Better offense: Stanford or Oregon?

Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl of Scouts Inc. break down all kinds of tape on the nation's top college players while evaluating prospects for the NFL draft. But they don't always agree. So we asked them to take sides in picking which players, position groups and teams they like better in a series of head-to-head debates.

Question: Which team has the better offense, the Stanford Cardinal or Oregon Ducks?

MUENCH: There's a lot to like about Oregon's high-powered offense. In fact, I've been known to switch on the PlayStation 3 and go to work with the Ducks, but in the real world I want an offense designed to win games rather than simply run up points. So if you're asking me which offense is better, I've got to go with Stanford's more traditional style of offense.

WEIDL: Isn't scoring more points than the opponent what offense is all about? Oregon averages 46 points per game and outscores opponents by an average of more than 25 points -- I like that margin for error. The Ducks spread opposing defenses horizontally and can put pressure on with the zone-read-option game, the screen game and quick-hitting passes, and they have the athletes to hit big plays at any time. Their frenetic pace allows little time for opponents to substitute or make pre-snap adjustments, and they can exploit those advantages by getting the ball to their playmakers in space.

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Steve Muench

Scouts Inc.

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Steve Muench played four years of Division I-AA football before joining Scouts Inc. in 2002. He has evaluated both NFL and college players for Scouts Inc., but his current focus is on the NFL draft.