Alabama Coach Nick Saban Questions Oregon's Offense To some, it is art. Marcus Mariota, Oregon's quarterback, directs an offense that promises the spectacular. Anywhere, anytime, it can score. Don't blink - Kenjon Barner is gone again, racing down the sideline. At their best, the Ducks move beautifully, Coach Chip Kelly's masterpiece. Alabama Coach Nick Saban's interpretation is more pessimistic: defenders bent over, sucking air after 14-play drives, forced to stay on the field because the offense will not huddle, caught in awkward positions because the ball is snapped so quickly, before they are ready. Is this where we want to go? Saban said in an interview last month, before his top-ranked Crimson Tide seemed destined to play No. 2 Oregon for the national championship. "I don't have anything against no-huddle," Saban said, adding: "It's a tremendous advantage to the offense. So I don't blame any offensive coach for wanting to do it, and taking advantage of it, deceiving the defense with the pace of the game, whatever you want to call it. But I just think that someone should examine: is this where we want this to go for player safety? But another debate will take place the rest of this college football season: how would Alabama's top-ranked scoring defense (9.1 points a game) fend against Oregon's top-ranked scoring offense (54.3) in a fight for college football supremacy? Would an Oregon win usher in the golden era of breakneck-speed football? Or would an Alabama win secure Saban's traditional beliefs, and a place in history for a modern dynasty, built on proficient utility and not art? The other top undefeated teams are flawed. 3 Kansas State lost its catalyst, quarterback Collin Klein, to an undisclosed injury Saturday, the severity of which was unknown. And No. 4 Notre Dame nearly lost to Pittsburgh in triple overtime. That is not to say the Crimson Tide, who defeated Louisiana State, 21-17, on Saturday, and the Ducks are sure things - but they are close. Oregon's free and flowing offense is Kelly's magnum opus. In the Ducks" 62-51 win over Southern California, they ran one play about every 20 seconds - perhaps a bit slow by Kelly's standards - and averaged nearly 9 yards a play. Mariota, a freshman, won his first close game with 400 total yards. Barner, a Heisman Trophy contender, received 40 touches and produced mind-boggling numbers: 347 total yards and 5 touchdowns. "People doubt," said Barner, who was not needed to score as much when Oregon won each of its first eight games by at least 17 points. I don't. I know what I'm capable of. I think we're the best team in the country. If you don't think that way, why play football? Alabama, having won two of the last three national championships, may dispute that claim. Its Heisman contender, quarterback A J McCarron, embodies his team's ideals - with a steady, calming presence - the way Barner does Oregon's. Each year, the Crimson Tide's defense, like the Ducks" offense, reloads and relies on its coach's expertise. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, Saban pits the first-team offense against the first-team defense, challenging the defenders to stop the run. In film sessions, the defensive coordinator Kirby Smart plays a highlight tape showing that day's turnovers and sacks. It is a source of pride, the way Saban wants them to play, physical and relentless. "I want to set the standard and the tempo," said Damion Square, a fifth-year senior defensive end. To set the tone, Square said, "hit them in the mouth - that's it." "You can instill fear in any athlete hitting them in the mouth," he added. For most of Saturday's game, L.S.U. played fearlessly. Tigers quarterback Zach Mettenberger, previously considered a meager talent, played his best game of the season - completing 68 percent of his passes for 298 yards - as Alabama escaped. Pundits wondered, How would Kelly's offense, which is far more imaginative than L.S.U."s, fare against Saban's defense? Keeping up with the changing times, the Alabama defense practices without huddling. Now the players prefer it, staying in their spots, communicating with hand signals. "I grew up in old-fashioned execution, blocking, tackling, being able to run the pass route well enough to get open, throw the ball well enough to complete it," Saban said. Not trying to make the other guy play so fast he can't even get where he's supposed to be. But it is what it is. He added, "I almost feel like a traitor - it's almost an issue for us to get our players to go in the huddle." Greg Bishop contributed reporting.