Well things just got interesting, folks. Apparently Steve Spurrier and Kevin Sumlin are betting men now. According to Yahoo Sports, Spurrier and Sumlin made a $10 wager recently about which team’s defense will be the most improved. Both coaches hired new defensive coordinators this offseason, so both squads will likely see some changes for the better. But which one will be the most improved?

 

Texas A&M’s Argument

This group was terrible defensively in 2014. The Aggies finished last in the conference in total defense, giving up 450.8 yards per game. They were also 11^th in scoring defense within the 14-team conference, allowing 28.1 points per game. The Aggies found a bright spot in last year’s defense, though, and his name is Myles Garrett.

Garrett racked up 11.5 sacks last season as a true freshman.  

Sumlin’s defense also returns Armani Watts, another rising sophomore that had a pretty good freshman campaign. Watts had three interceptions and 59 total tackles last season. Shaan Washington is another important part to the Aggies’ defense, as he had 64 total tackles a year ago.

The biggest argument for Texas A&M in this bet is that they now have one of the top defensive minds in college football in John Chavis. Chavis, who was at LSU for the six previous seasons, has led some great defenses in the past. Six of the Chavis-led defenses at LSU finished in the top-12 nationally in scoring defense. The one season that it did not finish in the top-12 came in 2013 when the Tigers were 21^st in that category, which is still not a bad mark. Alone, the hiring of Chavis and the implementation of his aggressive style will be the biggest reason that we see improvements out of this group.

 

South Carolina’s Argument

The Gamecocks were equally as bad last season. They owned the third-worst scoring defense in the SEC, allowing 30.4 points per game, and they ranked 13^th in the conference in total defense by allowing 432.7 yards per game.

The biggest case for South Carolina is that they have more talent on the 2015 roster. There are veterans like Skai Moore and T.J. Gurley who return, but there are also some talented newcomers. The Gamecocks added a trio of junior college transfers this offseason—Marquavius Lewis, Dante Sawyer, and Ulric Jones—all defensive linemen who have the ability to contribute this year. Those are huge additions for a defense that totaled only 14 sacks in 13 games last year. In all, South Carolina returns eight starters from last year’s group.

The Gamecocks hired Jon Hoke to become co-defensive coordinator, and it’s Hoke who will call the plays. Lorenzo Ward, defensive coordinator a season ago, will stay on the staff as the other co-coordinator, and that could be a move that helps with the transition to a new coach.  

Hoke spent three years at Florida as Spurrier’s defensive coordinator, but his 13 seasons of NFL experience is what stands out. He was a defensive backs coach in the NFL, so pairing him with the young defensive backs at Carolina could be a match made in heaven. Wesley Green, D.J. Smith, Chris Lammons, and Al Harris are all guys who were highly-recruited, so expect that unit to show significant improvements.

 

 

Who’s Winning the Bet?

And the answer is……Steve Spurrier. Chavis is an excellent coordinator and Garrett is among the top defensive players in college football, but Texas A&M will not be a top defense right away. There will be ups and downs, and it appears that South Carolina is on the road to a quicker recovery from last year.

The Gamecocks simply have more to work with if you look at the pieces they added, on top of the guys that were already returning. South Carolina returns all three of their top tacklers from last year, while A&M loses all three. Hoke will get the Gamecocks back to playing fundamental, sound football defensively, but it’s the confidence that his hiring will bring that will be the most important key. Some may look at Carolina’s 7-6 record and not think twice, but Spurrier’s group could easily have finished with nine or ten wins. They blew big leads late against Kentucky and Tennessee, and the wheels fell off in the fourth quarter against Missouri.

If you look at the schedules, South Carolina appears to have a better shot there as well. Only two teams on the Gamecocks’ 2015 schedule finished last year with a top-30 scoring offense. Texas A&M will face four teams that finished in the top-30 offensively, including three that finished 16^th or better. There are eight teams on the Gamecocks’ schedule that finished with an offense that finished 50^th or higher in scoring. That number for A&M? Five.

There is so much turnover in college sports that those stats hardly matter, but it does make a difference. Going through the SEC West and facing those offenses will present a tougher challenge. 

Expect both of these teams to be better on defense, but it’s South Carolina whose improvements will be more significant.

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