Projecting College Football's Top 10 Defenses For 2023 | College Football 2023

Defense wins championships. This statement, while ages old, still reins true to this day. Just ask Kirby Smart how he won his first National Championship in 2021. In order to win National Titles in College Football, you have to be great on both sides of the football. Today, I will be projecting College Football's 10 best defenses in the country for the 2023 season. I will be ranking defenses based on my power rankings, returning production, talent, points allowed per game, and how I view their coaching staff. Performance in big games is another factor, as teams like Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State last year performed well defensively, but in big games, they folded up like lawn chairs. Teams like Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, Iowa, and LSU will field elite defenses, as they have depth and a high-ceiling level of play at every position. Alabama could also fill this role because the Crimson Tide have the nation's most talented roster, but I don't have as much faith in Kevin Steele as I do the other five defensive coordinators. Alabama, Utah, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Florida State represent the other half of my Top 10. These teams likely won't field top-tier defenses, but they will play at a consistently high level (Utah, Wisconsin, and Florida State) and/or have an extremely high ceiling (Alabama and Penn State). All of these teams are ranked in my preseason Top 20, with all but Iowa and Florida State being ranked inside of my Top 10. Some teams that just missed my Defensive Top 10 were Texas A&M, Oregon State, Minnesota, Clemson, and Illinois. Leave a like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more of the best College Football content! My Merchandise Store: https://cfbwithsam.threadless.com/ Spotify Link: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/A9u1hWG8nyb ESPN's Football Power Index: https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi ESPN's Top 10 Defeneses Entering 2023: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37767283/ranking-10-best-cfb-defenses-ahead-2023-season #collegefootball #ohiostatefootball #michiganfootball #georgiafootball #alabamafootball #utahfootball #iowafootball #lsufootball #floridastatefootball #pennstatefootball #bigtenfootball #secfootball