Alex Grinch is the Pac-12 defensive coordinator with the most to prove — and lose — this season. If Grinch falls short of expectations and USC doesn’t at least win the Pac-12 championship, it will be hard for Lincoln Riley to retain him as the Trojans’ defensive coordinator. Grinch’s national reputation is very much on the line. His USC defense simply can’t collapse the way it did late in the 2022 season if he wants to become a Power Five head coach in the near future.
However, as much as Grinch is on the hottest seat of any defensive coordinator in the Pac-12, Oregon’s defense is not exactly in a good spot with Washington and Michael Penix looming on October 14 in Seattle. The Ducks’ secondary remains a point of concern, and Texas Tech moved the ball consistently before Oregon made a late interception to preserve a narrow win in Lubbock. We have to ask the question:
Who is the worse defensive coordinator: Tosh Lupoi or Alex Grinch?
See what our Pac-12 experts think. One of our Oregon experts gave an eye-opening answer: