5 Reasons Why It's Time to Move on from Jim Tressel

From his tight-lipped side-lined mannerisms, to his cult-like sweater vest-inspired celebrity status in Columbus, Jim Tressel will go down in the annals of college football history as one of the great Ohio State coaches. Let's look back at some of the on-the-field low points and delve further into the numbers in analyzing why it was definitely time for the Ohio State University to move on from this beloved leader...

5. The 2010 Sugar Bowl: Zero Wins Versus the SEC

Let's be honest, Jim Tressel's last game was an absolute embarrassment. If the media scrutiny for starting the suspended players wasn't bad enough, his play-calling in the second half was borderline disgusting. The Buckeyes went into their obligatory second-half shell after building a big lead to hold on late. 

It was 28-10 at halftime and 31-13 late in the third quarter when the momentum clearly began to change. The team gave Arkansas every opportunity to win the game and, by all accounts, they should have. The Razorbacks blocked a punt with one minute to go.  It was obvious that Arkansas player Julian Horton could have scooped the ball up and run it in for a TD, but instead he fell on it.

"He just wanted to make sure he got on the ball," said coach Bobby Petrino, whose team was playing in its first BCS bowl. It was critical, because two plays later Ryan Mallet threw an interception to seal it for OSU.

What was particularly distasteful about the game was how much Tressel protected his quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the critical moments when the game's outcome hung in the balance. Pryor, playing in his 35th game as a Buckeye, attempted just one pass in the entire fourth quarter while he and Boom Herron ran the ball 12 times. Combine that with his third quarter passing numbers and Pryor was only one for six for 17 yards passing in the half. This was after he had over 200 yards passing in the first half.

Between the controversy over the suspensions and how the team almost crumbled, if there was ever such a thing as a bad victory, this certainly was it. And if that wasn't enough, the win was later removed from the record books, leaving Tressel without a career win versus the dreaded SEC.

4. Pete Carroll Crushes Jim Tressel in Los Angeles

September 13, 2008 was technically the worst loss of Jim Tressel's career. The 35-3 blowout left many fans and critics scratching their heads. The biggest question was why didn't Terrelle Pryor play more? Yes, it was only the true freshman's second game as a Buckeye. However, starting quarterback Todd Boeckman was clearly inefficient and immobile, and Pryor had the speed to keep USC's athletic defense on its heels. Pryor gave the Buckeyes the best chance to win, but the team's chances were shelved because he didn't spend enough time on the field.

Boeckman finished the game, completing 14 of 21 passes for 84 yards and two interceptions. He also had eight carries for minus-27 yards and a costly lost fumble that happened on the first play after a turnover created by the Buckeyes defense. Talk about a momentum killer. What was even worse, his first interception was returned for a touchdown by Rey Maualuga which broke the game open by 21-3 margin in the second quarter.

On the other hand, Pryor finished with 40 yards rushing and completed seven of nine passes for 52 yards and no turnovers. Would the Buckeyes have won the game with Pryor playing more? Probably not. However, it was clear from the start that he was the most talented player on the offense and he matched up very well with a USC defense who, after the game, admitted they were not prepared for him.

3. Rich Rodriguez Era at Michigan Tarnishes the Rivalry

Let's take a closer look inside the numbers of Tressel's 9- career mark versus Michigan. The last three years were against Rich Rodriguez. In his three years at Michigan, Rodriguez posted a career winning percentage of .405. That's the worst for any coach in the history of the school dating back to its nascent stages in 1879. To put it another way, one third of Tressel's victories were against some of the absolutely worst Michigan football teams in the 130-year history of the school, a fact based on the team's records.

Before Michigan tried to reinvent its football program, Lloyd Carr was the head coach and a very successful one to boot. While Tressel defeated some very good Michigan teams coached by Carr, the pinnacle of the Lloyd Carr era had already passed by the time Tressel succeeded John Cooper in 2001. Coach Carr's best years were from 1997-2000, when he boasted an impressive record of 41-8 including a split of the 1997 National Championship and a top five finish in 1999. During this time he won four straight bowl games, including a Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl and two Citrus Bowls. While some may argue that Tressel's hiring had something to do with Carr's eventual slide as a head coach, his bowl record tells another story.

Starting in 2001, the year Tressel was hired, and in stark contrast to his bowl-winning streak the previous four years, Carr lost five of his next six bowl games including four straight. His losses included a Citrus Bowl, an Alamo Bowl and three Rose Bowls. While Tressel didn't have any control over how good his opposition at Michigan was, it should be taken into account the Michigan football program was in a downward spiral starting around the time of his hiring.

2. John Cooper Had a Better Winning Percentage Versus Wisconsin

While games against Michigan get the most publicity in terms of rivalries, the University of Wisconsin is the current undisputed thorn in the side of the university's major athletics programs. The 2010 season saw the University of Wisconsin defeat both the No. 1 ranked men's football and basketball teams.

The uninspired 31-18 loss was the second time under Tressel the Buckeyes came to Madison undefeated and highly ranked, and bowed out with a loss. For his career, Jim Tressel finished with a 3-4 mark versus the Badgers. To put it in perspective, former head coach John Cooper was 8-3.

1. Stepping Stone to the SEC: Ohio State Is the Doormat

Everyone remembers the outcomes; 41-14 versus Florida in 2006 and 38-24 against LSU the following year. Let's highlight some of the numbers to demonstrate how bad it really was. The Buckeyes scored first in both games. Later, OSU was outscored by a combined 51-0 during runs by both opponents. In both games, Tressel failed to make the necessary adjustments to change the momentum in the second half.

The Florida game was especially atrocious. Think about this, not only were the Buckeyes favored by a touchdown, but Florida actually scored more points (41) than Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith had yards passing. Factor in Smith's negative 29 yards rushing and the fact he finished the game with a meager net of three yards of total offense. Simply embarrassing.

Let's look at the bigger picture and how this game affected the dynamics of power in college football. In the eight years prior to the 2006 BCS National Championship Game, the SEC had only won two BCS national championships. The original game was held in Tempe, Arizona in 1998 when Tennessee defeated Florida State, and also in 2003 when Nick Saban's LSU Tigers took home the trophy.

Starting with the OSU versus Florida game, the SEC has taken home every single BCS title. That's six in a row! The first two started with Ohio State under Jim Tressel, and Buckeye nation must accept responsibility for this trend regardless of whether they like him. Jim Tressel was a great coach in his time at OSU and the time is now for OSU to move on.