Jim Tressel Resigns: Winners and Losers After Ohio State Football Coach Quits

The speculation can end.  Jim Tressel has stepped down as the head coach at Ohio State.

It's been coming since last December when news first broke that five Buckeye players had exchanged memorabilia for tattoos (and other benefits).  The stories kept coming from there and became a snowball of bad karma barreling down on Columbus.

Would Tressel keep his job?  Could he?  Should he?

With this resignation, all of that can be put behind.  There is still an August hearing with the NCAA, where sanctions could still be handed down that could include postseason bans and/or losses of scholarships.  However, the fate of Mr. Sweater Vest has become known. 

Who benefits the most from the Vest's departure, and who suffers the most?

Winner: Michigan Football

Leon Halip/Getty Images

ANN ARBOR, MI - APRIL 16: David Molk #50 and Mike Martin #68 of the Michigan Wolverines lead their team onto the field prior to the start of the annual Spring Game at Michigan Stadium on April 16, 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty

The Wolverines haven't fared too well against Tressel.  The last three years in particular, have been downright ugly. 

Everything seems to be aligning just right for Michigan these days though.  First, they got rid of Rich Rodriguez and his defenseless mentality and brought in Brady Hoke, who should immediately make them better.

Now, Tressel is gone and Ohio State is in turmoil.  Their season could be all but derailed within the first five games and now they'll have to navigate the 2011 season without their dominating head coach on the sidelines.  Michigan sees a changing of the guard on the horizon.

Wolverine fans have been giggling like school girls since the story even started.  It's slowly been building into a guffaw.  Today, it's full-on maniacal hysteria. 

Loser: Buckeye Faithful

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Ohio State Buckeyes cheer after the Buckeyes 31-26 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Get

It's not just the loss of Jim Tressel that hurts.  The admission that Ohio State couldn't make a mole hill out of a mountain.  Teflon Tressel couldn't get this one to slide off his back.

From the time the story broke, many diehard Buckeye fans have stood steadfastly behind the sweater vest, arguing every angle they could think of.

"He was protecting his players."

"He didn't really know what was going on."

"The rule is stupid anyway."  (As if that's a legitimate excuse.)

I can't count the number of times I've read fans assure each other that Tressel would be on the sidelines no later than the second week of October and Ohio State would roll on to their seventh consecutive conference title.

Now...hmmm...maybe not.  They'll have to admit that everything is upside down in Columbus and the status quo might have slipped out from under them.

Winner: Leaders Division

This year was poised to be a fierce battle with Ohio State attempting to fend off Wisconsin for the first ever Leader's Division title, with Penn State potentially making some real noise.

Do you think the Buckeyes will be at the forefront of that hunt without Tressel?  Do you think they'll be allowed to be after August? 

Wisconsin may have just been handed the keys to the division title door, and every other team may have just been given a more legitimate shot at sneaking into the picture.

Loser: Leaders Division

Yes, they both win and lose in this whole affair.

As noted before, the division race may have just become much easier for a couple of teams.  However, the division as a whole may have just lost its very best representative and weakened its chances of representing the Big Ten in Pasadena, Calif. 

What was potentially the tougher of the two divisions may have just gotten considerably weaker. 

Winner: Legends Division

Who among them could challenge Ohio State at full strength? 

Iowa?  They've come very close to knocking off the Buckeyes the last two years but couldn't pull it off. 

Michigan?  They may have had their best opportunity coming with Hoke on the sidelines, but they haven't been in the same stadium for a few years now.

Michigan State?  We may never really know.

Nebraska?  They can claim they would have, but they never got the chance to prove it.

Now however, without Tressel, the door has been opened for any of those four programs to take the conference title away from the long-standing champs. 

Sure, just because Tressel isn't there doesn't mean Ohio State is going to stink.  They've got way too much talent.  But can anyone else do what Tressel did in Columbus? 

I think....not.

Loser: The Big Ten Conference

While certain teams might be silently (or not so silently) enjoying what's happening in Columbus, the conference as a whole suffers from the deal and Tressel's loss weakens the Big Ten.

Under Tressel, Ohio State has routinely won conference championships and participated in BCS bowls.  So long as the Buckeyes continued on their winning ways, it was almost guaranteed that the Big Ten would get an additional BCS bowl beyond the Rose Bowl.

Any time there's a controversy like that happening in Columbus, it stains the entire conference to some degree. 

And without Tressel, will the Big Ten be so quick to draw an additional BCS bowl?  Will the other teams demand as big a following on the national stage?  After all, on that stage, the Buckeyes have largely been the face of the Big Ten, whether the other teams like to admit it or not.

Winner: Luke Fickell

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Assistant Head Coach Luke Fickell speaks to the media during a press conference before the start of Spring practices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at The Ohio State University on March 30, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. Fickell wil

In case you don't know, Fickell is the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State.  He was slated as the man to fill in for Tressel during his five-game suspension.

Now that Tressel is gone, and it being nearly June already, Fickell will likely be the man to lead the Buckeyes throughout the 2011 season.

Now, I don't know much about Coach Fickell beyond what's already been stated here, but this is a big "winning" moment for him, don't ya think?  The guy had all of five games scheduled to prove his mettle as a head man before today, and three of those games were against ho-hum opponents.

Now he's got a minimum of 12 games to prove himself.  Even if he doesn't end up the Buckeye coach of the future, he can make a strong statement that could open doors across the country.

Was that a maniacal laugh I heard, accompanied by ominous music? 

And oh yes...he's wearing a vest.

Loser: Ohio State Football Players

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to run against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C

Hey, this was a pretty sweet deal they had going.  Selling memorabilia.  Getting sweet rides from a local dealership.  Having virtually everyone look the other way, and having a head coach that was willing to help cover it all up.

There are some young men who will take a major pay cut.  The administration will have to get tough on NCAA regulations for a while, lest they get slapped with some major sanctions.  The new coach will be looking to clean house. 

Those who thought they were getting more than a free ride are going to have to find another way to pay for ink...and cars...and...