College Football Rankings Week 7: 5 Most Fearsome Defenses in Top 25

The belief that defense wins championship has hardly wavered over time, although the notion that the best defense is a good offense is a popular school of thought.

Texas' defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said "defense determines who wins or loses, while offense determines by how much," and it is not so far from the truth.

Countless times this season, teams have gone into halftime with comfortable leads, only to see those advantages disappear over the course of the second half.

A defense determines how many points an opposing offense can put on the board, and typically, a good defensive unit will generate positive results.

Here are the five most fearsome defense in the Top 25.

Alabama

With the top-ranked defense within the Top 25, the Alabama Crimson Tide have to come in as the most feared unit in college football.

There is just a sense of despair and sheepishness when going against a Nick Saban defense that can make opposing offenses tremble and hide in their shells.

The Tide is top against the run, allowing a measly 40 yards per game. Against the pass, it ranks third in efficiency with an allowed passer rating of just 85.04. Overall, Bama is holding opponents to 191 yards of offense per game, good for third in the FBS.

Fueled by a couple of shutout wins this season, Alabama's defense is giving up just seven points a game.

With the type of physicality, speed and size that the Tide has all over the field, this Saban defense, as all Saban defenses go, is one to be trusted and feared.

LSU

If there is one defense that can give Alabama's a run for its money, it is Les Miles'.

Down in the Bayou, the Tigers can thank defense for its fair share of work towards LSU's undefeated mark this season.

Led by cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who has compiled 2 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries (two for touchdowns), 4 forced fumbles and a sack, LSU presents a strong defensive presence.

In almost every significant defensive category, the Tigers rank within the top 20.

By the numbers through six games, LSU ranks 4th in rushing defense, 6th in pass efficiency defense, 5th in total defense, 8th in scoring defense, 4th in turnover margin, 17th in pass defense and 10th in tackles for loss.

Let the statistics speak for themselves.

Wisconsin

Staying in the top five, Wisconsin is known for a variety of things: cheese, a smash-mouth running game and a stout defense.

Ranked 7th in the FBS in total defense, the Badgers have pounded opponents with their running game and kept them in the dark with their defensive pressure.

Wisconsin is tied for third in scoring defense, giving up just 10 points per game en route to an average margin of victory of just over 38 points.

The Badgers can wear down opponents in two different ways, and both work in unison to translate to winning football games.

Michigan State

Through its five games this season, Michigan State boasts the top defensive unit in the FBS, giving up just 173 yards per game, an average of 3.15 yards per play.

One would not typically associate a Spartans football team with top notch defense, but the No. 19 team in the AP Top 25 has put in a well-earned resumé so far.

Michigan State ranks 3rd in rush defense, 2nd in pass efficiency defense, tops in total defense and 2nd in pass defense, all of which are best in the Big Ten.

Granted, the numbers could be skewed after having played the likes of Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan, but on the whole the numbers do not lie.

However, with upcoming contests against Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska in their next three games, the Spartans will have stiff tests in each of them.

Feared? Not exactly. Productive? Definitely.

Penn State

The SEC and the Big Ten tend to be the conferences most known for physical defenses and styles of play.

While Penn State has an offense that has struggled to put points on the board, its defense typically does enough to get the team in position to win football games.

The Nittany Lions are in the Top Five nationally in four defensive categories. They rank 4th in both pass efficiency defense and total defense and 5th in both pass defense and rush defense.

They may not wow spectators with huge plays, turnovers and the like, but with an 11-point margin of victory on average, they do just enough to record the victory.

Penn State will get after the ball, as it does rank 22nd in the nation and 2nd in the conference in tackles for loss.

In the close games that are tight late into the fourth quarter, expect the Nittany Lions to be right in the thick of things.