How long before there is a shift back to run heavy football?

As a huge trend?

Never.

Football has gotten too good at the passing game.

Will there be a team here and there that are power run dormant in college? Of course.

I really miss I-Form and neck rolls.

Have you watched Tennessee under Heupel?

Tennessee has been a run-heavy team for years.

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How long before there is a shift back to run heavy football?

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UGA has kind of leaned on that, at least more so than other schools. We have definitely opted for the python, wear you out, run the ball the whole 4th quarter school of thought opposed to high flying wide open offenses.

I think it's cyclical like most other things we've seen in CFB.

-For decades all anyone did was run. Run, run, pass, punt.
-Hal Mumme, Miek Leach, Steve Spurrier, et all ushered in a high flying pass attack and it really caught people off guard. People were throwing it all over the place in the 90s wiht great success since everyoen else hadn't really caught up yet.
-In the early 2000s things kind of went back to "normal" and it was all run game and denfese (at least in the SEC). That's what most people were doing and it's how saban won a frick ton.
-Around the late aughts early teens things shifted. Saban had behemoths in the middle of the line and linebackers that looked like busses so the very, very few teams that had success against them did it by passing it all over the place and having a mobile QB.
-Saban took that personally and said ok I'll do what you're doing only much better. Enter sark and kiffin and then bama started throwing it everywhere adn then once they did that was like the green light for everyone else to start doing it too.
-Eventually since everyone plays taht style now, the old school run heavy pro-style teams are the oddballs, but coincidentally that leads to a high rate of success, IMO. I think you can make a case that 10 years from now we'll be back to pro style old school ball instead of going 4 wide and throwing 50 times a game.

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I just don't know if it can hold up to smash mouth football

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Speed kills. If you can get 3 guys to the ball as fast as 2, you stop big or small.

Rules favor passing and scoring so much it keeps the passing game more likely to dominate. Seems every few years when defenses start catching up to offenses, the rules committee make adjustments to the offensive sides advantage. Supposedly fans want scoring and passing excitement.

Until rules change to favor running, rushing will never again be king.

Ultimately, smash mouth football can be stopped with speed. We can confirm with the death of the wishbone (4 of your best rushers) and the I-formation,(3 of your best rushers).

Even in high school ball. Used to be your best athlete(s) on the team were the running backs and a QB. Now it's the WRs and a QB.

A power run offense would need to be paired with a really, really good defense. A run dominated offense kills time and lowers the total number of possessions so if you are playing a really good offensive team, it will be hard to keep up if you fall behind on the scoreboard.

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That play will get you 10 wins, but can it win a title now?

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In the BCS era it could.

Playoffs? You gotta have a playmaker under center. No exceptions.

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Nebraska is like...

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Their offense was a thing of beauty

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Also the rules/officiating favor the passing offense much more.

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Amen. I don't think anyone can define Defensive PI in how its called in a game. The same is true of holding....it is, at times, called pretty loosely. Between holding not being called and PI being called and adding in the odd late hit on the QB It is might near impossible to defend the pass without some occasional costly mistakes.

Its also highly unlikely when a QB is scrambling for his damned life that someone ain't further than 3 yards downfield who ought not be...especially when the QB has started for the LOS and pulls up and throws a pass.

Finally intentional grounding ought to include the QB above running all over the damned place and then throwing the ball 3 rows up in the stands. It should only be OK when they are outside the tackle box and the tackle box ought to move with the play, not remain where the ball is snapped when the damned QB has crossed the field 3 times and has 3 defenders breathing down his neck the entire time. It ought to at least as damaging as a false start.

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I really miss I-Form and neck rolls.

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frick that, I don’t.