The defense was national championship caliber. Against any team other than Alabama, they could won the NC with even a pedestrian offensive performance.
That year's offense wasn't exactly sparkling, though, coming in at 81st out of 124 teams...
There's absolutely no reason why the 2024 offense can't be better than the 2012 offense, especially since Brian Kelly was generally playing not to lose, keeping the figurative ball and chain around Golson's ankle.