The secret is out: the Ohio State Buckeyes' defense is the best in America. It's a rare combination of the best athletes who are smart enough to play the toughest scheme.

First-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has been able to take his NFL philosophies and implement them into Ohio State's unit. The result has been a dominant group that is only getting better.

Every week, there is a new stat that comes out about how good this defense is. This week, it proves that Buckeye opponents are only struggling against Ohio State. 

Ohio State's defense is giving up an average of 6.8 points per game. Allowing less than a touchdown per game is astounding in itself, but how about the fact that those same opponents are averaging 33.4 points per game against non-Buckeye foes?

It is nearly a 30-point difference between playing the Buckeyes versus any other opponent. 

The Buckeyes defense will go as far as its three superstars will take it.

Coming into this year as a relatively unknown player, linebacker-turned-quarterback-terrorizer Arvell Reese has taken college football by storm. To this point, he's specifically been a special teams ace, but he has taken full advantage of his opportunity. Reese has catapulted himself into superstardom and is molding himself into a legitimate top-10 NFL Draft pick.

Next to Reese is veteran star Sonny Styles, who has been there and done that for the Buckeyes. He was an integral part of last season's national championship run, playing side-by-side with Cody Simon. Together, those two posed an elite threat for the Buckeyes, and Styles has elevated his play from there.

Reese and Styles set the table, then safety Caleb Downs takes care of anything that those two don't get as the final line of defense. Needless to say, it has been a boring year for No. 2, but that doesn't take away from his impact.

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Those three are Ohio State's unquestioned defensive leaders.

It is rare that a veteran-heavy defense gets younger and doesn't miss a beat. It is unheard of for a defense to graduate eight NFL players, from second-round draft picks to undrafted free agents, and somehow be better off because of it.

The Buckeyes' defense will own every superlative at the end of this season and can help the scarlet and gray repeat as champions. The only question is if Ohio State will hold the trophy in January again.