Jim Tressel: Buckeyes Fans' Ultimate Wishlist for Jim Tressel Replacements

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Jim Tressel resigned as coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday after 10 seasons with the team.

His decision came after the Ohio State scandal in which players allegedly offered autographs for tattoos and sold memorabilia in violation of NCAA rules.

Tressel's resignation also comes before a hearing he was supposed to have in August with the NCAA committee that would have ultimately decided the penalties for the university and him.

Now, of course, Buckeyes fans must look to the future, not the past, and many already are, curious as to who the next head coach of the vaunted Ohio State football program will be after Luke Fickell's interim run.

Here are the top five coaches Buckeyes fans would want as their next head coach.

They are in order of who Buckeyes fans would most likely want the most, not necessarily in order of the probability of them landing with the team.

5. Mark Dantonio

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In addition to being a Jim Tressel protege, Mark Dantonio has built up an impressive resume by himself, first with the Cincinnati Bearcats and lately with the Michigan State Spartans, who he led to an 11-2 record last season.

From 2001 to 2003, he was the defensive coordinator under Tressel. In his three seasons with the Buckeyes, his defense became known as the one of the most prolific in the nation, which is why he was offered a head coaching gig.

4. Mark Stoops

A Youngstown native, Mark Stoops was a high school coach in Ohio before making his mark in the college ranks.

He's had stops at Miami as a defensive backs coach (in which he met Tressel and the Buckeyes in the BCS Championship Game in 2002), and Arizona and now Florida State as a defensive coordinator.

He also way a defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes back in the 1980s, so he has playing experience, as well.

3. Jon Gruden

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Jon Gruden has not only had success in the NFL, he's also a Sandusky, Ohio, native and played at Muskingum College and the University of Dayton as a quarterback.

Obviously, he's a TV commentator now, but if the Buckeyes could persuade him to go back to coaching, he would be a great hire for the Ohio State football program.

2. Bo Pelini

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Bo Pelini was a former Buckeyes safety back in the day and grew up in Youngstown.

Obviously, since his college days he's become a rather distinguished coach, and his 30-12 record with the Nebraska Cornhuskers is proof of that.

He has a good thing going at Nebraska, has a team favored to win the Big Ten next season, and a boss in Tom Osborne who is a formidable force, but if there's one school that could pry him away it's his alma mater, Ohio State.

1. Urban Meyer

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Were you expecting someone else?

Not only is Urban Meyer one of the most distinguished coaches in college football history, he's also a native of Ohio, graduated from the University of Cincinnati, and was a graduate assistant from the Buckeyes in 1986-87.

He's currently retired, but you never count a coach of Meyer's passion out of the game for good.

He would undoubtedly be a dream hire for a university that could be faced with USC-like sanctions in the coming months.