Jim Tressel and The Ohio State Buckeyes Let Another Big Game Get Away

At least Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes can still beat Michigan. 

However, that is the only "big game" they have been able to win (and this year it wasn't much of a game).  In fact, the only big games of note that favor the Buckeyes are games played within the Big Ten.

Since winning the National Championship over Miami in 2002, the only big win over a top non-conference opponent was in 2006 at Texas, when Colt McCoy was only a freshman. 

Since that win, the Buckeyes have been beat down in BCS Championship Games to Florida and LSU, did not score a touchdown in losses this year to Southern California and Penn State, and let the Texas Longhorns drive down the field with two minutes to get the win in the Fiesta Bowl.

So what has caused these big game Buckeye meltdowns?

Much of it has to do with depth. 

While Ohio State always has a top recruiting class, there seems to be a lack of speed and depth in many of those classes.  LSU, Florida, and USC were all able to run up and down the field on slower Ohio State defenders.

And while the Buckeyes may have a single strong player at each position, there seems to be no one to really fill in that void if that player goes out. 

Take a look at what happened when Beanie Wells went out early this season—the running game took a nose dive because they did not have a solid backup.  That meant the opposition could focus on stopping the pass, and Terrelle Pryor.

Meanwhile, at schools like Florida and USC, they have a plethora of talent just waiting behind their starters.  USC has enough Parade All-Americans to hold, well, a parade. 

So if Joe McKnight has a bad night, they can just put in C.J. Gable or Stafon Johnson and not have a drop-off. 

When Percy Harvin was unavailable for the SEC Championship game, Florida still had countless other weapons for Alabama to worry about. 

Blame also has to be given to Tressel himself.  His game plans in big games have been very conservative. He seems to be stuck playing for field position and relying on his defense. 

While that may get it done in the Big Ten, it has not worked anywhere else.

To his credit, Tressel did a much better job in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas, letting Pryor try and make plays, both at quarterback and as a receiver.  Tressel needs to do more of that because that was they only way the Buckeyes were able to score points against Texas.

Tressel and the Buckeyes will be a factor again in the Big Ten and on the national stage, but if they do not start winning the big games nationally, wins over Michigan might not be enough to save his job.