Ranking the SEC's top 5 defenses from the 2025 college football season

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The college football regular season is over. A handful of SEC teams have College Football Playoff games to play, and most remaining teams will play in a bowl, but the body of work is close to complete.

It's the end of the year, and that means it's time for some end-of-year rankings, starting with SEC defenses. It was a strong year for defense in the SEC. Several offenses sputtered — some of that was due to poor offensive line and QB play. The rest of it can be credited to elite defenses doing what elite defenses are supposed to do.

LSU fans were glad to see elite defense make a return on the Bayou. Blake Baker's unit was one of the best in the country, a big step forward from where the defense was when Baker took over.

Here's the top five SEC football defenses ranked following the 2025 regular season.

5. Auburn Tigers

Auburn's defense faced one of the toughest schedules in the SEC. The average opponent offense had a SP+ rating of 34.8, which ranked second in the conference. DJ Durkin's unit still posted impressive numbers.

Auburn led the nation in EPA/rush allowed and ranked No. 2 in rushing success rate. The secondary was inconsistent, but the front seven was elite and made this one of the best defenses in the country.

4. LSU Tigers

Some of LSU's raw stats don't look as impressive as other teams on this list, but LSU's defense faced one of the toughest schedules in the SEC.

LSU still ranked fifth in the conference, allowing 1.8 points per drive in SEC games. Cornerback Mansoor Delane was a superstar and has a case to be the SEC's defensive player of the year.

A few offenses managed to put up some big points (Vanderbilt and Texas A&M), but LSU finished the year with some elite performances in November.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama limited opponents to 1.79 points per drive in conference play. The Crimson Tide had occasional trouble stopping the run, but the unit got better as the year went on.

Few pass defenses were as consistent as the Crimson Tide. Alabama allowed some explosive plays vs. Florida State in Week 1. Then Alabama buckled down. Cornerbacks Zabien Bown and DiJon Lee combined to form one of the top cornerback duos in America.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Early in the year, there were questions about Georgia's pass defense. Inconsistent pass rush and questionable secondary play allowed Tennessee and Ole Miss to hang crooked numbers on the UGA defense. But as they usually do, Kirby Smart's group began to peak at the right time.

Georgia allowed 10 points or fewer in each of its final four games. The Dawgs' defense ranks second in the SEC with an SP+ rating of 13.3.

1. Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables took over defensive playcalling duties in 2025 and produced the best unit in the SEC. Oklahoma allowed 1.42 points per drive in conference games, the best mark in the SEC. SP+ agrees and rates Oklahoma's defense as the best in the conference.

The Sooners were strong at all three levels. They could stop the run and get after the passer. A group of elite defensive tackles made this front impossible to block. Versatile defensive backs gave Venables flexibility, allowing OU to create disguises.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Ranking the SEC's top 5 defenses from the 2025 college football season

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