Ranking College Football’s Top Wagons: Ole Miss and Tennessee Stand Out

5. Miami's Front Seven

The Miami Hurricanes have been without their best defensive lineman for much of this young season as Rueben Bain Jr. has still yet to register a sack. Despite missing the terrific young pass rusher, Miami still leads the country in sacks and they have managed to average four per game even without Bain. Tyler Baron has 4.5 sacks, Simeon Barrow and Elijah Alston have 2.5 sacks and five other players have one or more. They have done this against weaker competition but also against Florida and South Florida. It should continue during the ACC season, especially with Bain Jr. expected back for the conference opener against Virginia Tech.

National Title Odds: Miami +1600

2. Tennessee Volunteers' Defense

It would not be a shock to see the Tennessee Volunteers on a list like this but to have them on for their defense? Yes, their defense has been downright dominant. The Vols are giving up only seven points per game and only 3.13 yards per play. That includes just 1.57 rush yards per attempt and they are coming off of an impressive shutdown of Oklahoma in Norman. The Sooners got to 15 points but that required a late touchdown from OU’s backup quarterback to make the game look closer than it actually was. Their dominance was on display in the first half as they limited OU to less than 100 yards, including -20 in the second quarter, plus three forced turnovers. Opponents are only converting 16.98% of third down attempts so far and the secondary, a unit that was supposed to be a weakness, looks much better than expected. The Vols now get a bye week before a test at Arkansas.

National Title Odds: Tennessee +1200

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3. UCF's Running Game

UCF’s rushing attack was expected to be a team-strength but there’s not enough of an understanding of just how dominant the Knights are on the ground. UCF leads the nation in rushing yards per game at a whopping 375.7 yards per game! Gus Malzahn’s squad is averaging 6.83 yards per rush and they have 13 rushing touchdowns through three games. The individual pieces are terrific and Gus Malzahn’s system puts each piece in place to succeed. RJ Harvey is averaging 7.59 yards per carry, Peny Boone is at 6.63, Myles Montgomery is averaging 7.05 per rush and quarterback KJ Jefferson is at 4.66 per attempt. Explosive Johnny Richardson has barely been used but he can get the job done as well. It is fair to say the Knights have not played terrific defenses thus far but they should keep churning regardless of the opponent and it makes them a real threat in the Big 12.

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4. Kaleb Jackson

Iowa’s offense is still far from a juggernaut but they have found a star at running back in Kaleb Johnson. Teams can hone in on the rushing attack as they don’t have much to fear from Iowa’s passing game or wide receivers but Johnson keeps impressing and he leads the country in rushing yards after four weeks. That’s not a misprint, the Iowa Hawkeyes have an offensive player leading the country in a major statistical category. He has 82 carries for a remarkable 685 yards, that is an average of 8.35 yards per rush. Johnson is not churning out empty yards, he’s getting the job done in competitive games and finishing in the end zone as evidenced by his nine touchdowns! He had 119 in the opener on just 11 carries before taking off for 187 against Iowa State, 173 against Troy and 206 yards against Minnesota. Iowa has a bye week before he gets a huge test in the spotlight against Ohio State.

5. Miami's Front Seven

The Miami Hurricanes have been without their best defensive lineman for much of this young season as Rueben Bain Jr. has still yet to register a sack. Despite missing the terrific young pass rusher, Miami still leads the country in sacks and they have managed to average four per game even without Bain. Tyler Baron has 4.5 sacks, Simeon Barrow and Elijah Alston have 2.5 sacks and five other players have one or more. They have done this against weaker competition but also against Florida and South Florida. It should continue during the ACC season, especially with Bain Jr. expected back for the conference opener against Virginia Tech.

National Title Odds: Miami +1600