The sensual nature of modern times has seeped into college football. Offense has never been sexier.

Whether it’s Penn State’s Spread HD, Oregon’s wide-open zone read or Florida’s shotgun spread offense, teams are piling up both points and “style points” in recent years.

In 2008, Oklahoma rode the arm of Heisman winner Sam Bradford all the way to the national title game, smashing record after record in its path, eclipsing the mark for most points in a season.

Four-star quarterbacks Bradford, Tim Tebow of Florida, Colt McCoy of Texas and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame, defined the 2009 season.

But substance doesn’t always translate to success. None of those teams won the big prize last season.

Reigning national champion Alabama relied on a stout defense and a run-heavy playbook that would make Woody Hayes smile in its run to the top.

The Ohio State offense will attempt to emulate the Crimson Tide’s winning formula in its push for an eighth national championship.

That’s not to say OSU will run a “run and hide” offense a la the 2002 national championship team; anyone who has seen the first three games of the season would testify otherwise.

But to attain success in football, one must protect the ball. Before the advent of the forward pass and subsequent explosion of offense in the game, field position ranked a close second. Thanks to the speed and athleticism of modern players, that’s no longer true. But that doesn’t mean coaches have forgotten about it.

Jim Tressel believes the most important play in football is the punt. The punt is about as sexy as Larry the Cable Guy in a wet suit.

Fortunately for OSU and its fans, the Buckeye offense has more than passed the eye test this year, becoming more Boise State than “three yards and a cloud of dust.” Part of that is because of the maturation of quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

The reason Pryor has been given the keys to the sports car instead of the minivan this year is simple: He has minimized his turnovers. So long as No. 2 plays smart football, we won’t see the field-position, run-heavy offense Tressel employed following the Purdue loss last season.

In fact, OSU leads the nation so far this season with a plus-10 turnover margin. That bodes well for an experienced team with a stifling defense, a balanced offense and a coach that knows how to close out games.

In 2009, Boise State, who finished the season undefeated and beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, finished second in the nation in turnover margin. National champion Alabama finished No. 4.

The top two teams in 2008? Florida and Oklahoma. The top teams in turnover margin that season? Florida and Oklahoma.

If OSU is indeed destined for its eighth national title this year, it won’t be determined by Pryor’s numbers or “style points.”

It will be because they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot going for the curvaceous blonde with no brains.