Friend of The Zoo David Levick pointed out on Facebook that Mike Bellotti, the all-time winningest coach at Oregon, pretty much nailed the "keys to the game" concept for all time with this simple formula:
Offense… run the ball
Defense… stop the run
Offense… protect the quarterback
Defense… sack their quarterback
Special teams… play special.
Class dismissed. Any college football game, any time, these will be the keys to the game boiled down. The article becomes a staple of Thursday/Friday football content because the whole point of this gig is to get people talking and clicking, but in reality it's a simple game.