“Some teams will play 55 snaps today,” Spencer said. “I think we defended 17 possessions, 110 (snaps), so we just played two ball games compared to what some people do. That's why the yardage thing is so irrelevant. People of influence have got to figure this out how to evaluate defense.”

Alabama's defense held LSU to just 182 yards of total offense Saturday night in a nationally televised 30-16 victory. Come Tuesday night when the latest College Football Playoff rankings are released on ESPN, analysts will discuss what makes the Crimson Tide's defense one of the best in the country based on the performance.

But here's the thing about that game.

Alabama's defense allowed 1.33 points per possession, but LSU's offense ran only 45 plays on 12 drives.

If you take away five of TCU's 17 drives against OSU, its defense would have also finished with 1.33 points per possession.