Offenses may get all the headlines, but the real test of a championship college football team is the impact their defense has on a week-to-week basis. With that in mind, here's our list of The 3 Best Defenses In Big Ten Football For 2015.
3. Michigan State Spartans
Ed Davis' season-ending injury is a huge blow, but there's still plenty here to suggest that MSU is in good shape -- even with a shaky secondary after the losses of Kurtis Drummond and Trae Waynes. The thing keeping this all together in the team's banner defensive line, headlined by Shilique Calhoun -- the "other" marquee Big Ten defensive end who may put together a better season than OSU's Joey Bosa without getting the full credit he deserves.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State finished 7th in points allowed, 3rd in overall run defense, 3rd in yards per play, 2nd in opponents' passer rating and 20th in tackles for loss per game last season. After that, the Nittany Lions made the right call and handed defensive coordinator Bob Shoop a massive raise when LSU came knocking down his door. Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson are the best defensive tackle combination in the nation, and it doesn't stop there with one of the deepest overall units in all of college football.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
There's too much individual talent on this defense to dock Ohio State for finishing 26th in scoring defense and 25th in yards per play in 2014. DE Joey Bosa, LB Darron Lee and safety Von Bell aren't just impact players -- they're superstars that'd key any defense in the country, excluding none. Bosa may be on the shelf for the opener against Virginia Tech due to suspension, but he's a sure-fire top-three 2016 NFL Draft pick and one of the most dominant front seven talents to ever step on the field in Columbus.
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