In the SEC, offense matters more than it used to. Consider the 2020 Alabama team which averaged almost 50 points per game and won the national title with Heisman receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Mac Jones. That team won the SEC Championship Game by a 52-46 score over Kyle Pitts, Kyle Trask, and the Florida Gators.
Yet, as much as offense might matter more than it did 40 years ago, defense is still a big deal in the SEC. The Georgia Bulldogs prove that nearly every year. As the Dawgs go for a third straight national championship, SEC pundits such as Paul Finebaum are keenly aware of how defense separates pretenders from contenders.
Finebaum is obviously not convinced by USC’s defense under Alex Grinch, and it’s frankly hard to blame him. Finebaum thinks USC will not make the College Football Playoff because of its defensive limitations.
He is not alone. USC simply has to answer this challenge and evolve the way Lincoln Riley thinks it can. It’s up to the Trojans to change perceptions and reality.
Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.