Should the fact that Oregon was 11th in the PAC12 in total defense, 11th in scoring defense, 11th in passing defense (when he gets pressure and sacks) factor into the award?
In addition, Oregon won games because of their offense, not defense. Utah won games because of their defense.
Utah was #2 in scoring defense, #2 in total defense, and #1 in rush defense with Paul leading the charge. They finished 9-3 despite being #9 in scoring offense and #11 in total offense.
Even if you don't want to compare stats, how do you not take that into account?