Where FSU’s defense stands among 136 Teams in ESPN’s latest stop rate rankings

The Florida State Seminoles have been under fire over recent weeks after an ACC losing streak dating back to last season. Granted, a near-complete overhaul of staff took the field for the Seminoles in 2025, but FSU has lost four straight games and has given up 158 points this year, with 128 coming during conference play.

A major complaint circling around the media and fan base has been the FSU defense, which seemingly went on a tailspin after taking down Alabama, East Texas A&M, and Kent State.

ESPN recently released a list of defensive stop rate rankings for 136 college football teams after Week 8, reflecting a defense's effectiveness at getting off the field. The Seminoles landed in a four-way tie at No. 76.

What is a Stop Rate?

Nov 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr (6) pursues North Carolina Tarheels running back Davion Gause (21) in the second quarter at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Myers-Imagn Images | Robert Myers-Imagn Images

To better understand where the Seminoles’ defense ranks among their peers, ESPN broke it down using one of football’s simplest yet most telling metrics.

"What is stop rate? It's a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense's drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs," ESPN wrote. "Defensive coordinators have the same goal regardless of their scheme, opponent or conference: prevent points and get off the field. Stop rate is a simple metric but can offer a good reflection of a defense's effectiveness on a per-drive basis in today's faster-tempo game."

How does Florida State Stack Up?

Oct 18, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Cole Tabb (33) runs with the football during the first quarter against Florida State Seminoles defensive back Shamar Arnoux (15) and Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Amaree Williams (40) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The No. 1 team per ESPN's metric is Ohio State with an 84.2% chance, allowing 0.72 points per drive, followed closely by Oklahoma (82.1%, 0.84). The Seminoles currently sit in the bottom tier, tied with Western Kentucky and Rice. The Seminoles have allowed a scoring drive 40% of the time and are giving up an average of 2.38 points when the defense takes the field.

Florida State isn't necessarily at the bottom of the pack in terms of the ACC. Conference teams with a lower ranking are Duke (85), North Carolina (95), NC State (96), Stanford (115), Virginia Tech (124), and Boston College (134).

It isn't all doom and gloom for the 'Noles, although the pressure cooker of the 2025 season from an outside perspective is seemingly about to boil over. Florida State ranks a little higher overall at No. 34 in ESPN's recent SP+ rankings.

The 'Noles are on a bye week, so expect them to potentially drop a little further as other teams play their respective games. FSU will host Wake Forest on November 1 at 7:30 p.m.

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