Dave's IMO: Are Buckeye Expectations Too High?

Dave Thurman (2:57 pm)

There are few places in the country, if any, where fans are as interested and involved, to say nothing of being filled with high expectations, as at Ohio State.

I have watched with fascination the past month as Kentucky has hired Jim Calipari to lead their roundball program.  Fans in Lexington have been ecstatic, and are already talking of a National Championship in 2010.  This is a team that missed the NCAA tourney this year, by the way.  My hat is off to them for their love of the "Big Blue" and they have every reason to celebrate the hiring of a true Cadillac coach, but isn't it a little unrealistic to talk of a championship in his first season?  Not if you're devoted to the Wildcats!

At Ohio State the fan expectations for the football team are as high, if not higher.  There is a sense that the Scarlet and Gray should win it all every year.  Now don't get me wrong.  Rabid fans with high expectations are a wonderful thing.  They generate excitement that only helps the players and coaches on the field.

Think about it.  Who else in the country can touch the Buckeye fan base?  I remember a time when Notre Dame could.  But a series of weak coaching hires has left the Irish disgruntled.  They still back their team with plenty of zeal, but it's not the same.  They don't expect to contend for the title, and they are now settling for mere winning seasons that end with bowl bids.

Down south at places like Gainesville and Tuscaloosa the fans are pretty crazy, and expect to see a winning product on the field.  Oklahoma, Texas, and Penn State are a few other teams that come to mind.  I don't list USC even though they may have been the winningest team of the 21st century, because they don't have the same kind of fans.  The Hollywood "Wine and Cheese" crowd will hop off the bandwagon as soon as they go through a slump.  But as John Cooper found out, at OSU the fans still come out in tough times they just get angry and turn up the heat!

Honestly I would put Ohio State in class by themselves when it comes to fan support and expectations.  The crowd at this year's Spring Game, in excess of 95,700, is just one indication.  The number of blogs and websites devoted to OSU football is another.   When it comes to all things pigskin, nobody touches the love, insanity and high hopes of Buckeye Nation!

So are the expectations too high?  Honestly, sometimes the answer is yes! Now, back in 2006, with fifth-year senior Troy Smith at the controls, there was every reason to expect a national championship. Anything less was a failure, in my opinion, and that's why the loss to Florida hurt so badly. But it is unrealistic to think that a team can win the title every year.  There is too much parity in college football.  Players depart and leave gaping holes. Injuries occur, and change the whole outlook.  A great program can compete for the title every year.  In other words, they can be in the hunt.  That's a fair expectation for Buckeye fans.  Anything more goes from sensible to impractical or downright naive.

So what about the 2009 edition of the Scarlet and Gray?  Should we expect them to play in the championship game January 7, 2010, in Pasadena?  My short answer is "No."  Sure it could happen if everything falls into place, but this is an awfully young team.  It's more realistic to expect a Big Ten title (which won't be easy) and a seventh straight victory over the guys with the ugly helmets come November.  However, the following year, with a mature Terrelle Pryor and plenty of experienced depth, it will be realistic to expect a title. 

Being part of the tradition of Ohio State football is exciting.  Where else can you travel to places like Champaign, Evanston, and Bloomington, and feel like you are cheering for the home team, even though they are wearing white?  Where else can you spot someone in Seattle or Boston wearing Scarlet and Gray and yell out "O-H" confident you will hear "I-O" in return? And where else can you surf the internet to find dozens of websites devoted to your favorite school, each with lots of insight and information?

It is not a stretch to say that Buckeye fans cheer for the best supported team in the land.  That's awesome!  Let's embrace our tradition, cheering and even complaining with unapologetic fervor, but let's not be so unrealistic as to miss the fun of watching a young team grow up and have great successes on the field.  Success isn't measured the same way each year.  Some teams should be expected to win it all.  Others may not hold the crystal football at the end, but can still be embraced as successful.  And at Ohio State, we'll be there to watch it all unfold, and cheer like crazy, even when we're disappointed!