Will Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel's Loyalties Be Called into Question?

Coach Jim Tressel has brought in top-flight talent from across the country since he began coaching the Buckeyes in 2001. Along with bringing in NFL talent, he has cleaned up a program that was being run into the mud by a previous coaching staff.

Though he had the Maurice Clarett fiasco to deal with, the Buckeyes have been a model for big-time programs to follow since then.

Coach Tressel has shown himself to be a man of integrity and loyalty to all walks of life and has instilled those traits into his players and staff.

However, loyalty to his coaching staff is what has derailed his team's chances of:

• Ever getting national respect
• Defeating an elite out-of-conference team
• Winning another National Championship

After Ohio State looked like boys playing against men when they got beat by the USC Trojans on Sept. 13, many fans, alumni and media pundits have called into question Tressel and his coaching style.

Some have said "Tressel Ball" doesn't work, while some have stated Tressel plays too conservatively. Tressel has been quoted as saying "the punt is the most important play in football."

Playing conservatively doesn't mean playing slow or taking a "three yards and a cloud of dust" approach. It means being careful not to turn the ball over and limiting a team's odds of making mistakes. Nothing wrong with that approach.

Tressel's conservative approach wasn't the reason why they lost to USC, LSU and Florida. His conservative approach beat a legendary Miami team in 2002 and he has produced a Heisman winner. 

The reason why he lost to the aforementioned teams is because his offensive and defensive schemes are transparent and predictable. Everyone knows what the Buckeyes are going to do.

Coach Les Miles of LSU, Ron Zook of Illinois and Urban Meyer of Florida all have mentioned that Ohio State's offensive and defensive schemes were predictable and they knew exactly what Ohio State was going to run. 

Trojans QB Mark Sanchez commented on College Game Day that on one of his touchdown throws, he saw the same defense and same blitz package on film as he knew exactly what to do.

This is not an indictment of his players, either. He has top-notch players that any team including USC would take. Tressel brings in the best recruits in the country year after year, as indicated by uber-recruits such as Terrelle Pryor, Beanie Wells and Alex Boone.

However, this indictment falls on the shoulders of two men. Two men that Tressel has kept loyal to, in some Buckeye fans' eyes, far too long:

1. Jim Bollman, Offensive Coordinator
2. Jim Heacock, Defensive Coordinator

This doesn't mean that Tressel should cut them off as friends, rather he needs to look into making wholesale changes for the program's sake.

Tressel needs to start looking at new coordinators who will infuse both the offense and defense with new, innovative concepts.

Tressel is a Buckeye through and through. The last thing he wants is for his team to be a laughingstock of college football. Well, it might be too late as the nation now believes that the Buckeyes are overrated and slow.

The roster is overflowing with four- and five-star talent and future NFL players, so they aren't slow and prodding, rather it's the scheme they are in. They are being put in the wrong positions and therefore look to be less talented.

Tressel needs to do the right thing and put his players in a position to succeed. Tressel needs to check his loyalties at the door.

Will Tressel replace both Bollman and Heacock with new offensive and defensive gurus at the end of the year for "The Ohio State University" or will he stubbornly stick to what doesn't work?

Time will tell.