Of course, there is already a thread on this topic (maybe several by now), but most of the emphasis of that thread has essentially been on the necessity of a high-powered offense to satisfy the fans' expectations. In other words, mosts of the posts have been from fans complaining that the Bucks' current offense is just too damned boring, even if it has been successful in winning most games (and even a national championship).
That got me thinking - is a high-powered offense really valuable, or is it merely window dressing to attract fans? Although almost every fan will readily spew such platitudes as "Games are won in the trenches" and "Defense wins championships", when it comes down to it, many of those same fans will moan and groan about how JT needs to hire a real offensive coordinator, that the Buckeyes need to be more creative on offense, that we need to take more risk, that we need more big plays, that we need a "sexy" offense like Texas Tech which can run up 80 points against a D-1A school....
It seems to me that a high-powered offense only has a real value to a football team in two cases: (1) if that team's defense is weak, then such an offense would be necessary in order to give the team the chance to win "track meet" games by scores like 45-42; (2) if that team wants to "blow out" the opponent. In Ohio State's case, a weak defense is certainly not a concern, and the Buckeyes' offense will probably never need to score six touchdowns in order to beat an opponent. So, would the Bucks derive any benefit from blowing out their opponents? Good question....
Advantages to Blow Out Victories
(A) Morale and Confidence. It is well known that every defense has the goal of shutting out the opponent; when the defense accomplishes that feat, the unit receives a boost of confidence and morale. Of course, the offense has similar, if less well-defined, goals, say scoring 50 points and racking up 500 yards of total offense. By reaching (or at least approaching) such goals, the offense would get a healthy dose of confidence which would carry it for several games, if not the remainder of the season. Nothing boosts morale like giving the opposition a good old-fashioned butt kicking!
(B) Ability to Play Young Players. When a team is up 42-7 in the third quarter, it has the luxury of getting the second- and third-teamers some valuable reps. Actual game experience is necessary for the substitutes' development, and it also keeps their spirits up - winning is great and all, but no one wants to ride the pines for 12 straight tight games; however, all the subs are standing next to the head coach when the game is a blow out.
(C) Poll Considerations. Yes, polls do matter, at least a little bit, and human voters are somewhat more likely to favor a team which blows out its opponents over one which wins a tight contest every week. Remember, the pollsters can't watch every game, and a 63-21 walk-in-the park just seems more impressive than a 21-17 squeaker.
(D) Recruiting Consideration. Yes, recruits do pay attention to such things. Of course, everyone wants to win consistently and play for a national championship, but would star receivers and quarterbacks really want to play in a Stone Age offense which struggles to score 20 points a game? I don't think so....
Disadvantages to a High-Powered Offense
Although a high-powered offense would increase Ohio State's chances for "blow out" victories, such an offense would also come with many disadvantages:
(A) Overconfidence. While a blow out may lift a teams' collective spirit, too many can lead to overconfidence. Just look at Oklahoma the past few years - they had plenty of blow outs against the cupcakes, but folded their tents against the tougher defenses during the championship runs.
(B) Character? Nothing builds confidence like a blow out, but nothing builds character like a hard-fought three-point victory. Let's face it, the essence of Tresselball is to make every game close, which forces both teams to play a near-perfect game - the team with better talent and more grace under pressure will almost always win. In my opinion, JT likes close games because it builds character and teaches the team how to win.
(C) Lack of Ball Control. The high-flying aerial circus may play well in perpetually sunny climes like SoCal or Florida, but in Big Ten country in November, you'd better be able to control the ball with a solid running game which can grind out chunks of yardage while burning up the clock.
(D) Mistakes. Obviously, a high-powered offense also comes with a high risk. Mistakes lose close games. A conservative offense makes less mistakes.
(E) Recruiting. While the receivers and quarterbacks like the high-octane offenses, no running back wants to go to college to learn how to pass block. And I imagine that most of the guys in the trenches would rather play smash-mouth football and flatten the guy in front of them than to run backwards while playing "paddy cake" with a defensive end with 4.6 speed.
(F) Who Cares About the Polls? If you win every game, no matter how ugly, you should be a national champ. Although the Bucks had a few blow outs along the way, have we already forgotten how ugly some of those wins in 2002 were? In regulation, the Bucks scored 23 against Cincinnati; 27 against Northwestern; 19 against Wisconsin; 13 against Penn State (with the only TD coming on defense); 10 against Purdue (thanks to Holy Buckeye!); 16 against Illinois; 14 against Michigan; and 17 against Miami. Not excatly high powered offense, but very effective nonetheless.
That got me thinking - is a high-powered offense really valuable, or is it merely window dressing to attract fans? Although almost every fan will readily spew such platitudes as "Games are won in the trenches" and "Defense wins championships", when it comes down to it, many of those same fans will moan and groan about how JT needs to hire a real offensive coordinator, that the Buckeyes need to be more creative on offense, that we need to take more risk, that we need more big plays, that we need a "sexy" offense like Texas Tech which can run up 80 points against a D-1A school....
It seems to me that a high-powered offense only has a real value to a football team in two cases: (1) if that team's defense is weak, then such an offense would be necessary in order to give the team the chance to win "track meet" games by scores like 45-42; (2) if that team wants to "blow out" the opponent. In Ohio State's case, a weak defense is certainly not a concern, and the Buckeyes' offense will probably never need to score six touchdowns in order to beat an opponent. So, would the Bucks derive any benefit from blowing out their opponents? Good question....
Advantages to Blow Out Victories
(A) Morale and Confidence. It is well known that every defense has the goal of shutting out the opponent; when the defense accomplishes that feat, the unit receives a boost of confidence and morale. Of course, the offense has similar, if less well-defined, goals, say scoring 50 points and racking up 500 yards of total offense. By reaching (or at least approaching) such goals, the offense would get a healthy dose of confidence which would carry it for several games, if not the remainder of the season. Nothing boosts morale like giving the opposition a good old-fashioned butt kicking!
(B) Ability to Play Young Players. When a team is up 42-7 in the third quarter, it has the luxury of getting the second- and third-teamers some valuable reps. Actual game experience is necessary for the substitutes' development, and it also keeps their spirits up - winning is great and all, but no one wants to ride the pines for 12 straight tight games; however, all the subs are standing next to the head coach when the game is a blow out.
(C) Poll Considerations. Yes, polls do matter, at least a little bit, and human voters are somewhat more likely to favor a team which blows out its opponents over one which wins a tight contest every week. Remember, the pollsters can't watch every game, and a 63-21 walk-in-the park just seems more impressive than a 21-17 squeaker.
(D) Recruiting Consideration. Yes, recruits do pay attention to such things. Of course, everyone wants to win consistently and play for a national championship, but would star receivers and quarterbacks really want to play in a Stone Age offense which struggles to score 20 points a game? I don't think so....
Disadvantages to a High-Powered Offense
Although a high-powered offense would increase Ohio State's chances for "blow out" victories, such an offense would also come with many disadvantages:
(A) Overconfidence. While a blow out may lift a teams' collective spirit, too many can lead to overconfidence. Just look at Oklahoma the past few years - they had plenty of blow outs against the cupcakes, but folded their tents against the tougher defenses during the championship runs.
(B) Character? Nothing builds confidence like a blow out, but nothing builds character like a hard-fought three-point victory. Let's face it, the essence of Tresselball is to make every game close, which forces both teams to play a near-perfect game - the team with better talent and more grace under pressure will almost always win. In my opinion, JT likes close games because it builds character and teaches the team how to win.
(C) Lack of Ball Control. The high-flying aerial circus may play well in perpetually sunny climes like SoCal or Florida, but in Big Ten country in November, you'd better be able to control the ball with a solid running game which can grind out chunks of yardage while burning up the clock.
(D) Mistakes. Obviously, a high-powered offense also comes with a high risk. Mistakes lose close games. A conservative offense makes less mistakes.
(E) Recruiting. While the receivers and quarterbacks like the high-octane offenses, no running back wants to go to college to learn how to pass block. And I imagine that most of the guys in the trenches would rather play smash-mouth football and flatten the guy in front of them than to run backwards while playing "paddy cake" with a defensive end with 4.6 speed.
(F) Who Cares About the Polls? If you win every game, no matter how ugly, you should be a national champ. Although the Bucks had a few blow outs along the way, have we already forgotten how ugly some of those wins in 2002 were? In regulation, the Bucks scored 23 against Cincinnati; 27 against Northwestern; 19 against Wisconsin; 13 against Penn State (with the only TD coming on defense); 10 against Purdue (thanks to Holy Buckeye!); 16 against Illinois; 14 against Michigan; and 17 against Miami. Not excatly high powered offense, but very effective nonetheless.
