Football
Another week of college football is in the books with an absolutely unbelievable upset that instantly turned one of the quieter weeks with no expectations into a monumental one. Part of what makes this sport so great is its propensity for chaos, and Week 6 was no different. Using PFSN’s Defensive Impact Scores, here are the top defensive performances from Week 6.
Football 10) North Carolina State Wolfpack
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 83.0 (B-)
The North Carolina State defense has been atrocious at getting off the field and forcing turnovers this season. According to TruMedia, they rank 126th in opponent turnover rate per drive and 106th in opponent third- and fourth-down conversion rate. Luckily for them, they got to play the Campbell Fighting Camels in week six. This cupcake game was enough to put them in the top 10 of our week 6 grades with a B- performance.
Football 9) Connecticut Huskies
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 83.0 (B)
The Connecticut Huskies have appeared in the top 10 of our weekly defensive rankings just six times since 2019. Their 51-10 domination over Florida International was a defensive masterclass, featuring three interceptions and five sacks. With the 91st-ranked defense on the season, according to Defensive Impact scores, the Connecticut Huskies improve to 4-2 and continue to show improvement.
Football 8) Clemson Tigers
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 83.1 (B)
The Clemson Tigers were expected to be one of the most elite defenses in college football this season. The team as a whole was one of the favorites to win the national championship, and yet we enter week 7 with Clemson unranked and sporting a losing record. Despite this absolute travesty, Clemson’s defense has still managed a 29th-best 82.1 DEFi score, which includes an eighth-best 83.1 for this week’s performance.
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Despite their troubles, the Clemson defense is historically great. PFSN data shows the unit has managed a top-three DEFi score in 13 games since 2019, the second-most in that time frame (behind Georgia with 14). They also rank sixth in number of top 5 appearances, second in top 10 appearances, and seventh in top 25 appearances.
Football 7) Western Michigan Broncos
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 83.7 (B)
Unlike Clemson, the Western Michigan Broncos rarely appear at the top of the defensive rankings. This is their fifth consecutive appearance in the top 10 since 2019. Their three points allowed against UMass is the lowest since Week 2 of 2021 when they blanked Illinois State 28-0.
Football 6) Memphis Tigers
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 83.9 (B)
The Memphis Tigers are undefeated and one of our top Group of Five teams, which we believe has a good shot at making the playoffs. While they usually rely on offensive output, this is the second time this season that the Tigers’ defense has registered a top-10 performance. Tulsa managed just 245 total yards and seven points while also accumulating four turnovers and losing the time of possession battle in a major way.
In fact, their 18-minute time of possession margin over Tulsa ranks third in the most significant Memphis time of possession advantages since 2019.
Football 5) Texas A&M Aggies
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 86.3 (B)
If the Texas A&M Aggies continue to perform this way on both offense and defense, they could reach new highs. After three mediocre performances from the defense that forced them to rely heavily on the offense, the defense has now registered back-to-back top-five scores.
Despite blitzing on just 23% of drop-backs (95th of 136), they rank 14th in pressure rate at 38.9%. After Mississippi State hung 34 on Tennessee in a hard-fought loss, the Aggies completely shut down the offense, allowing just nine points. They sacked Blake Shapen four times and allowed a total of 219 yards.
Football 4) Arizona Wildcats
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 89.3 (B+)
Arizona’s defense has consistently been one of the best this season, ranking 11th with an 87.3 impact score in 2025. This week, they had the pleasure of facing an Oklahoma State offense that has been abysmally ineffective. Defenses that face Oklahoma State in 2025 are averaging an 83.0 impact score and a 25th-place ranking.
While Arizona ranks highly on defense this season, they are by far one of the least consistent defenses in the nation. On average, Arizona’s defensive impact scores vary by about 37.6 points from week to week. This ranks 123rd out of 136 FBS schools in terms of week-to-week consistency defensively.
Football 3) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 89.5 (B+)
For a defense that ranks fourth in the nation in PFSN’s defensive impact score (90.4), this is actually the first time this season that the Texas Tech Red Raiders have graced the top 10. They had very solid performances in weeks past, ranking 26th, 22nd, 26th, and 11th, but their 89.5 this week was the cherry on top.
Dane Brugler put together a highlight tape on X of Texas Tech edge rusher David Baile,y which shows some of the nasty stuff he was able to accomplish against a Houston offense that has been really good this season.
Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey is now No. 1 in the FBS in pressures (31).
Bailey (No. 29 overall on my preseason top-50) did some NSFW stuff to the Houston OL on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/0ZNoWndbzz
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 6, 2025
Luckily for Houston, Texas Tech’s 10th-best pressure rate shows that they aren’t the only ones getting bulldozed by this defense. Jacob Rodriguez is starting to get some media hype as one of the best linebackers in the nation as well. This defense continues to get better while also benefiting from a favorable schedule. Look out for the Red Raiders.
Football 2) Ohio State Buckeyes
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 90.7 (A-)
The Ohio State Buckeyes have officially hawked down the Oklahoma Sooners in our defensive impact season rankings. With just a 0.1 difference between the two, the Buckeyes can now claim a historically great defense from a statistical perspective as well as a PFSN perspective.
Ohio State’s 96.4 season grade is the second-best since 2019 and their third season with a score above 90, as well as their fourth straight season of ranking within the top three. Not only this, but their five points allowed per game is the best mark since 2019.
Football 1) Oklahoma Sooners
Week 5 PFSN College DEFi Grade: 90.9 (A-)
The number one defense in week six also holds a 0.1 advantage over Ohio State for the best since 2019 and the best this season. The Sooners have dominated since day one of this season, to go along with a Heisman-contending quarterback on the offensive side of the football.
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Their 7.2 points per game allowed this season ranks them second-best since 2019. Oklahoma has eclipsed an impact score of 90 three times this season, but this is the first time the defense has ranked number one in an individual week.
Read More Mark Stolte