Can the Go-Go Offense Work in the Big 12?
Colorado football is about to introduce the Big 12 to the Go-Go offense.
The question isn't whether it will look different. It will.
The question is whether this unconventional offense will work.
New offensive coordinator Brennan Marion arrives in Boulder with an offensive philosophy built around creating hesitation. His system can feature two running backs aligned on the same side of the quarterback, pre-snap movement, option concepts and multiple possibilities developing from formations that initially look almost identical.
In theory, that's exactly what Colorado needs.
For the first two seasons under Coach Prime, too much of the Buffs offense depended on exceptional quarterback play. When protection broke down or the running game disappeared, Shedeur Sanders was often asked to create something himself. Last season, the quarterback carousal between Kaidon Salter, Julian Lewis and Ryan Staub caused a lot of volatility within a young and inexperienced offense making it almost impossible to find an identity.
The Go-Go is designed to create answers before the quarterback ever needs to improvise.
And that's where this upcoming season gets interesting.
Imagine being a Big 12 linebacker staring into Colorado's backfield and seeing two running backs standing beside each other. One can take the handoff. The other can become a blocker. Either can release into the passing game. The quarterback can potentially keep it. Motion can completely change the picture seconds before the snap.
Make the wrong read for half a second and the play may already be past you.
In a conference that was once labeled for having little defensive ambitions, the Big 12 has improved significantly on that side of the ball in the last couple of seasons. Teams like Texas Tech, Houston and Arizona State all have players that were selected in the preseason ‘All Defense” vote. It is important to note that each of those teams is on Colorado’s schedule this season. It is safe to say that Big 12 defensive coordinators aren't going to spend all season admiring Colorado’s offensive creativity.
They're going to attack it.
The first counter will likely be simple: create confusion before Colorado can create its own.
I expect defenses to move late, disguise pressure and force Colorado's quarterback to repeatedly prove he understands what he's seeing. Rather than allowing the Go-Go's formations to dictate defensive reactions, opponents will try to muddy the picture themselves.
Then comes the more physical question - can Colorado efficiently run the football?
All the motion and misdirection in the world become significantly less threatening if defenders can win at the line of scrimmage. Eventually Colorado will face third-and-2 against a defense that doesn't care how many players are moving before the snap.
Sometimes football becomes very simple.
Move the human in front of you and make the play.
That's why the offensive line may ultimately determine whether Marion's system succeeds in Boulder.
Colorado doesn't necessarily need one running back to produce 1,000 yards. In fact, the Go-Go offense naturally creates opportunities to use backs with different skill sets. What it does need is consistency. Four-yard runs need to remain four-yard runs instead of becoming two-yard losses because someone missed an assignment. Something that we saw a lot last year.
There's another challenge that became apparent during Colorado's spring game: complexity requires comfort.
Marion acknowledged that Colorado wasn't showing everything in the spring, but there were still moments when the offense appeared to be thinking rather than reacting. That's understandable in April. It becomes much more dangerous in October.
For this offense to reach its potential, Colorado's players must understand the system so thoroughly that all those options become instinctive.
Because the Go-Go's greatest strength could also become its greatest weakness.
If the defense is confused, Colorado wins.
If Colorado is confused, none of it matters.
That's what makes this experiment so fascinating.
The Big 12 will adjust. Defensive coordinators will find tendencies. They'll identify formations Colorado favors on certain downs and discover which motions threaten them and which are window dressing. Eventually, somebody will find something that works.
Then it becomes Marion's turn again.
As simple as football can be (reference my ignorant statement above) it quickly turns into chess. How do you counter the counter.
That's the real test of any offensive system. Innovation might give Colorado an advantage in September, but adaptability is what could keep that advantage alive in November.
We already know the Go-Go offense will give Big 12 defenses something different to prepare for.
Now Colorado must prove that being different translates to wins.
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