The first, and most common, approach is to hold all your best cards until the day of the big game, coming out with new wrinkles no one has seen before and leaving your opponents on their heels as they try to decipher what is happening on the fly. This was often the model under former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, he of the 9-1 record against his biggest rival and the architect of the victory in 2006 in which his top-ranked Buckeyes defeated their second-ranked opponents.
Though Tressel had long been considered a 'conservative' play-caller and featured two NFL running backs, he opened up that famous contest with a five-wide receiver look and slung the ball around all afternoon to the tune of 316 passing yards against one of the nation's top defenses.