In conjunction with the Iowa State SBN piece going up later today...
In 2010, Iowa State's defense pulled off a mighty feat -- they ranked a miserable 112th in the country in Success Rate+ ... and a completely respectable 47th in PPP+. They couldn't force passing downs to save their lives, but they made you drive the length of the field every time. Odd, odd, odd.
Biggest Difference Between Def. Success Rate+ and Def. PPP+ Ranking, 2005-10 (SR > PPP)
1. 2010 Iowa State (65 spots -- 112th in SR+, 47th in PPP+)
2. 2005 Toledo (57 spots -- 98th SR+, 41st PPP+)
3. 2007 Cincinnati (53 spots -- 66th SR+, 13th PPP+)
4. 2005 SMU (52 spots -- 86th SR+, 34th PPP+)
5. 2006 Central Michigan (50 spots -- 115th SR+, 65th PPP+)
6. 2010 Pittsburgh (50 spots -- 72nd SR+, 22nd PPP+)
7. 2005 Texas Tech (50 spots -- 104th SR+, 54th PPP+)
8. 2006 East Carolina (46 spots -- 75th SR+, 29th PPP+)
9. 2006 Minnesota (46 spots -- 100th SR+, 54th PPP+)
10. 2006 Syracuse (46 spots -- 92nd SR+, 46th PPP+)
For whatever it's worth, only one of the eight pre-2010 teams on the list improved the next season; four regressed and three held steady.