As the saying goes, defense wins championships. So if you are looking to win a title in 2016, you'll probably want to be on this list.
ESPN released predictions on Thursday, using its Football Power Index (FPI) metric to guess which teams would have the top defenses for this upcoming college football season. Unsurprisingly, the defending national champions were No. 1.
"As the only team to finish in the top 10 in defensive efficiency in each of the past four seasons, Alabama has built a defensive dynasty that's unlikely to end in 2016," said ESPN's Sharon Katz on the Crimson Tide.
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Even though Alabama only returns five starters on defense, it is hard to predict them getting substantially worse on that side of the field; they've proven year-in and year-out that they will continue churning out talent regardless of how many guys they lose to the NFL.
The SEC actually makes up the entire Top 3; LSU ranks in at No. 2 and Florida at No. 3. LSU return nine starters to a defense that ranked 21st overall by ESPN's FPI in 2015. The scary thing about the Tigers is that they also return nine starters on offense, making them a potential College Football Playoff-buster for Alabama and the SEC.
If you are looking at potential preseason contenders, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Florida State all made the Top 10. With how hyped-up those teams are right now as contenders, fans of those teams have to feel good about being recognized as a potentially great defensive team.
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The biggest surprise from the list, though? No Michigan, who famously shut-out three teams in consecutive games in 2015. The Wolverines ranked sixth in scoring defense, and fourth in total defense in 2015 according to CFBStats.com, but according to ESPN's FPI, Michigan doesn't project as a Top 10 defense for 2016.
Michigan returns six starters on defense, according to Phil Steele, and was ranked as the No. 14 defense for 2016 by the FPI.
You can view ESPN's Top 20 defenses by FPI for 2016 here. (Insider Only)
