They say defense wins championships. If that is true, you will went to take a look at this list of defensive dandies who have outperformed their competition in the first month of the season. As always with September CFB lists, please be aware that the level of competition in the ensuing weeks may stiffen. Nontheless, these ten teams have performed with aplomb in the opening weeks. The major criteria for judging a team is their defensive yards per play and points allowed. Hold a team to 4 or less yards per play and allow 17 or less points and you will win your share of football games. With that being said, here is our list of the top ten teams that have allowed 4 or less yards per play in the 1st month of the season, their points against, and their straight-up and ATS record to validate their performance. As data for support, we have also included columns on their DYPR (defensive yards per rush), DYPA (defensive yards per pass attempt), and TY(total defensive yards allowed).
Team PA YPP DYPR DYPA TY SU ATS

Arizona 11 3.9 2.9 5.3 231 4-0 3-1

Boise State 20 3.9 1.8 7.3 229 3-0 2-1

Florida St. 16 4.0 2.2 6.1 291 3-1 3-1

Iowa 12 3.9 2.4 5.3 228 3-1 2-2

Miami FL 13 4.0 2.9 6.3 252 2-1 2-1

Nebraska 13 4.0 3.6 4.6 265 4-0 2-2

Oregon 11 4.0 3.3 4.8 294 4-0 4-0

Texas 18 3.8 2.7 5.5 228 3-1 1-3

Tex. A&M 14 3.6 2.2 4.7 256 3-0 2-1

Utah 13 3.8 2.4 5.7 247 4-0 3-0

Though past performance is no guarantee of future success, history has shown that consistency on the defensive side of the ball is much easier to attain than on the offensive. The 24-12 ATS (67%) winning logs of these teams should not be ignored.