After watching #1 LSU’s win over #2 Alabama last Saturday I couldn’t help but think the same thing that I have thought for years – the SEC’s defenses are overrated. True, the SEC may seem like it has some solid defenses, but this is actually just a by-product of having even worse offenses. These so-called “Top 25” teams and their “outstanding” defenses are nothing more than a faulty ranking system that favors the SEC. I have been saying this for years – when you have 8 teams ranked in the preseason top 25 that hold their own in the non-conference schedule and then subsequently play each other all season long, what do you think is going to happen? Surprise, surprise, they are going to stay in the top 25! It’s maddening!! I want to dissect these pack leading SEC teams this week by comparing them to the PAC 12.
Before I get too excited, I can’t forget to make the Mueller genuine call of the week. If Stanford can hold off a very strong Oregon team tomorrow, they are finally the team that can put an end to the SEC’s domination of the BCS. Stanford resembles an SEC team in some ways and can go muscle for muscle with LSU in the championship game. The big difference here is that Stanford actually has an offensive game and a premiere QB. If Stanford can somehow solve the Oregon offense this week, they will put an end to the SEC reign.
Back to some stats that will open your eyes. The Pac 12 has the #6(Oregon), #7(Stanford), #16 (Arizona, Bear Down!), #23(USC), #25(ASU), #42(Cal), #47(Washington State), and #48(Washington) offenses in the nation. Meanwhile, the SEC has not a single offense (that’s right, zero) in the top 20, and only 3 in the top 50 (#21-Arkansas, #26-Alabama, and #32-Georgia). But WOW, their defenses are good!!
Let’s take a look at why these defenses are so “great.” Take Alabama’s #1 ranked defense in the nation which allows only 7.1 points per game. This so-called amazing defense has faced the #89, #109, #21, #94, #102, #113, #96, and #119 offenses in the nation–there are only 120 teams in FBS division 1-A. That is a murderer’s row of offensive firepower, right?!?! Meanwhile, LSU’s defense is ranked #2 in the nation and allows 10.9 points per game. They have faced the #6 offense (to whom they allowed 27 points to be scored), the FBS division 1-AA offense of Northwestern State, #53, #11 (West Virginia, and once again allowed a “measly” 21 points), #116, #94, #96, #90, and #26.
Now, before everyone freaks out and starts talking about how LSU pounded Oregon this year, I will admit, you are right – they did beat them pretty darn good. I am not trying to say that the Pac 12 is better than the SEC. The point I am trying to make is that everyone says that it would not be fun to be in the SEC having to face “those defenses” every season. So yeah, they are right, it wouldn’t be fun if you can’t throw or run the ball effectively. If I had a horrible offense I wouldn’t want to play “those SEC defenses” every season either! But what no one ever talks about is how it would be no fun to go up against 8 of the top 50 best offenses in college football week after week. I mean, our own Wildcats, who are 2-7 overall this year have the #16 offense in the nation. That requires teams to actually build up a game plan to shut us down. Meanwhile, LSU and Alabama get to try to stop nothing each week. You saw the numbers above: it is literally nothing that they are trying to stop… It is actually quite pathetic when you look at the numbers up close.
I know that the SEC beat the Pac 12 in the National Championship game last year but that was one game that they had a lot of time to plan for with bigger and superior talent. Oregon has made a mockery of Pac 12 teams for years with their spread offense, but in Bowl games it has not proven to be that effective when teams have a long time to prepare for it.
The bottom line is these SEC teams may beat up on each other all year but they do not even have a pulse when it comes to offensive football on a week to week basis. Play the Pac 12 schedule and you would see these defenses come back to earth. Even if the Pac didn’t win the majority of the games, they would at least put up a few points on these “spectacular” defenses.