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Offense vs. defense: 2026 College Football Chart

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Offense vs. defense

SP+ defense (up) against SP+ offense (across). 138 teams.

Up and right are always better: metrics where lower is better (like ranks or points allowed) run in reverse. Dashed lines are the averages of the teams shown and split the chart into four groups. There's no trend line or gray band here: the chart compares two separate skills, so no spot is "expected." The lists rank teams on both skills together. Tap or click a team to open it in Head to head.

What this shows

Where a team's strength comes from. Further right is a better offense and higher is a better defense, both by SP+.

There is a moderate relationship here (r = +0.61; r runs from −1 to +1, and positive means the two go together): teams better on SP+ offense tend to be better on SP+ defense. SP+ offense accounts for about 37% of the differences in SP+ defense across the 138 teams shown.

Split by the averages: Complete teams 50, Defense first 17, Offense first 24, Struggling 47.

Best on both sides of the ball: Ohio State (4th and 1st), Georgia (2nd and 4th), LSU (5th and 5th). Worst on both sides of the ball: Sacramento State (138th and 137th), Charlotte (128th and 138th), Northern Illinois (134th and 136th). Ranks are among the 138 teams shown, SP+ offense first, then SP+ defense.

Pac-12: 2 of 8 in Complete teams, 2 in Struggling. Top of the list: Boise State (18th and 51st of 138).

Mountain West: 1 of 10 in Complete teams, 5 in Struggling. Top of the list: New Mexico (68th and 21st of 138).

Where the data comes from. SP+ defense: SP+ by Bill Connelly (CFB Update), last pulled Oct 27, 2026. SP+ offense: SP+ by Bill Connelly (CFB Update), last pulled Oct 27, 2026.

Best on both sides of the ball

  1. Ohio State 4th and 1st of 138
  2. Georgia 2nd and 4th of 138
  3. LSU 5th and 5th of 138
  4. Notre Dame 3rd and 8th of 138
  5. Indiana 15th and 2nd of 138
  6. Miami 1st and 15th of 138

Worst on both sides of the ball

  1. Sacramento State 138th and 137th of 138
  2. Charlotte 128th and 138th of 138
  3. Northern Illinois 134th and 136th of 138
  4. Akron 132nd and 135th of 138
  5. UTEP 137th and 130th of 138
  6. UL Monroe 131st and 134th of 138

About the stats on this chart

What is SP+ offense?

SP+ offense: points the offense would score against an average defense. Higher is better.

Why does SP+ offense matter?

How many points an offense is worth against an average defense. That beats raw points per game when half the schedule is cupcakes.

Where does the SP+ offense data come from?

From SP+ by Bill Connelly (CFB Update), last pulled Oct 27, 2026.

What is SP+ defense?

SP+ defense: points the defense would allow to an average offense. Lower is better.

Why does SP+ defense matter?

Same idea for the defense: what it would give up to an average offense. It doesn't get fooled by a soft schedule.

Where does the SP+ defense data come from?

From SP+ by Bill Connelly (CFB Update), last pulled Oct 27, 2026.