Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, and Brigham Young should field four of the most imposing and formidable defenses in the United States this season. Alabama, Florida, and Notre Dame could make noise on a national level, but Florida and Notre Dame – though strong on this side of the ball – are probably going to struggle because of limitations on offense, and BYU is likely going to encounter a similar fate in 2013. Nevertheless, don’t sleep on any of these teams, precisely because they can shut down opposing offenses on any given gameday.
Let’s start with the defense that is likely to play for a national championship in early January. Alabama is simply the best and toughest team in the country. The Crimson Tide do not rebuild these days; they reload under head coach Nick Saban, who has established himself as a top-tier legend in the long and storied history of college football. Saban gets the most out of his defenses – he knows how to break down his players so that they give their all to him and the Alabama program. He impresses upon his players the need to establish a first-rate work ethic so that the NFL will offer a favorable evaluation when combine time arrives in February. Saban also connects performance to playing time. Since he gets the pick of the crop on the recruiting trail, Alabama players know that they have to perform from day one. The competitive subculture is so intense at Alabama that the Tide are imbued with a sense of urgency despite a flood of national championships.
Florida and Notre Dame were the two best defenses in college football last season. Both defenses carried mediocre offenses, doing the heavy lifting in terrifically successful seasons that led to BCS bowl berths. The offenses for the Gators and Irish will continue to struggle in 2013, but the defenses still have plenty of talent.
What about Brigham Young? This team might seem like an odd duck on this list, but it really shouldn’t be. Kyle Van Noy – who led BYU to a Poinsettia Bowl win over San Diego State last December – is going to be a standout player for the Cougars. A June 5 article in the Salt Lake Tribune offered this brief overview of Van Noy and what he brings to the table for the Cougars entering the 2013 season:
“Van Noy filled the stat sheet again in 2012, becoming the only player to record a statistic in every major defensive category for the second consecutive year. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder totaled 53 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six forced fumbles (school record), two interceptions, eight quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, two blocked kicks and one fumble recovery. He also scored two touchdowns on defense. Van Noy finished second in the nation in sacks, tied for No. 2 nationally in forced fumbles and tied for fourth in the country in tackles for loss.”
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