USC vs Alabama Highlights Similarities Between Football Powers

USC vs Alabama will feature two teams with more similarities than might seem apparent on first glance. Clay Helton is hoping to use that to his advantage.

It’s the premiere match up of the college football season and it is finally within touching distance. USC vs Alabama has been on everyone’s mind since the 2015 season ended with a whimper in the Holiday Bowl.

Could Clay Helton hope to match up with Nick Saban? Could the Trojans compete against the defending national champions?

The questions have been asked over and over this offseason, but finally, it’s (mock) game week and there’s no more talking around the subject.

“Both [teams] are the pinnacles of college football,” Helton said. “We just happen to be way far away from each other.”

Far enough away that the two powerhouses haven’t met since 1985 in the Aloha Bowl, a win for the Tide. Far enough away that the last regular season match up was in 1978, a Trojan victory.

RELATED: Looking Back at the History of USC vs. Alabama

Eyes aren’t on past results now though. The focus is tuned to Arlington, Texas, to AT&T Stadium and the up-hill battle the Trojans will face there against one of the most consistently dominant programs of the last decade.

“It’s unbelievable what jumps off of the tape of how well coached they are just offensively and defensively,” Helton said. “This is a very well coached team and you expect that from a Nick Saban coached team.”

The Tide have playmakers across to field, said Helton and anyone else with eyes who has ever sat down to watch a football game involving Alabama under Saban.

The Trojan head coach singled out receiver Calvin Ridley, running back Bo Scarbrough and the entire Alabama secondary as standouts to worry about.

Saban also has a former USC head coach in his arsenal, with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin facing his former team for the first time.

SEE ALSO: Former Alabama Lineman Says Tide Will “Steamroll” USC

As a former employee of Kiffin, Helton knows all to well the ability of his opponent to exploit a defense

“[Kiffin’s] always done a terrific job of being able to put his best player and find ways to get him the ball and put him on your worst,” said Helton of his former boss.

Kiffin made defenses sweat with Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, Nelson Agholor and Amari Cooper. Now Helton is sweating over the threat of Ridley, who Helton called one of the best receivers in the country,

“He reminds me so much of Marqise Lee. His explosiveness and burst,” said Helton. “You hold your breath every time he touches it. He’s one of those guys who’s the biggest threat because he can run by you but also can catch short and run long. That’s a scary animal.”

It’s a good thing USC has a scary animal of their own in JuJu Smith-Schuster.

CHECK OUT: Could JuJu Smith-Schuster Break USC Records In 2016?

In fact, except for the championship gap, the Trojans and Tide actually have a great number of similarities.

USC has their own elite receiver, their own pair of dangerous running backs in Justin Davis and Ronald Jones II and their own formidable secondary anchored by Adoree’ Jackson and Iman Marshall.

They’ve also been knee deep in a quarterback battle this offseason, which is something Helton says has turned into an advantage in preparing for Alabama.

While USC has settled on Max Browne as the starting quarterback over Sam Darnold, Saban has yet to name a starter between Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett and Jalen Hurts.

RELATED: Browne, Darnold Go Back To Work After QB Decision

Under different circumstances, not knowing whether they’d be facing the pocket passing of Bateman or the athletic dual-threat of Barnett and Hurts would be a problem for the Trojans. Except that’s something the USC defense has been facing since the spring, alternating between defending Browne and Darnold.

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“We’re kind of in a similar situation,” Helton said, noting the similarities between Browne and Bateman as well as Darnold and Barnett or Hurts “That’s why you see us going against each other a lot, putting good on good.”

The tutelage of Helton and new Trojan offensive coordinator Tee Martin under Helton has also ensured the two teams run similar attacks, or at least, employ similar concepts.

As a result, pitting the first team defense against the first team offense — iron sharpening iron as Helton and his players would say — has done as much to prep USC for Alabama as scout team work will over the next ten days.