Originally it was brought into the college game so teams with inferior personnel could gain some type of advantage over the defense. Now, even upper level teams with good to great talent (A&M, OU, Oregon, Ok. State) run it as well.
Bama has an elite defense, no doubt. But it is a defense that relies on disguising pressure packages, disguising coverages, showing the offense one look and shifting at the last second to a different look, and getting the correct personnel on the field to match what the O is showing with their personnel package, on top of being bigger, faster, and more physical at the point of attack.
ALL OF THAT is negated with a hurry-up no huddle offense. The O gets the play in, gets to the line of scrimmage, and it is go time, so the D needs to be able to play the next down with the defenders they have on the field, for the most part, and needs to be able to get their calls in quickly, and they don't really have time to shift or disguise their intent. It really is NOT sand-lot ball, it is just "our 11 vs. your 11" and makes the defense be a "read and react" defense out of necessity. All great defensive minded teams, their coaches and fans always say they want the defense to dictacte to the offense. That is not possible against an offense like A&M ran Saturday in Tuscaloosa. And the offense has the advantage as they know what play they are running and where the ball is going, the defense does not.
Oklahoma State takes this to the extreme, or has in the past when they had an experienced QB as they would not even substitute their O personnel if the play ended within 15 yard of the line of scrimmage.
A&M substituted a good amount on Saturday, and the Umpire correctly stood over the ball so Bama could substitute their personnel package - which still didn't leave a whole lot of time to get the call in and get the defense set. If A&M has substituted less it would have been an even bigger problem for the Tide defense. Though I thought the Bama D played well overall after the initital onslaught, if A&M makes that missed FG and Manziel gets that extra yard on 4th and 1 that game may not have been so close in the waning moments.
The answer is the same as it has always been in football, DL has to get pressure, but the LBs need to be a little smaller and a little faster and the 11 you have on the field to defend 1st and 10 better be able to be the same 11 on the field to defend 3rd and 10 or 3rd and 1.
Personally I don't like the term "spread offense", in the NFL when the Saints, Packers or Patriots throw it 55 times and run it 12 times they call it football, they don't call it "the spread". A&M had a commitment to run the ball and ran play-action, that is not like the crazy "spread" offense Mike Leach ran/runs - he wouldn't run the ball if the defense was 1 DL and 10 DBs 7 yards off the line of scrimmage.
I don't like it, but it is what it is. I prefer low scoring defensive games, and think the forward pass should be out-lawed!!