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Fire Jim Tressel? Are Buckeye fans serious?
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Jim Tressel has come under fire despite his outstanding record and strangle-hold on Michigan. (AP/Photo)
There is a new website up in Columbus, OH. It’s titled firejimtressel.com. I have one simple response to that………what the #@%? I'm not one to ever side with Tressel, but this absolutely crazy.
It’s the latest evidence that we not only live in a ‘what have you done for me lately world’, but also that there are some Buckeye fans who have truly lost their minds.
Since taking over for John Cooper -- who was fired for the sole reason he couldn’t beat Michigan, going 2-10-1 against the arch rival -- Tressel has accumulated an 84-20 record, played for three National Championships, won the 2002 National Title, won five Big Ten Championships, has gone 4-4 in bowl games (3-3 in BCS games) and above all else, has a 7-1 record against Michigan. With his seven wins over the Wolverines, he’s second all-time at OSU to only the immortal Woody Hayes’ 16. His five straight wins against big blue are the most ever for an OSU coach, and his seven wins in his first eight games of the rivalry are also a first in Ohio State football history.
Tressel has won fewer than 10 games only twice in eight years and is most likely on his way to another double digit victory total this season. He’s finished in the top 10 in six of his eight seasons and from 2002 through 2005, he won four straight bowl games, including three BSC games and a National Championship.
But like all sports fans that get used to winning, nothing is ever enough. Ohio State has lost three straight bowl games, including two BCS Championship games in humiliating fashion. They have lost their last five games against teams ranked in the top 5 nationally. They have become the poster child of all that’s wrong with the Big Ten.
It’s no secret that the Big Ten has a stigma nationally that they are an inferior conference when it comes to talent, speed and ability. The Big Ten is thought of as slow-footed, oversized midwestern country boys who are all bulk and no agility. While the SEC, Big XII and Pac-10 conferences are seen as new school football programs with speed that can’t be matched, the Big Ten is thought of as the old Woody versus Bo three yards and a cloud of dust, conservative, defense oriented football.
During Tressel’s tenure OSU has dominated the conference and consistently been thought of as the best team the Big Ten has to offer. So its no coincidence that with each high profile loss on the national stage for the Buckeyes, the conference takes just as big of a hit.
It’s a tough argument for the Big Ten. Those who are supporters of the conference will point out that every bowl game they play are generally down south in SEC and Big XII country, or out west in the Pac-10’s backyard. The Rose Bowl is usually played against the Pac-10 winner in the heart of UCLA's campus and right around the corner from USC. The Capital One Bowl is against the SEC down in gator country. The Alamo Bowl is played in the middle of Texas against the Big XII. Does that mean the Big Ten is at a disadvantage? No, but those are just the facts.
Big Ten teams also point out that around the middle of the season, when conference play begins to heat up, the weather begins to cool down throughout the Midwest. Teams like OSU, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa have to prepare to play football in freezing temperatures and often times snow. There haven’t been too many SEC or Pac-10 teams that have made the trip up north post Halloween.
The truth is the Big Ten is down from years past. We can’t argue with the records, and the records show that the best of the Big Ten are currently getting beat by the best of the other conferences. This however does not justify the ridiculousness of Buckeye fans calling for Tressel’s head.
There is only one team who can win a National Championship every year. Tressel has won one, that’s only one less than Urban Meyer and Pete Carroll have. The past few years OSU has suffered a loss when they play the best of the best, but it goes in cycles. Michigan appears to be on its way back to national relevance, and there are no signs that Penn State or OSU will slow down when it comes to bringing in talent. It won’t be long until the Big Ten starts winning some of these high profile games, sending a different conference to the national hot seat.
But there is no reason to whine about winning 11 games a year, winning conference titles, getting to BCS bowl games and consistently beating your school’s biggest rival. Don’t forget, John Cooper used to put up big numbers and win non-conference games against other top schools, but the Buckeye fans wanted more. They wanted Big Ten Titles and victories in Ann Arbor. Now that they have it, it’s simply not good enough.
Believe me, as a Michigan fan I would love to see Tressel and his sweater vest leave Columbus. Since he’s taken over, I’ve had nothing but bad memories come November. But to expect to go 13-0 and raise a BCS trophy every year is ludicrous. Accept what you have Buckeye fans. One of the top programs in the country, one of the top coaches in the country and a legitimate chance each and every year to win a national championship when training camp breaks.
There are only a handful of teams right now who have genuine national title hopes at the beginning of every season. Just be thankful your Buckeyes are one of those teams.
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