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College Football Defensive Line Rankings, 2026

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Big Uglies: the best defensive fronts

Top 25 of 138 teams. 2026 season, games through Oct 24, 2026.

Ratings as of this week. Hover or tap a bar for the details.

What this shows

Every team in the group, ranked by Big Uglies: defensive front.

No. 1: New Mexico at 75.7, 1.9 ahead of No. 2, Virginia Tech (73.8).

The top 25 average 61.7; the middle of all 138 in the group is 49.7.

By conference: SEC 6, ACC and Big Ten 5 each, Big 12 3, Mountain West 1, out of the top 25.

Where the data comes from. Play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026. Every stat here is computed from those plays.

Next up

  1. Boise State 55.6
  2. Duke 55.6
  3. South Carolina 55.5
  4. Georgia Southern 54.9
  5. Arizona 54.8
  6. North Texas 54.8

Most in the top 25

  1. SEC 6 of 25
  2. ACC 5 of 25
  3. Big Ten 5 of 25
  4. Big 12 3 of 25
  5. Mountain West 1 of 25
  6. American Athletic 1 of 25

About the stats on this chart

What is Big Uglies: defensive front?

Big Uglies for the defensive front: adjusted line yards allowed (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success allowed (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS front. 50 is average; every 10 points is a standard deviation. Higher is better.

Why do Big Uglies: defensive front matter?

Same deal for the front seven. A defense that wins up front makes everything else easier.

Where does the Big Uglies: defensive front data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.