ARE THE BUCKEYES THE TEAM OF THE DECADE
Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series by our contributors on Teams of the Decade. We had originally tried to get this series of articles published before the new year but, stuff happens. Please leave a comment or send your thoughts to editor@collegefootballvoice.com. We’d love to hear from you.
In 2000 OSU fans were still languishing in the wilderness known as the “Cooper Years”. Every year John Cooper seemingly had the talent to win a National Championship, the Buckeyes hadn’t won one since 1968, but every year his teams failed to make it happen; this plus Cooper’s 3-8 bowl record and his inability to beat Michigan on a regular basis ( 2-10-1 record against Michigan) frustrated the OSU Alumni and fans who were tired of wandering in the desert of “what might have been”. This frustration led to the firing of John Cooper and the search for the Holy Grail was on.
After a long journey to Youngstown State, the vision-quest was completed and Ohio State chose Tressel to replace Cooper as head football coach and Tressel knew the right sermon to preach to the masses. While addressing Ohio State students during a ceremony introducing him as head coach, Tressel delivered this prophecy, “I can assure you that you will be proud of your young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field,” …Music to Buckeye fan’s ears!
During Tressel’s first year, Ohio State had a 7–5 record. Despite 5 losses the season ended on a bright spot. He coached the Buckeyes to a 26–20 upset victory over Michigan, fulfilling the romise he had made 10 months earlier.
The following year Tressel and the Buckeyes became the first team in college football history to finish 14–0, defeating the heavily favored University of Miami Hurricanes in double overtime to win the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and the National Championship. It was Ohio State’s first national championship in 34 years. Moses had led his people to the Promise Land
The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team went undefeated in the regular season—including a 42–39 victory over Michigan, in the “Game of the Century”. OSU was ranked # 1 and Michigan was ranked # 2 at the time and a lot of folks were clamoring for an OSU-Michigan re-match in the National Championship game but Florida edged out Michigan to gain a berth in the NC game. And the stage was set for another OSU National Championship and OSU’s first win in a bowl game over a SEC team…or so everyone thought.
No one was giving Florida much of a chance of beating OSU, after all this was probably the best Buckeye team ever, maybe even the “Best Team of the Decade”. The Buckeyes had just beaten #2 Michigan in the real championship game. Florida probably did not deserve to be on the same field with Buckeyes, but unfortunately for the Buckeyes the game was played anyway and the Buckeyes suffered an embarrassing 41 -14 loss to Florida; on top that, Michigan got manhandled by USC 32-18. Thus began the first whispers that maybe the Big Ten wasn’t the best conference in the country…the truth hurts, but the “Truth will set you free”.
In the 2007 season Jim Tressel led the 11–1 Buckeyes to a third consecutive Big Ten Championship and second consecutive National Championship berth, and once again lost to another SEC team, the LSU Tigers 38–24, becoming only the second team to lose two consecutive BCS title games (the first being the University of Oklahoma) and the rumblings about the Big Ten being a weak conference grew louder.
Tressel’s teams have played in three BCS National Championship Games. His 2002 squad won a national title and achieved the first 14–0 season record. Tressel has an overall record of 93–21 at Ohio State, including six Big Ten Conference championships, a 4–4 bowl record, a 3–3 mark in BCS bowl games, and an 8–1 record against the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. Tressel’s eight wins against Michigan place him second in school history to Woody Hayes, who had 16. He is the only Ohio State head coach to win six consecutive games against the Wolverines.
While this can be considered a successful decade for the Buckeyes, by any measuring stick you use, the Buckeyes cannot lay claim to the title of “The Best Team of the Decade”. They had the opportunity to seize greatness but they fell short at the place where it counts…on the football field.
Of course you know most Miami fans call OSU..Ohio Ta**t but I don’t. They have had a good run but have not finished til this year. Sept 11 has another meaning in 2010. Nicely done, Mr. Oldman.