Loss to Michigan State Likely to Cost Luke Fickell Ohio State Coaching Job

Luke Fickell is going to be a very good coach someday.

He does many things very well.  He's a great recruiter.  He has great managerial and organizational skills.  He has a solid rapport with players.

By luring Mike Vrabel out of the NFL, Fickell has shown he can close a deal or two.  He's a stand-up guy at press conferences whether his team wins or loses.  He's cool under pressure.  He's everything you could ask for in a big-time college coach.

Everything but wins, that is.  Ohio State's two losses so far and tough schedule ahead set Fickell up for a short tenure at the helm of one of the country's prestige coaching jobs.

The one thing Fickell lacks at this point in time is the one thing he needs to stay on as Ohio State's coach beyond this season.

The loss to Miami on Sept. 17 showed that the Buckeyes couldn't pass the ball and could not match up with a speed team.

The loss to Michigan State this past weekend exposed a lot of flaws in places where the Buckeyes are usually solid, like the offensive line and the running game.

How much of that is Fickell's fault?  Not all of it.  The team has been bludgeoned by off-field issues and complications.  They've had to go without senior leaders and solid offensive producers.  But at times the team has looked ill-prepared and has not made adjustments at halftime.

That can't happen with Nebraska (No. 14), Illinois (No. 19) and Wisconsin (No. 4) coming up.  The Buckeyes are starting to look like this isn't their year, and losses in two of the next three games will seal Fickell's fate.

While a failure to win will cost Fickell this gig, don't think he'll fade away and never come back to a major college sideline.   No, Luke Fickell is going to be around for years.  But it's likely that he'll have to take a step back, either by becoming a defensive coordinator someplace, or by coaching in a less demanding environment than Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeye fans are notoriously fickle (pun intended) when it comes to winning.  A three-loss season is unthinkable.

Jim Tressel managed to survive going 7-5 his first year on the basis of beating Michigan and because of the many changes in the program the fans could see in his first year.  He was hired as a long-term solution and eventually raised expectations through the roof.

Tressel's success has actually helped to doom Fickell.  Buckeye nation is divided on whether Tressel's resignation was necessary.  But it does mean that whoever is named the head coach next had better be a huge name with an amazing track record. 

Wherever he lands, you can bet that Fickell will win in the future.  He will show that this year had more to do with off-field issues and diminished talent than it did with his coaching ability and skills. 

It just won't happen in Columbus.