Strength against strength: Does modern era benefit TCU offense?
By Ethan Levine
Published:
A lot has been made of the upcoming matchup between the explosive TCU offense and the vaunted Ole Miss defense in this year’s Peach Bowl. And the hype is justified.
TCU boasted the nation’s second-best scoring offense this season, averaging just shy of 47 points per game. Ole Miss, on the other hand, had the nation’s best scoring defense in 2014, holding opponents to fewer than 14 points per game (no other team held opponents to fewer than 16 points per game).
This all begs the question: Who will have an edge when these two talented units take the field Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta?
In the past, a great defense typically fared well against an equally great offense. When the SEC enjoyed a run of seven straight national titles from 2006-12, it won many of those titles with some of the best defenses in recent college football history.
Five of the last six BCS national champions had a defense ranked in the top 10 in the nation in yards allowed per game, further proving the value of a dominant defense in high-profile matchups.
Many of the remaining top 10 defenses earned other BCS bowl bids, while there was not nearly as strong a correlation between top 10 offenses and postseason success.
This would lead us to believe it will be Ole Miss and its Landshark defense that will have an edge in the Peach Bowl.
But in the modern era of college football, that might not be the case.
Recent rule changes have given potent offenses a tremendous advantage of late, whether it be protection of defenseless skill players or stingier rules regarding pass interference.
Dynamic offenses are becoming trendy, while stout defenses are developing into an endangered species. Six of the top 10 offenses in points per game will take part in this year’s collection of New Year’s Six bowl games, while three top 10 defenses in points allowed per game will take part in the New Year’s festivities.
A high-scoring offense has become the way to win in the FBS, and if you don’t believe me just take a look at the scores of the early bowl games this season. Ten of 18 bowl games played before Dec. 29 topped 60 combined points between the two teams in play.
So while the talented Ole Miss defense may be bucking trends in impressive fashion in 2014, it is the TCU offense that follows the modern recipe for success by scoring points in bunches.
When the unstoppable force that is the TCU offense meets the immoveable object that is the Ole Miss defense, there’s a great chance the Horned Frogs earn an advantage on the field. That might not have been the case 20 years ago or even five years ago, but it’s certainly the case in 2014.
The Rebels are fierce, but if Trevone Boykin and company are clicking, they’ll be difficult to stop.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
