re: Does defense still win championships?

Relative to the type of game being played, yes it does. Even with two dynamic offenses in the title game, one team got into a defensive groove and could have won the game with 21 points. That was a heck of a defensive 2nd half that OSU threw against the Mighty Ducks. Just look at recent history. 'Bama's defense stoned two opponents in '11 and '12.