By , Alicia de Artola / Reign of Troy
Published August 31, 2016
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First Word… On Tuesday, Belly of the Beast, an SEC-centric blog, posted a breakdown of Alabama's 2016 depth chart featuring no names, only star rankings.
The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate just how the Crimson Tide roster is loaded with talent.
After perusing the depth chart, there can be no question, Alabama is a physically talented football team.
Of the 55 players on the two-deep, 42 of them were four or five-star recruits. That's 76 percent.
Impressively, 13 of those players are five-star talents, while 29 were four-stars.
With that kind of representation, it is no wonder the Tide feature so prominently in any discussion of recruiting ranking average over any recent period of years.
More precisely, the reason for the article's existence was to show fans of teams not named Alabama just how "trash" their own depth chart is by comparison.
For most squads, the message comes through loud and clear.
But just how outmatched are Alabama's season opener opponents, the USC Trojans?
Here's a look at USC's two-deep with star ratings for reference:
Max Browne ★★★★★
Sam Darnold ★★★★
Justin Davis ★★★★
Ronald Jones ★★★★
JuJu Smith-Schuster ★★★★★
De'Quan Hampton ★★★★
Darreus Rogers ★★★★
Jalen Greene ★★★
OR Michael Pittman ★★★★
Steven Mitchell ★★★★
OR Deontay Burnett ★★★
Trevon Sidney ★★★★
OR Velus Jones ★★★
Taylor McNamara ★★★★
Tyler Petite ★★★★
OR Daniel Imatorbhebhe ★★★
Zach Banner ★★★★
Chuma Edoga ★★★★★
Viane Talamaivao ★★★★
Jordan Simmons ★★★★
Toa Lobendahn ★★★★
Nico Falah ★★★★
Chris Brown ★★★★
OR Damien Mama ★★★★
Roy Hemsley ★★★
Chad Wheeler ★★★
Chuma Edoga ★★★★★
Uchenna Nwosu ★★★
Jabari Ruffin ★★★★
Noah Jefferson ★★★★
OR Rasheem Green ★★★★★
Christian Rector ★★★
Stevie Tu'ikolovatu N/A
Khaliel Rodgers ★★★★
Malik Dorton ★★★
OR Rasheem Green ★★★★★
Josh Fatu ★★★
Porter Gustin ★★★★
Don Hill ★★★
OR Oluwole Betiku ★★★★★
OR Connor Murphy ★★★★
Cameron Smith ★★★★
Olajuwon Tucker ★★★
Michael Hutchings ★★★★
Osa Masina ★★★★
OR Quinton Powell ★★★★
Iman Marshall ★★★★★
Ajene Harris ★★
OR Jack Jones ★★★★★
Chris Hawkins ★★★★
OR Leon McQuay ★★★★★
Matt Lopes N/A
Marvell Tell ★★★★
Ykili Ross ★★★★
Adoree' Jackson ★★★★★
Jonathan Lockett ★★★★
OR Isaiah Langley ★★★★
For those keeping score, that's 55 players on USC's two-deep, not including the kickers or the repeat appearances by Chuma Edoga and Rasheem Green. Of those, 39 were four or five-star recruits coming out of high school.
In other words, 70 percent of USC's two-deep were top-flight recruits.
That's incredibly close to Alabama's percentage when you consider the fortunes of the two programs over the last five years.
While the Tide outmatch USC on five-star recruits, it's not by all that much. The Trojans boast nine five-stars to Alabama's 13.
In truth, USC's recruiting averages have been among the best, despite the scholarship reductions and instability around the program.
In the end, star rankings don't mean that much. After all, Chad Wheeler is a three-year starter but only had three-stars when he arrived at USC. Meanwhile, Utah transfer Stevie Tu'ikolovatu didn't draw any star rankings but still looks set to be a major cog in the Trojan defense.
What these comparisons do tell us is that while the Tide have trophies to show for their loaded roster, the Trojans will field just as much potential. The key is getting that potential to produce.
And Ten USC Football and Basketball News Links…
USC is 3-0 all time in domed stadiums. Alabama is 21-7-1 under domes, but has a perfect 6-0 record in domed openers.
This article originally appeared on
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/comparing-two-deep-star-rankings-and-more-usc-football-news