The Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel is showing class by not voting in the final Coaches Poll this year. Tressel and AD Gene Smith decided that it would only be fair to the parties involved not to participate.
I have always been amazed by the great “game day” decisions by Tressel, but his class in recruiting and handling public situations is what really makes you respect him.
The USC Trojans will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 8 in the BCS Championship game. This is assuming they defeat arch rival UCLA this weekend. The Trojans jumped over Michigan in the BCS poll after pounding Notre Dame. I was not a fan of an Ohio State/Michigan rematch. I do feel the Wolverines are one of the top teams in the nation, but a rematch is a no win situation for the Buckeyes.
The Trojans did look strong this Saturday night, although Notre Dame is the most overrated team this year. The Irish have soundly defeated lesser opponents, while Michigan and USC walked over Notre Dame like a rug on your kitchen floor.
I still feel USC will struggle stopping Troy Smith and the spread offense of Ohio State. The Buckeyes have more weapons than all USC opponents in the Pac 10 put together. This game will bring back memories of these two traditional powerhouses battling in the Rose Bowl. If Troy Smith has another game like he did against Michigan, Jim Tressel will be looking at another National Championship.
The Browns don’t need to worry any more about losing defensive coordinator Todd Grantham to Michigan State. The Spartans instead decided to hire Mark Dantonio, currently the head coach at the University of Cincinnati. Ohio State fans will remember Dantonio as the defense coordinator of the Buckeyes during the 2002 National Championship season. This is a great choice for Michigan State, and a great opportunity for Dantonio.
As for Grantham, the Browns have to be relived. Despite the pitiful performance yesterday against the Bengals, Grantham has done an excellent job with the Browns defense. The secondary has been ravaged by injuries, but Grantham has successfully overseen the transition to a 3-4 defense. If thing continue to spin out of control in Berea, the firery Grantham would have to be a candidate to take over for Crennel. The Browns have invested too much in the 3-4 defense from a personnel standpoint to make a change in scheme.
The Ohio State Buckeyes continue to finish their season by Thanksgiving Day. During the Jim Tressel era, the Bucks are making a habit of playing in BCS bowls games. This gives Ohio State almost two full months of practice in between games. The media and fans continue to think of this as a negative. Tressel, being the successful head coach that he is, uses this time to develop his young players.
Coach Tressel and his staff feel that this time last year allowed them to develop the young secondary that is playing on this undefeated squad. The Buckeye starters are still recovering from the hard fought victory over the “the team up north”, while the young players will continue to develop.
The other positive is that if you give Coach Tressel 50 days to prepare for any game, it usually spells trouble for the opponent.
Troy Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, did almost everything that was asked of him last Saturday against #2 ranked Michigan. Smith set numerous records for passing and wins in this classic match up. The Buckeyes won and will be going to the BCS Championship game in January.
I can finally say to everyone that Brady Quinn should be a distant runner up for the Hesiman Trophy. Quinn has not put up the “quality numbers” and Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weiss loves to run up the score on lesser opponents.
The Ohio State Buckeyes should win the National Championship, but Troy Smith better win the Heisman Trophy.
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