J.D. PicKell: USC's defense not the focus for getting Trojans to College Football Playoff

USC in 2023 was a vintage Lincoln Riley team. A star quarterback (Caleb Williams) was leading the way, giving the Trojans the opportunity to be one of the best teams in the country. But the defense was horrendous, knocking them down a few levels. It showed in the biggest games of the season, particularly when facing Utah twice.

Many believe if USC is going to make the College Football Playoff this season, the defense is going to have to improve. However, On3’s J.D. PicKell disagrees. Even with how bad Alex Grinch‘s unit was a year ago, USC was still a game away from being a CFP participant.

Being better on defense would result in USC being in the national championship discussion, not just the College Football Playoff.

“I don’t think the defense needs to be that much improved in 2023 to get to the College Football Playoff and to win the Pac-12,” PicKell said. “The reason why I know that was because they were good enough last year with that sub-par defense to get to the College Football Playoff. People at USC probably feel this way as well.”

With how the cookie crumbled, USC would have been in the playoff had they beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game. The final score was not particularly close, though, with the Utes winning by 23 points. A poor defensive performance but Williams had a lower-body injury throughout.

PicKell believes had Williams stayed healthy, USC may have been the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the CFP. A potential matchup against Michigan or Georgia could have been on the table.

“If Caleb Williams stays healthy in that Pac-12 title game, and he’s able to be as dynamic as we saw all through last season — Caleb Williams and USC, they’re playing in the College Football Playoff. They’re in the dance. They’re in that top four. They probably beat Utah.”

From a pure scoring defense standpoint, USC allowed nearly 30 points per game. Teams gained around 423 yards on a weekly basis against the Trojans. There is nowhere else to go except up, especially when considering some of the additions through the NCAA transfer portal.

Any kind of improvement and PicKell is ready to talk about a potential national championship of West. Even if USC sees another year of dreadful defense, if healthy, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams can give them a fighting chance.