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

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Clemson, tOSU, OU, LSU did not run the type of offense it sounds like you are advocating and it’s certainly not the same as UGA or UM. As SFP has said passing to set up the run is different than the playing in a phone booth like Les Miles preferred. Even teams like Baylor w Briles and Oregon under Chip Kelly were spread out runs, not pound it from the I.

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That’s the thing though - very few people would argue that “pounding it from the I” is a remotely good idea in this day and age. If OP’s argument is that we don’t need to get into 22 personnel and run toss dive then.. well.. duh.

But that does not appear to be what he’s saying. It seems that he is saying that modern offenses have to be “pass first” to win a championship, which is just not true by any objective measure. I, along with others, have pointed out that the teams OP mentioned are usually well over 50% run.

In fact, LSU’s 2019 team had the lowest run percentage of any national champion in the CFP era. And there’s only one other team on that list (2017 Clemson) that ran the ball less than 50% of the time.

The counter-argument is “yeah but I don’t care about run percentage.” Well.. OK, give me another objective measure then? If you want to look at these coaches’ philosophies you’ll find that for most of them, everything they do is built on the running game. Urban Meyer is a read option, dual-threat QB guy. Sarkisian has been quoted as saying “we believe in running the football and that in turn creates things in the passing game.” Kiffin’s known for using a ton of misdirection to keep defenses on their heels while also using a more pro-style passing attack.

The best example of a truly “pass-first” guy who has had a lot of success is probably Lincoln Riley, who comes from the Mike Leach coaching tree. But one could argue A) that Riley hasn’t ever won a playoff game despite being the most successful air raid disciple and B) that his biggest contributions to the air raid were actually what he was able to do in the running game - specifically the RPO and the wishbone concepts he sprinkled in with Jalen Hurts.

Anyhow, I digress - most people are not saying that you have to line up in the I and pound the rock, or that passing offense isn’t important. But an innovative passing attack without a running game won’t get it done. Neither will the opposite. You have to be solid in both phases. The name of the game today is balance. And LSU’s offense the past two years should be a great example of why.