Seattle Post Intelligencer: To USC's Carroll, best D is great O

By TED MILLER

USC coach Pete Carroll doesn't come off as a terribly philosophical guy, but he's been thinking about the old chicken-and-egg argument a little bit lately, at least as it pertains to college football. To defenses, in particular. While Carroll acts like he's completely insulated in a world of one-game-at-a-time, he's aware of the scuttlebutt that says his top-ranked Trojans are vulnerable on defense. Some pundits have even asserted that the crew Carroll personally oversees is, well, not good.

Or perhaps just mediocre. The Trojans rank 41st in the nation in total defense and 31st in scoring defense. Meanwhile, the nation's other two unbeatens, No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Alabama, own defenses ranked in the top seven in yards and points surrendered. The conventional -- read: East Coast -- wisdom is the Pac-10 is weak on defense, while SEC fans quickly note that their conference boasts seven of the nation's top 26 defenses. Carroll can't resist a brief observation: Six Pac-10 teams rank in the nation's top 20 in scoring. Only one SEC team and two Big 12 teams rank in the top 25. "It's ridiculous that the (Pac-10) offenses are that good," Carroll said. "It isn't about the defenses. It's the offenses that are so proficient."

In other words, USC's defense looks vulnerable because it plays in the Pac-10, and Alabama's and Texas' defenses look dominant because they don't.   So is it the chicken (powerful SEC defenses) or the egg (potent Pac-10 offenses)?

If USC gives up 20.6 points and 348 yards per game, does that mean it's bad on defense? Might the Trojans have better numbers if they played Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska or Mississippi State -- offenses ranked between 92nd and 112th in the nation, a nether region uninhabited by the Pac-10? It's worthwhile to note that LSU gave up 560 yards and 31 points to Arizona State but dominated its other seven, non-Pac-10 opponents to the tune of 258 yards and 11.4 points per game. USC pounded out 631 yards against Arizona State in its 38-28 win, nearly 200 yards more than LSU produced, and held the Sun Devils to 415 yards. USC and Alabama do have a common opponent. The Trojans nipped Arkansas 70-17 on Sept. 17. A week later, Alabama's defense dominated the Razorbacks in a 24-13 victory. Alabama has a great defense, sure. And USC would score 35 points against the Crimson Tide because the Trojans' offense is more talented than the first-team All-SEC offense that will be shortly unveiled. Seriously -- go look up all the SEC's offensive "stars."