Is the spread dying?

It's all cyclical. Defenses got smaller and faster to match the spread. Opened up the door to maul your way to some wins assuming you have the horses to do it. As much as football changes, at the end of the day if you can run the ball up the gut for 4 yards every play there's a good chance you're winning.

Have you seen the size and speed of Kirby's TE's? He is basically running four wide in a power formation. He has had historic talent and depth at TE the past few years. It surprises me that receivers still commit to them. They barely get any touches.

I remember thinking in 2014 that perhaps we’d made the mistake of zigging (with Bert’s bullyball approach) when everyone else had zagged with the spread.

That was around the time that A&M, Ole Miss, and Auburn had gone full spread (albeit different variations), and Alabama was even implementing a refined version of the Baylor offense under Kiffin and operating less from under center.

I do like the Georgia power spread identity Pittman is embracing, which looks like a modern take on the Urban Meyer Florida offense with 11 (and 12) personnel and the TE often as a wing. It seems like the best approach to competing against both small, fast defenses as well as bigger, physical teams.