Alabama Football: Ranking the 5 Remaining SEC Defenses the Tide Will Face

The Alabama Crimson Tide has thumped three SEC opponents in blowout wins, but five more remain, including their new nemesis, LSU.  

The second toughest defense on the Tide's regular season schedule was Florida, and they hung a healthy 38 points on the Gators.  

How do the remaining SEC defenses match up?

5. Auburn Tigers

Looking back, the Auburn Tigers defense in their championship season seems amazing compared to the dismal play of the squad this year.  

They rank dead last out of these five teams in almost every defensive category, and second to last in sacks and interceptions.  

Senior defensive back Neiko Thorpe and sophomore defensive lineman Corey Lemonier seem to be the only bright spots in the Tigers defense.  Lemonier actually has better stats than South Carolina's highly touted freshman defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, with four sacks and seven tackles for loss, though Clowney has been a turnover machine.  

Scoring Defense:  29.2 PPG

Total Defense:  439.5 YPG

4. Ole Miss Rebels

Houston Nutt's Ole Miss Rebels are looking atrocious this year, but at least they don't have to carry around the title of "worst SEC defense"—yet.  

Still, they have been terrible at stopping whatever is thrown their way, with Vanderbilt as the leading example.  Vanderbilt, one of the worst offenses in the league, put 30 points on the board against the Rebels.  

They have a glimmer of hope, however, in sophomore defensive back Charles Sawyer, who is tied for first in the SEC with four interceptions and over 100 yards returned on those, including one touchdown.  

Scoring Defense:  24.6 PPG

Total Defense:  408.4 YPG

3. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee's defense looks pretty decent in most categories, yet they rank dead last in this group of teams in sacks (six) and interceptions (one). 

The Vols previously had a shot at making a name for themselves this year, but now that quarterback Tyler Bray is virtually out for the season, things are looking grim and it may greatly affect the morale of the defense.  

Their passing defense will rely heavily on sophomore defensive lineman Jacques Smith continuing to pressure the quarterback.  Smith leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. 

Scoring Defense:  20.4 PPG

Total Defense:  343.8 YPG

2. Mississippi State Bulldogs

While Mississippi State may be lacking in the quarterback department, they certainly aren't lacking in defense compared to the three previous teams mentioned.

Their two star linebackers, senior Brandon Wilson and junior Cameron Lawrence, have teamed up to rack up 100 total tackles.  Lawrence also added 3.5 tackles for loss.  

Junior defensive back Johnathan Banks has given them a dangerous weapon in a the defensive backfield.  This year, he has accrued four interceptions and a whopping seven passes broken up.  

Scoring Defense:  20.2 PPG

Total Defense:  349 YPG

1. LSU Tigers

In terms of defense, LSU is the only team that can hold a stick to Alabama's stifling—and often suffocating—defense.  

LSU held the vaunted Oregon Ducks offense to 335 yards of offense, 27 points and created a monstrous four turnovers.  

Sophomore defensive back Tyrann Mathieu leads the way, and will be looking to give A.J. McCarron fits on Nov. 5.  He leads the Tigers with 41 tackles and has created four forced fumbles.  He also has two interceptions, and is tied for second on his team with five tackles for loss, effectively showcasing how dynamic of a player he is.  

Sophomore defensive lineman Sam Montgomery has been shedding offensive linemen all season, displaying his pure penetration power.  He leads his team in sacks and tackles for loss, with three and 5.5, respectively.  

The Tigers are ranked fourth in the nation for rushing defense, and their run-stuffing ability will attempt to hold Trent Richardson to his worst game of the year.  

Alabama has been spectacular at avoiding turnovers, but LSU will certainly try their best to change that.  

Scoring Defense:  12.5 PPG

Total Defense:  254 YPG

Alabama:

Scoring Defense:  7 PPG

Total Defense:  191.3 YPG