Offense or Defense?

[URMite]

What does it take to compete for a championship?

There seems to a baseline level of each that is needed but beyond that does it seem that improved offense has greater benefit? In general it seems to me there is a greater law of diminishing returns for defense.

It just seems to take too good of a defense to decrease the points allowed to a top 10 team. Yards? Yes Points? no. (The big exception to this seems to be JMU 04) Whereas better offense does give your team more points and therefore a better chance at victory.

The top SoCon teams seem to take advantage of that fact, but the top of the MVC & CAA appear more balanced between offense and defense.

Or is it just me?

[Reign of Terrier]

A good Defense will probably take you farther than a good offense. A good offense can be scouted and stopped by a good D. I speak from watching Wofford, who probably had one of the best offenses last year (outscored App, enough said). But when the opposing D could figure it out it was game over. A good D keeps the game close if your opponents offense is better than yours.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Balance is what it takes, but you don't win unless you score points.

[blueballs]

Playmakers... regardless of which side of the ball they're on.

However, it seems in FCS the championship teams invariably have dynamic offenses.

The only really great defense I can name recently that was the bell cow of a title team was the 2003 Delaware unit, which might be one of the best ever in FCS- especially in the playoffs; and perhaps to a lesser extent Montana's unit in 2001.

[Chi Panther]

You need an elite offense and elite DEs and CBs at the FCS level.....

[appstate38]

A good Defense will probably take you farther than a good offense. A good offense can be scouted and stopped by a good D. I speak from watching Wofford, who probably had one of the best offenses last year (outscored App, enough said). But when the opposing D could figure it out it was game over. A good D keeps the game close if your opponents offense is better than yours.

I guess that is evidence to the fact that no team held ASU under 30 points last season.xthumbsupx

To the larger point, I will agree that there should be some balance to your team but you must also understand that usually one side of the ball will be stronger than the other. They will need to be ready to pick up the slack when other unit is struggling.

[IndianaAppMan]

i say it doesn't matter. Even the best defenses are going to surrender some points at a crucial time. They have to rely on a decent offense to pull them through. Even the best offense will get outscored if their defense has too many holes.
Gotta have both.

[GannonFan]

Defenses used to win championships, and most of the time they do, but we're in an offensive era - offense is winning championships right now.

[griz&beer]

We lit it up in 95. Marshal the big bad D and we had the killer O. We won!!!

[mvemjsunpx]

It's just like any other level of football – the line play is the key.