If UGA flames out in their first game, does that sour a potential run-heavy offense?

The LSU fanbase has literally just recovered from a decade of Stockholm Syndrome at the hands of Les Miles trying to tell us all that a run-heavy offense would still work in the modern CFB era. 2019 was a legitimate symbolic breaking of those mental shackles, especially when compared to the ultimate failure that was 2011 (primarily due to the run-heavy offense that ultimately failed when it was needed most).

It seems that Denbrock is the guy for OC and he runs a very run-heavy offense. It's not quite a dinosaur offense like what Miles ran, but it's much closer in philosophy to what UGA runs. The run sets up everything, including the passing game. The one variable of UGA that has kept it back has been its offense, and everyone thought that 2021 was a return to running....until the SEC title game.

There appears to be a philosophical split in CFB where lesser teams are relying on more on running games (becoming more of the "gimmick offense" label of years past) while the top teams are pass-first (OSU, Alabama, etc.) while still having a reliable running game. That's where teams like Cincinnati (or even my beloved Baylor Bears) can take advantage of the paradigm flipping. But when facing elite competition, is it the best strategy (and if we're aiming for titles, this is what matters most)?

The biggest issue with even the best run-heavy system is that it presents severe handicaps on making up ground in games. If you get down, the hole gets exponentially larger with any increase in the scoring gap. The reason is that the efficiency in a rushing offense is based off (1) running (obviously) but, more importantly (2) efficiencies created in the passing game created by the run. This is where you get your chunk plays that (some could argue artificially) increase the efficiency of the offense.

Running to create passing opportunities is a major schematic disadvantage compared to passing to creating running opportunities. There is never a time in a game where a team HAS to run with a modern offense. There are times when a team HAS to pass. If you use the run to create your passing offense, then your passing offense becomes inefficient when you can't run (either via defensive scheme or the in-game necessities of the score). If you use your passing game to create your major rushing opportunities, you can always go back to relying on your passing game to matriculate the ball down the field.