Georgia Tech

With their vaunted option rushing attack, Georgia Tech can certainly put up some impressive numbers on offense. Truth is, they have to put up gaudy numbers on offense because their 54th ranked defense gave up over 200 yards per game throughout the air.

Florida State obliterated the Jackets' defensive backs, yet Tech still outscored the 'Noles 49-45 in that game. Even Mississippi State scored 31 points on the Jackets.

The Ramblin' Wreck bring back eight starters from that defense. Based on experience alone, it should improve the defense somewhat. Whether it will be enough to win the ACC again remains to be seen.

Texas A & M

The Aggies have been the picture of defensive futility each of the last two seasons. Giving up 37 points per game in '08 and 33 in '09, the diehard A&M fan would probably point out the four point improvement.

The other 99.9 percent of us can't get past the fact that A&M ranked No. 105 out of 120 teams in 2010.

The Aggies gave up 62 points to a Kansas State team that averaged 23 points per game and didn't even make a bowl game. To put that into perspective, A&M only gave up 65 points to Oklahoma and 49 to Texas.

Nine starters return from that defense.

Once again, the diehard Aggie fan points to that as a positive.

Washington

Washington quarterback Jake Locker is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2011. He's considered a favorite in the Heisman race, as well.

So, can he play defense?

The Huskies' "D" ranked No. 79 last season. The nearly 250 yards given up through the air was the main culprit that punctuated an awful season on the defensive side of the ball for the Huskies in '09.

Locker might not be able to play defense in 2010, but if that unit's eight returning starters don't improve substantially, he might finish his incredible career having never played in a bowl game either.

Arkansas

Speaking of star quarterbacks with Heisman hype and NFL No. 1 Draft Pick hopes whose defense resembles something close to a broken dam, Ryan Mallett and Arkansas begin the 2010 season in virtually the same shape as Washington does.

Of course, Arkansas finished over .500 and made it to a bowl game in '09, unlike the Huskies, but the Razorbacks have 10 times the talent and speed.

Much is expected of Arkansas in 2010. They are the chic pick in the SEC, just as Ole Miss was in 2009.

Can they improve upon their 89th ranked defense?

Can the Razorbacks give up less than their 400 yards allowed per game from last season?

There's no question at all on offense for Arkansas.

Too bad the competition in college football demands teams be relatively balanced in order to compete for a spot in the BCS.