Power Rankings

Oklahoma boasts nation's best D, but which teams round out the top 10?

By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

The next test for Antonio Perkins and the Sooner defense is Kansas State on Dec. 6. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Never has the adage that defense wins championships been more true than this season, where the three remaining candidates for the national title also happen to boast three of the best, if not the best, defenses in the country.

This week, let's do a power ranking of what I believe are the nation's top 10 defensive units:

1. Oklahoma: The Sooners, which lead the nation in yards allowed (233.7), intercepted Texas Tech's B.J. Symons five times and held him to a season-low 230 yards. DT Tommie Harris, LB Teddy Lehman, DE Dan Cody and safeties Brodney Pool and Donte Nicholson are all standouts, and the MVP is CB Derrick Strait.

2. LSU: The nation's leading scoring defense (9.4 points per game) is led up front by elite linemen Chad Lavalais and Marcus Spears, who get such good penetration that it opens up the linebackers and safeties on the Tigers' endless array of blitz packages. Eli Manning had pass-rushers closing in on him nearly every play Saturday.

3. Georgia: DE David Pollack is the heart and soul of this team, which ranks second nationally in both yards (249.3) and points (11.4) per game. He draws double-teams, allowing LB Odell Thurman and S/LB Thomas Davis to wreak havoc in the backfield. Sean Jones is a big-play safety as well.

4. USC: The Wild Bunch II -- USC's line of Kenechi Udeze, Mike Patterson, Shaun Cody and Frostee Rucker (subbing for the injured Omar Nazel) -- along with star LB Matt Grootegoed and S Darnell Bing -- make it nearly impossible for teams to run. UCLA managed just 11 yards Saturday.

5. Miami: OK, apparently you do need a little offense to win a title, because the 'Canes haven't been lacking for much on defense. Though they're a tad susceptible to the run, LBs Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams are exceptional and DBs Antrell Rolle, Sean Taylor and Maurice Sikes make receivers' lives miserable.

6. Ohio State: Before Michigan, the Buckeyes hadn't allowed a soul to run on them, and while DBs Chris Gamble and Dustin Fox are somewhat shaky, linemen Will Smith and Tim Anderson get ample pressure on the QB.

7. Auburn: The Tigers are dominant against the run, led by lineman DeMarco McNeil and LBs Karlos Dansby and Dontarrious Thomas. Their only weakness is at cornerback.

8. Florida State: There have been a couple lapses, but mostly the 'Noles have been their old aggressive selves on defense, led by DT Darnell Dockett and LB Michael Boulware.

9. Maryland: Ralph Friedgen may be an offensive mind, but his teams continually make their mark on defense. DT Randy Starks and LB D'Qwell Jackson are this year's stars.

10. Purdue: Led by a host of four-year starters -- DE Shaun Phillips, LB Niko Koutovides, S Stuart Schweigert, among others -- the Boilers have been extremely consistent.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Oklahoma Sooners (12-0) Not only have the Sooners had seven 50-point games this season, but five of those efforts came against bowl-eligible teams. Also, they've only been held below 34 points once. And to think parity is supposedly greater than ever. Next game: Dec. 6 vs. Kansas State. 2 2 USC Trojans (10-1) One very Oklahoma-like quality of the Trojans is their ability to score in a variety of ways. Against UCLA, they did so on a Udeze fumble recovery in the end zone, a 52-yard Patterson fumble return and a 96-yard Reggie Bush kickoff return. Next game: Dec. 6 vs. Oregon State. 3 3 LSU Tigers (10-1) Due to injuries, freshman Justin Vincent, an afterthought until about the seventh game of the season, has emerged as the Tigers' go-to runner, carrying 22 times for 105 yards against Ole Miss, 16 for 83 the week before against Alabama. Next game: Friday vs. Arkansas. 4 5 Michigan Wolverines (10-2) Talk about having a deep receiving corps. Losing Jason Avant early in Saturday's game should have hurt the Wolverines, but little-used sophomore Carl Tabb stepped up, and backup TE Tyler Ecker made one of the biggest catches of the game. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 5 6 Texas Longhorns (9-2) Rarely have the Longhorns been a more prohibitive favorite in the Texas A&M game than they will be this year. A BCS at-large berth appears to be theirs for the taking. And it's scary to think what Roy Williams might do the Aggies' secondary. Next game: Friday at Texas A&M. 6 8 Florida Gators (8-3) OK, so it's not quite back to what it was in the '90s yet, but this year's FSU-Florida game should be a dandy. The Gators, which have won five straight, would carry some tremendous momentum into bowl season if they were able to win this one. Next game: Saturday vs. Florida State. 7 9 Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) The Dawgs' offense broke out of a month-long slump in against Kentucky, with QB David Greene going 24-of-38 for 289 yards and running backs Michael Cooper and Ronnie Powell breaking of several nice runs. Then again, it was Kentucky. Next game: Saturday at Georgia Tech. 8 10 Tennessee Volunteers (9-2) Speaking of Kentucky, that's all that stands between the Vols and just their second 10-win season since the 1998 title year. If it gets ugly enough, maybe the starters can stay in the locker room after halftime to root on Georgia Tech. Next game: Saturday at Kentucky. 9 4 Ohio St. Buckeyes (10-2) Question: If the Buckeyes are capable of passing like they did against Michigan, why the heck didn't they do it all season? They basically abandoned the run after Lydell Ross got hurt and, lo and behold, they turned into an actual, dangerous offense. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 10 13 Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes (9-2) Speaking of teams that have had to find a way to win with hardly any offense, the 'Canes blocked two punts and Sean Taylor had a 44-yard interception return to win 34-10 despite Rutgers outgaining them in the yardage department 343-313. Next game: Saturday at Pittsburgh. 11 14 Florida St. Seminoles (9-2) Losing receiver Craphonso Thorpe for the season could be a devastating blow for the 'Noles. The junior had become by far Chris Rix's go-to guy, with 51 catches for 994 yards and 10 touchdowns. P.K. Sam will need to step up in his place. Next game: Saturday at Florida. 12 7 Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) Even in defeat, the Rebels showed against LSU that they do indeed have a defense, intercepting Tigers QB Matt Mauck three times, holding him to 189 yards and allowing just over 3 yards a carry on the ground. Two long passes did them in. Next game: Thursday at Mississippi State. 13 16 Kansas St. Wildcats (10-3) Talk about your eerily similar situations. By beating Missouri, the Wildcats earned their first trip to the Big 12 title game since 2000. Just like that year, the game is in Kansas City, the opponent is Oklahoma and the Sooners are undefeated. Next game: Dec. 6 vs. Oklahoma. 14 15 Purdue Boilermakers (9-3) Think that Ohio State loss didn't take the wind out of the Boilers' sails? In the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, Purdue let normally bumbling Indiana run for nearly 200 yards and hang around for four quarters before pulling out a 24-16 victory. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 15 -- Iowa Hawkeyes (9-3) The Hawkeyes played some of their best football the last two weeks of the regular season, clobbering Minnesota and getting a tough road win at Wisconsin. The defense harassed the Badgers QBs, and Fred Russell ran for 137 yards. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 16 -- Arkansas Razorbacks (8-3) My, how different the All-America teams might have looked had Cedric Cobbs not gotten hurt against Florida. Cobbs ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State, his first 100-yard day since his four straight to start the season. Next game: Friday at LSU.

Dropped out: Washington State, Virginia Tech.

Stewart Mandel updates his Power Rankings every Monday during the season. They also serve as his ballot in the Football Writers Association/Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll.