by Bryan Rose

Created on: July 30, 2009

The past few seasons of college football have taught everyone a lesson. If you want to win in today's environment you have to have speed. Michigan is the most notable of the teams to learn this lesson as their now famous or infamous loss to Appalachian State highlighted what a quick team can do to a slower squad built for power.

This transformation did not happen over night despite the fact the Wolverines were caught off guard by Appalachain State. The spread offense is the poster child for this new way of thinking that quicker is better, but long before the spread, teams have toyed with speed offenses to varying success.

The flexbone and wing T offenses were both run from the 1980s and 1990s to today and focus on speed and deception rather than strength and overpowering an opponent. Used mostly at small schools in smaller conferences, teams had varying success with these offenses.

The main switch from strength to speed in NCAA Football at the major conference levels came when Urban Meyer took over in Utah. Running an offense that utilizes the speed of his players using a short passing attack and an option running game, Meyers Utes were the surprise story of the league in 2003 and went 10-2 with an appearance in the Liberty Bowl. Meyer followed that up with a 12-0 season in 2004 and made a BCS bowl game in the process.

Following that year, Meyer took his high powered offense to the mighty SEC and Florida. Long the third team in the state behind Florida State University and the University of Miami, the Gators rose to be the premier team under Meyer, winning two national titles and producing a Heisman winner in Tim Tebow.

Many schools have followed Meyer's example, especially in the SEC, switching to high powered speed offenses. While many of those teams have found success, conferences and schools that have not recognized the rise of speed as essential in college football have receded in prominence. The once dominant Big Ten struggles against these faster teams and in turn have not been able to attract some of the top recruits, creating a downward spiral effect.

Recognizing that speed can lift teams over once thought of as unbeatable programs will be the only way that conferences like the Big Ten and programs like Nebraska and Michigan, who traditional have had strong running games based on wearing down opponents, can return to the national spotlight.

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