To me the most telling thing about the SCs is that they keep being referred to as cramped, or unsatisfactory, with the follow on classes being different, while dreadnaught's follow ons were quite similar.
This makes sense given that the American ships evolved from a tonnage limited coastal battleship legacy, while dreadnaught was a bold attempt to assert high seas dominance.
Statistically, the SCs look good- slightly thicker armor, better battery arrangement, competitive speed.
But with a poor freeboard, engines that would break if run at high speeds for long (like most TE), cramped conditions, they were not nearly as good a vessel to build a high seas battle fleet out of. Imagine a fleet of 12 SCs with their limitations vs. 12 Dreadnaughts, which would you rather be operating for power projection?