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Pamela Maldonado
This season belongs to the trenches. It’s what my eyes have been seeing and Week 7 of college football confirmed. The best teams in the country aren’t quarterback-driven. They are line-driven.
I thought rushing success was the common thread, but it’s really trench superiority — elite run blocking, relentless pass rushing and coverage units that erase passing windows. That’s the true power curve of 2025.
To me, these are the current top teams: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas Tech, Miami and Texas A&M. One team that is ranked up top that I don’t agree with? Alabama — which is no surprise if you’ve been following my work.
Every one of these teams besides Bama grades top 20 nationally in run defense and pass rush, and four of them sit top 15 in run blocking. It’s no coincidence that five of those six are undefeated. The separation isn’t coming from quarterback play, it’s coming from line integrity.
Line play is the new quarterback
Let’s start with Indiana. The Hoosiers have allowed just one red-zone touchdown all season, on six opponent trips. That’s absurd. Their defense ranks top 10 in run defense, pass rush and coverage, while their offensive line ranks second in the country in run blocking.
Fernando Mendoza’s 17 touchdowns and 71% completion look great, but Indiana’s real edge is how rarely it loses the line.
Ohio State’s blueprint is similar. The Buckeyes have faced 11 red-zone possessions and allowed just two touchdowns. Their defense is top 15 across run defense, tackling and coverage, and their offensive line sits top 10 in pass blocking. Julian Sayin is thriving because the foundation is so stable.
Texas Tech is my favorite team right now; top-ranked run defense, No. 1 pass rush, No. 3 coverage and a top-40 offensive line. Behren Morton left Week 7 with an injury and the rhythm dipped, but after halftime Tech leaned on the run, with Cameron Dickey rushing for 263 yards. Talk about powering up. That was a line-of-scrimmage win for the Red Raiders.
Miami is close behind. Dominant up front (No. 2 run defense, No. 3 pass rush) but shaky inside the 20s.
Alabama and A&M? Talented, sure, but flawed.
Alabama ranks 113th in pass rush, and A&M is among the worst tackling units. The difference between “playoff lock” and “top-15 team” is trench drop-off.
Why the Heisman feels lost
The Heisman race feels disoriented because this isn’t a year of statistical heroes but rather a year of five-man walls and seven-man fronts.
The favorites right now are all quarterbacks: Carson Beck (+350), Ty Simpson (+400), Fernando Mendoza (+500) and Julian Sayin (+1600). Yet, none of them are leading their teams in impact.
Beck is 46th nationally in passing grade, and his defense ranks top three in run defense and pass rush. Simpson has Alabama at 5-1, but his offense ranks in the bottom third in run blocking and his defense is average by Alabama standards. Mendoza might be the only one who has truly earned his spot on the board, but even his candidacy is propped up by an elite defense.
The problem isn’t the players, it’s the award. The Heisman still rewards production in a season defined by prevention. The best players in the country this year don’t touch the ball. The best players right now are the ones who pressure it, protect it or eliminate it entirely.
The betting angle: What the market is missing
Vegas is halfway there. The national championship odds reflect what’s really happening:
Ohio State +350 (6-0 ATS)
Alabama +650 (4-1-1 ATS)
Miami +750 (4-1 ATS)
Indiana +900 (4-2 ATS)
Texas Tech +1600 (6-0 ATS)
The betting market is telling the same story. The best trench teams are the ones covering spreads. The teams that win the line of scrimmage are the ones beating the number. Yet, the Heisman board is still chasing quarterback metrics from a different era.
If you’re betting, the edge is simple: look at who wins in the middle.
Game totals: I had a stellar Week 7 hitting the unders. When trench teams meet, totals are the value play. Indiana, Miami and Ohio State are a combined 7-10 to the under because their defenses kill drives early. Opponent team totals are worth targeting, along with opposing player prop unders.
I say market inefficiency because the books are still pricing “explosive passing” as the defining edge, but this year it’s front-seven dominance that drives outcomes. The market hasn’t caught up yet. It will.
Futures: If you’re holding Alabama or A&M national title tickets, you’re paying for the brand, not the numbers. Eventually the math will catch up.
Right now, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas Tech are the teams best equipped to win it all. They own the line of scrimmage, and that’s been the truest predictor of playoff football this season.
The irony is that the storylines we keep chasing: Heisman odds, passing yards, etc. are all distractions from what actually decides games. The numbers have already told us that the teams built on the line are the ones that last into December.
If you want to find this year’s champion, stop watching who’s throwing touchdowns and start watching who’s preventing them.
Because the best players in the country this year don’t show up on stat sheets, they show up in the trenches.
