The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel believes the current popularity of spread offenses in college football has devalued the importance of offensive linemen. Per Tramel:

It’s not the linemen who have changed. It’s the game. Spread formations. Quick passes. Quarterbacks who wouldn’t know a pocket if you sewed one on their forehead.

College football has changed, and offensive line play isn’t as valuable as it once was.

I wonder if Berry ever paused to watch A&M's offense play last season? Anyone who watched us play knows the value of an offensive line, because we had a poor line across the front, and it led to a poor season overall. Simply put, if you don't have a stout offensive line, you cannot control the line of scrimmage, and if you lose the LOS, you lose the game.

Simple math should tell Tramel he is wrong: Spread formations using 10 personnel usually only feature five offensive linemen. This means your have five OL facing four DL and three LBs (4-3 defense),  three DL and four LBs (3-4 defense), four DL and two LBs (4-2-5) , or three DL and five LBs (33 Stack). Anytime you have five people who are responsible for nullifying the efforts of between six and eight people, you are not devaluing those five people, you are increasing their importance to the game.

Tramel argues that spread formations stretch defenses all across the field, making it harder for defenses to cover offensive players. While this is true, it isn't any different from the 1950's, when the split-T spread defensive lines and linebackers across the field, or in the 1960's-1980's, when the wishbone forced defenses to cover one yard splits between linemen, and tried to set up two-on-one matchups for the offense. The spread is more difficult for defenses to stop, but it isn't because it de-emphasizes offensive line play, it is because it forces defenses to matchup athlete on athlete with five skill position players and the QB.

You could argue that the spread makes elite offensive linemen more valuable, because of its dependence on the passing game, so elite lieft tackles who can protect the QB's blindside are at a premium. Given that one of the conventional ways to slow or stop the spread offense is to play keep away by using a punishing ground game, the importance of the offensive line is also magnified.

The spread does increase the value of defensive tackles and ends, because defensive linemen who are able to mount a pass rush can disrupt a spread offense. However, the same could be said for the West Coast Offense, the run-n-shoot, and any other pass-based offensive system.

It is telling that the people who are actually on the field, and not in the pressbox, disagree with Tramel:

"Offensive line is huge for every team," said Sooner linebacker Ryan Reynolds. "The game starts up front. Without a good offensive line or defensive line, you can’t go very far."

Funny how someone who is actually in a position to see the value of offensive linemen in the spread offense contradicts Tramel, but I guess you can't expect Berry to let the truth get in the way of his opinion.