Can the Triple Option still work in Major Conference Football?

With Paul Johnson set to start his first season at a BCS school, many are wondering how the triple option will translate to that level of competition. Many older fans remember the days when Oklahoma and Nebraska dominated college football by mercilessly running the ball down the throats of their opponents with the option. Nebraska is the program that held on to it the longest but it died out at the BCS level when Solich was fired after the 2003 season. Since then it is a system that continues to hang on at the service academies and in lower divisions of football.

College football has changed a lot in the time since the triple option was last used at the top levels of the game. Defenses are now faster and defensive game plans are now more sophisticated. Despite these changes though, programs are still able to use the principles of the triple option to achieve success. At the end of the day, coaches want to get their players in position to make plays and the triple option can be very effective at doing that.

Wake Forest has risen from the depths of the ACC by using a misdirection based offense. Navy was able to achieve success with the triple option against BCS level competition as recently as two seasons ago. Urban Meyer uses the spread which has its roots in the option to great success and a national title at Florida. I remember Air Force using mis-direction to come within a point of beating Tennessee in Knoxville a couple years ago as well. These coaches have used the principles of the option to put their players in position to succeed and it has worked.

The option not only forces defenses to react to what the offense is doing but it can negate the speed advantages that defenses sometimes have. Additionally it allows you to control the clock and keep the other teams offense off the field. So few teams run the option anymore that it is tough for opponents to prepare against it. Obviously teams have specific play books but by and large most teams use standard formations from week to week. An option team popping up on the schedule in the middle of the season is a nightmare for opposing coaches. Adding top quality athletes into that mix makes it a very dangerous offense. It is for this reason that I think the option can work at Georgia Tech. Johnson will have access to running backs that he would have never been able to speak with at Navy. There are a number of running high school quarterbacks whose skill set will not translate well to many Division 1 programs. When Johnson finds the next Tommie Harris, the offense will really get going.

Though I see many positives with this offense, there are a couple of places where Georgia Tech could struggle. Quarterbacks in the option are generally not the best passers and if a team is able to stop the run it can completely shut the offense down. Another stumbling block is the way it changes recruiting. Top high school athletes want to attend a school where they can showcase their skills for NFL scouts. While the option is conducive for running backs to do this, it is not the same for wide receivers and quarterbacks. Georgia Tech will struggle to get talented wide receivers, especially with Mark Richt and Georgia right down the road in Athens. This problem is somewhat alleviated for quarterbacks because rarely do top high school option quarterbacks get recruited to play QB by top D-1 programs. Generally these players are recruited and converted to another position. Georgia Tech will have the ability to offer these kids the chance to continue at quarterback which will help them land some talent at that position.

The triple option returning to major college football has me a little more excited than normal entering this season. Though I think it will work for Georgia Tech, I doubt it will lead them to a national title. However, with the state of the ACC right now there is no reason it can't lead them to a conference title. The offense is just so hard to prepare for and Johnson will have top atheltes at the skill positions making the option work.