With nearly 20 years of experience, Bruce Feldman works as a columnist and commentator for CBS Sports and has become one of the most trusted sports journalists in the field. In an interview with The Crimson White, Feldman gave his take on Alabama’s 2012 season and named his preseason national champion.

Crimson White: LSU was picked to win the SEC West and the conference championship as a heavy favorite over Alabama. Does that come as a shock, considering Alabama defeated them in the national championship?

Bruce Feldman: I’m not shocked because I believe the teams are interchangeable. I know LSU has more guys coming back, and they’ll have home field advantage when the teams meet this year. It’s close to a tossup. With Alabama, you have a proven, big-game quarterback, the best offensive line in college football and Nick Saban, who’s recruited a lot of players to fill the holes on defense. But clearly the media gives the benefit of the doubt to LSU because they’re returning more players on defense and they have home field this year. The jury is still out on [quarterback] Zach Mettenberger, though.

CW: AJ McCarron doesn’t get the national or conference recognition for a guy who had the biggest game of his career in the national championship. How does he stack up against other quarterbacks in the SEC?

BF: He lit up a really good, vaunted LSU defense on a big stage, and you can’t take that away from him. He’s not going to put up the numbers like [Arkansas’] Tyler Wilson. Wilson is the guy you start with in the SEC, then [Georgia’s] Aaron Murray. [Missouri’s] James Franklin is a talented quarterback and a dual threat guy. But you have to think differently of McCarron because of how he finished the year. That was such a big statement and nobody else in the conference has done what he did. You may not love him, but you have to respect him.

CW: Now obviously Alabama lost a lot on defense, but they have McCarron coming back and Eddie Lacy looks ready to have a break out year. Where do you see them finishing this year?

BF: They’ll probably be a 10-2 or 11-1 team. They’re going to be as physical as anyone with that great offensive line. They have Lacy and a stable of running backs. They’ll have a big group of receivers. A big thing for them is whether or not those junior college defensive backs can step in and play well. But I see guys in their front seven that can be difference makers. It also helps to have Saban, who’s a defensive coach and a defensive backs coach. The hardest thing for them won’t be just replacing the players, it’ll be repeating. I know its cliché, but it’s really hard to repeat because stuff comes up like complacency. They have new coordinators and a new offense. I don’t think those things are devastating, but they add up. It’s a reason teams don’t repeat, even though they’re talented. Luckily, Saban has been through this.

CW: Who is your preseason favorite to win the national championship?

BF: USC is my No. 1. Then I have LSU No. 2, Alabama at No. 3. At No. 4 I have Oregon, and I have Oklahoma at No. 5. USC, to me, has the best quarterback in college football, the best receiving tandem, a thousand-yard rusher, four starters back on the offensive line and a lot of experience on defense. They’re the hungriest team in college football, because they’ve had to sit out the last two postseasons. People say, “Well they haven’t faced a defense like LSU or Alabama has,” but those guys haven’t seen those types of receivers. Now Lane Kiffin still has to prove that they won’t slip up, but I like their chances of winning the national title.