BLITZIndex(tm) – College Football Defense Rankings for Week 3

September 20th, 2009 by Vince Mullins

Similar to work we do with offenses, it is clear that certain schools and certain coordinators consistently produce excellent defenses.

Pitt Mick Williams (95) knocks the ball out of Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs (4) (Icon SMI)

The kind that make you think about sitting your best fantasy player against because of the real possibility of negative points, the kind of defense that celebrates drawing blood from the opposition – maybe even the kind of defense that talks like a pirate every weekend – AARRGGHH!

Likewise, your wife may question your giddiness on Saturday morning, mistaking it for anticipating free time together rather than your testosterone ramping up over Zac Robinson facing Rice, or Alabama hosting North Texas. The BLITZIndex defense rankings are for you.

As is custom, I wait until Week 3 to publish the first edition since I prefer to have at least three games on the books before the numbers truly show patterns. In the past the BI has turned you onto the emerging strength of Kansas in 2007 and Iowa last season – while their early schedule was easy the quality of play appeared unmistakable. After the jump, the first edition of the BLITZIndex and some commentary.

A quick reminder – this is not a tool for you to select a fantasy defense FOR your roster – that would take the return game and sacks into account for instance. This is purely a tool to help you select your roster of offensive players but ranking all 120 teams by Yards per Play Allowed (YPP), Points per Game allowed (PPG), and Yards per Point Allowed (YPPt).

BLITZINDEX Sep 20 Wk3

The first name that stands out in the Top Ten is South Florida - their early schedule has included two FCS teams (no jokes about Western Kentucky please, we have friends in Bowling Green, KY). Even given the season ending injury to QB Matt Grothe and its effect on the team in general, the defense looks like a tough one to play against. The game at Doak Campbell versus the Seminoles will tell us much more this weekend.

Kansas is back in the Top ten despite allowing some bigger plays (26th in Yards per play YPP) – keep using the Jayhawk D up to the Sep 24 game hosting Oklahoma – whoever the QB is!

Biggest surprise to me is Cincinnati – replacing ten starters and here they are at #7, tied with my early value play NC State. Bearcats might be on the verge of something special, and not just fantasy-wise, if they can produce like this on defense also [Top 15 in all categories].

What about the laggards? Rutgers at #70 after allowing a lot of yards to Cincy and FIU kinda shoots down my theory they would be great for September and beyond. Georgia Tech at 82 is quite the falloff from 2008, as is last years Top 20 Northwestern at 84. North Texas has moved up to 99 after almost scoring the bizarro-trifecta of being last in all subgrades but one.

And finally, who look to have the worst defenses this season? Start looking for free agents opposing these squads:

Rice - Host Vandy, Tulsa (are there any?) and Navy next three.

Miami (OH) – at Kent State (RB Flowers), Cincinnati (woe be those in Oxford) and at Northwestern (Kafka, Brewer, etc.)

Georgia - in similar news, the magnetic poles will soon reverse. Arizona St. (McGaha), LSU (WR Tolliver and Lafell?) and at Tennessee (Bryce Brown, Hardesty). Seriously, get used to not scratching off your matchups against Georgia, this is a two-year thing I see.

Maryland - Middle Tennessee just beat them for the second year in a row. Weight is not the only thing Terps coach Ralph Friedgen has lost. Rutgers (Savage, Sanu), Clemson (Ford, Parker) and at Wake (Skinner) should provide some pickup value.

WKU - they are on Page 292 of the Book of Phil. At Navy, idle and hosts FIU (QB McCall?)

Use the comments to point out other things you see out there in defense land – I have a sneaky suspicion that San Jose State (113) is a victim of tough offenses so far.

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