Is Florida or LSU College Football's Real 'DBU'?
It's the offseason, and there needs to be something to talk about to cure the offseason doldrums.
With that in mind, it's only fitting that an argument has kicked up between two schools over a moniker.
LSU and Florida have both staked claims to "DBU"—the nation's top defensive back school—over last couple of weeks.
It started with this video that Florida released on May 11 calling itself "DBU."
That didn't sit well with LSU safety Jamal Adams, who voiced his displeasure on Twitter.
Star Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves then mixed it up with Adams on Twitter, before Adams ended the conversation with the date of this year's Florida/LSU game.
It didn't end there, though.
LSU's athletic department jumped into the mix with a "DBU" hype video of its own on Vimeo.
Which school is the real "DBU"?
Without question, it's LSU.
We're going to use the 2005 season as the starting point for a couple of reasons. It was the year that Les Miles arrived at LSU, and it was when Urban Meyer took the Florida job, which vaulted the Gators back into the national discussion.
Since that point, the two programs have combined for three national titles and won four SEC championships. On top of that, monikers like "DBU" are more "what have you done for me lately," and the identity of both programs lately has been the defense.
Since Miles arrived, LSU has sent a whopping 13 defensive backs to the NFL through the draft, produced six first-team AP All-Americans and even sent one defensive back—Tyrann Mathieu—to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy finalist.
| First-Team AP All-American DB's | 4 | 6 |
| DB's Drafted | 9 | 13 |
| DB Heisman Trophy Finalists | 0 | 1 |
| Top 10 Pass Defenses | 3 | 5 |
Those stars from Baton Rouge include first-round draft picks Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne and Eric Reid, among many others. LSU's ability to sign, develop and send defensive backs to the NFL is something that has been a mainstay of the program under Miles.
But it isn't just about the players and the draft, right?
Of course not.
These players have to perform on Saturdays before playing on Sundays. On Saturdays, the two programs are close, with Florida holding a slight edge in one major category.
Florida has led LSU in overall pass defense five times over the last 10 seasons, and vice versa. But LSU has produced a top-10 pass defense five times over the last decade, with Florida boasting three. Simply put, LSU has consistently produced an elite pass defense every year except 2008.
Put another check mark in the Tigers' column.
While Florida has had plenty of success in the defensive back market over the last decade as well, LSU is the true "DBU." Its success on the field in college, its ability to send defensive backs to the next level as pros and the number of superstars who have passed through the program since Miles took over the program is far superior to that of Florida.
With players like Adams, Jalen Mills, Tre'Davious White and Kevin Toliver on the roster in 2015, it doesn't look like LSU is going to hand over that "DBU" championship belt anytime soon.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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