College Football: Why 2011 May Be Jim Tressel's Toughest Season at Ohio State

As head coach of The Ohio State University football program, Jim Tressel is never far from public scrutiny. 

One doesn't get nicknames such as "The Senator", "The Vest" and "Tress" by fading into the background on Saturday afternoons in the fall. 

In fact, Tressel may be one of the more polarizing figures in college football today. 

His need to oversee every aspect of the offensive game plan, combined with an outlook on football that is as conservative as the sweater vests he wears, has drawn almost as many critics as he has fans. 

For his part, Tressel's response to his critics is that at the end of the day, the end result—wins or losses—is more important than how the game is played.

Throughout the first 10 seasons of his career as the Buckeyes' head coach, Tressel has been able to take both the ups and the downs in stride, never getting too excited after any one win or too disappointed after a loss. 

To be honest, many people believe he is a little too serious and needs to lighten up a bit. 

Of course, these people might not have seen the guy who answered questions after Ohio State's victory over Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl, where he playfully suggested that for once in his career he had the media dumbfounded.

It might be fair though to say that 2011 will bring the toughest challenge Tressel has ever faced as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Not only does he have to deal with the reality that five of his senior starters—including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor—must miss the first five games, but he also has to figure out a way to effectively work them back into the rotation once their suspensions are up. 

As if that wasn't enough, in order to win the Big Ten Championship this year, the Buckeyes will need to win the first ever Big Ten Conference Championship game.

Nonetheless, Tressel will probably approach this season the same way he has the others.  After all, to date, he has won more than 80 percent of his games with that approach. 

As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.