Turn on any national talk show in America and you will hear the jokes and slights.The Ohio State Buckeyes are being disrespected by just about anyone outside the state of Ohio. Maybe this verbal berating is justified.
After all, the Buckeyes have been outscored in the past two BCS National Championship games by a combined total of 41 points.
It’s easy to point and laugh at the team that almost wins it all including such teams at the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Braves or even the Cleveland Indians. To take shots at them is elementary. No brains needed for that.
Obviously, the Buckeyes did not belong on the same field as Florida or LSU. Yet, another perspective can be taken on this whole scenario that paints the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State as a legit dynasty not a runner-up.
Many things have changed since Jim Tressel took over the program in 2001. Ohio State has become a recognized power in the college football world. Besides this year, the Buckeyes schedule a major out of conference opponent every year.
Out of conference games in recent memory have included matchups with Texas, Notre Dame and Washington. Ohio State does not just schedule these opponents, they beat them. The Buckeyes have a 29-8 record against ranked teams and an 8-4 record against Top-10 teams under the Tressel.
The recreational football fan would point out that they have been shellacked in the past two national title games, but the Buckeyes have been to five BCS bowls in seven years and have a 3-2 record over that span.
Ohio State has made a bowl game every season under Tressel, recording a 4-3 record in those contests. Ohio State has notched an overall record of 73-16 under Tressel.
It is amazing to me that “The Sweatervest”, as he is so lovingly referred to, is having his big game coaching put under fire. The man is 4-1 in overtime games and 20-10 in games decided by a touchdown or less.
In the Michigan, games which matter the most to any Ohio State fan, he is 6-1. Four of those wins coming in years the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title.
Five ten win seasons, five top five finishes, a BCS National Championship, and a Heisman Trophy award winner are just enough accolades to have your coaching questioned and your program called weak.
Ohio State has engineered 34 current NFL players and annually lead the Big Ten in Academic All Conference picks.
These accomplishments get you scrutinized by the national media? Who said being a head coach is a thankless job?
When it’s all said and done people will form any opinions they feel. I do believe that most of the negative connotations that are put upon Ohio State are because of fans, not football itself. You would be hard pressed to find any bad statistics from the Scarlet and Grey.
The fans, on the other hand, carry a stigma that 90 percent of the country dislikes. This must be most of the reason Ohio State is regarded the way that it is. When vibes from this most recent loss wear off and you step back and look at the whole picture, it's tough to find a program that’s had a better seven years.
So hosts can belittle Jim Tressel and they can use Ohio State’s name in jest. They can even question whether or not they really are “The” Ohio State University, but the numbers do not lie.
In 50 years, when all this is just stat sheets and box scores, the picture that will be drawn will look a lot more like a dynasty than a doormat.
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