If you're a Georgia Tech fan, you're probably wondering: Can the vaunted triple-option offense of new coach Paul Johnson succeed in a BCS conference?

It's a good question that must be broken into parts.

Are you asking if the run-based offense can score enough points to win big? Or are you asking if it will be exciting enough to attract the fans necessary to generate the cash flow Tech officials seek? And will it attract top recruits?

The problem with these questions is they're based on some assumptions.

Who says Johnson's going to run the same offense he used at Navy to lead the nation in rushing four of the past six years?

Navy has run the ball nearly 86 percent of the time this season, but at Tech, Johnson will have access to a different caliber of athletes.

"We have a system that is adaptable. We'll take the system and mold it to the young men we have," Johnson said. "I've had teams [as offensive coordinator] at the University of Hawaii where we probably threw 35 or 40 percent of the time.

"We're going to do whatever it takes. If it takes throwing 35, 40 times a game, so be it. If we need to throw 15 times a game, so be it."

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper said, "I think he's like any other good football coach. He's going to do what it takes to win. If he ... had a good quarterback and receivers, he'd mix in more passes."

The triple option looks a bit like a lot of things, chiefly like spread offenses that have become popular in programs like Florida and West Virginia.

The first goal is to spread the defense by spacing out skill position players, and with wide splits by offensive linemen. Then, Johnson blends in misdirection, tries to create multiple double-team blocking opportunities, and relies heavily on the decision-making skills of his quarterback.

"I've talked to a lot of defensive coaches, and Paul's system or some form of it is the next big trend in college football," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. "Finding a quarterback that is a serious threat to run and pass is the wave of the future.

"You saw it earlier this year when Appalachian State beat Michigan. This is the offense that is driving defensive coaches crazy."

Navy averages just 10 pass attempts, and 5.5 completions, per game. In theory, it might work in the ACC. Take it from the coach whose team led the nation in passing.

"I think he's a hell of a coach," said Hawaii coach June Jones. "I think his system will work anywhere, as will mine. Obviously, his is run-oriented, and mine is pass-oriented. He's proven that he can take inferior talent and win. There's no way his teams have been physically superior to all those he's beaten."

Winning is not the only thing, though.

Tech fired coach Chan Gailey in part because athletics director Dan Radakovich wants to fire up fans. At face value, this offense might not fit that bill.

The predecessors to Johnson's triple option, after all, did not die for lack of production.

The veer, to which the triple option is generally traced back to in the mid- 1960s, and a primary successor, the wishbone, faded by the late '80s and '90s as they came to be considered too boring, and as rules changes began to favor passing.

Former Oklahoma coach Gary Gibbs, who helped usher the 'bone out of the Sooners' playbook, said years ago, "If you're a wide receiver, do you want to come to a school to be a blocker, or do you want to catch passes? Does a running back want to be a lead blocker for the quarterback, or get the ball 25 times?"

At Navy, however, Johnson wasn't able to attract top-flight recruits anyway. So he tried to out-brain opponents rather than out-brawn them.

"I think common sense would dictate that if you have guys [who are] not as big or fast as some of the guys you're playing and you're still having a lot of success, then bigger and faster guys doing the same thing will have a lot more success," he said.

But common sense may also suggest that running 85 percent of the time might not be in Tech's future, even if agile quarterback Josh Nesbitt and running backs Jonathan Dwyer, Jamaal Evans and Roddy Jones at first look like good fits.

"The one thing Paul will have to do is make sure that his offense is two-dimensional," Herbstreit said. "He can't just run it and be ranked 118th in passing [Navy is 119th, or last]. At Navy he had to run the offense that fit his personnel."

With tweaking, this offense might look more familiar to fans. It's a lock, however, that whatever Johnson brings, the option is coming with him.

"There will be a good basis of running the football," he said. "I think it is our calling card, and what we've been very successful doing. I'm not sure there's a huge difference in what we do and what the University of Florida does with Tim Tebow, or what West Virginia does, or Illinois.

"They're in the shotgun so the perception is that it's different. But it's really not that different. That's the base of what we do, and we'll adapt to the personnel. The option will be a big part of what we do."

Tech's future offense is likely to be a lot like Navy's but with twists — like the same man wearing a different suit.

"They'll make you read the option, spread the field and defend in space. You can't gang up on the ball carrier; they make you stop the running game inside," Cooper said. "He's won. That's how you judge a coach, whether he wins, and he wins."

— Staff writer Tony Barnhart contributed to this article.