New Mexico leads all FBS defenses with 10.9 points allowed per game in the 2026 college football regular season. See the full top 25 below, or explore the interactive CFB Savant leaderboard with percentiles, filters, and player cards.
All 138 FBS teams ranked.
What the 2026 team defense board shows
New Mexico leads by allowing just 10.9 points allowed per game. North Dakota State is second at 11.9, and Iowa is third at 12.2. All FBS teams are ranked. This is an in-progress snapshot and will move with each weekly refresh.
For defense, fewer is better, so percentiles are inverted: fewer points allowed earns a higher percentile. Read points allowed with yards allowed: a defense that ranks better in points than in yards is bending without breaking. Sacks, tackles for loss, and takeaways on the interactive card show how it gets off the field.
| # | Team | GP | PA/G | YA/G | Sacks/G | TO Forced/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New MexicoMountain West | 9 | 10.9 | 239.7 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| 2 | North Dakota StateMountain West | 9 | 11.9 | 248.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 3 | IowaBig Ten | 9 | 12.2 | 276.7 | 3.3 | 1.0 |
| 4 | IndianaBig Ten | 9 | 12.4 | 259.1 | 3.6 | 1.0 |
| 5 | DukeACC | 9 | 13.0 | 282.1 | 2.9 | 1.0 |
| 6 | LibertyConference USA | 9 | 13.6 | 284.1 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| 7 | GeorgiaSEC | 9 | 14.0 | 271.0 | 3.4 | 1.9 |
| 8 | UCLABig Ten | 9 | 14.1 | 264.7 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| 9 | Notre DameFBS Independents | 9 | 14.6 | 251.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| 10 | South FloridaAmerican Athletic | 9 | 15.1 | 312.7 | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| 11 | TennesseeSEC | 9 | 15.1 | 296.6 | 4.2 | 1.9 |
| 12 | TCUBig 12 | 9 | 15.8 | 304.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| 13 | Wake ForestACC | 9 | 15.9 | 310.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 |
| 14 | MichiganBig Ten | 9 | 16.2 | 255.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 |
| 15 | UtahBig 12 | 9 | 16.3 | 337.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 16 | WisconsinBig Ten | 9 | 16.3 | 286.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| 17 | NebraskaBig Ten | 9 | 16.6 | 282.4 | 2.8 | 1.1 |
| 18 | BaylorBig 12 | 9 | 17.0 | 348.2 | 4.1 | 1.8 |
| 19 | TexasSEC | 9 | 17.4 | 280.1 | 3.0 | 1.1 |
| 20 | LSUSEC | 9 | 17.7 | 261.3 | 3.7 | 1.0 |
| 21 | Ohio StateBig Ten | 9 | 18.3 | 287.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| 22 | Texas A&MSEC | 9 | 18.7 | 320.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| 23 | Jacksonville StateConference USA | 9 | 19.2 | 321.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| 24 | MiamiACC | 9 | 19.2 | 323.7 | 2.7 | 1.1 |
| 25 | OklahomaSEC | 9 | 19.2 | 293.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 |
How to read these numbers: see the Methodology and Stat Glossary for what each stat measures and how percentiles are calculated, and the CFB Savant Blog for original analysis of the current season.