Mack Brown vs. Jim Tressel: Holiday Bowl Coaching Matchup

Dave Thurman (9:44 am)

One of the fascinating underlying themes of the OSU-Texas rubber match is in regards to the head coaches and their staffs. Which coach is better in big games? Which one has had more success when given a number of weeks to prepare? Who has the better overall staff?

Let's start with a quick overview of Mack Brown. He has been the head coach at Texas for 11 years and has achieved an excellent record of 114-26, winning better than 80 percent of his games. After starting out with three nine-win seasons, Brown has at least won ten games for eight straight seasons.

But let's break it down a little further looking at his results in big games. Against the Longhorns number one rival Oklahoma, Brown won the first two meetings (when the Sooners were down).

He then lost five straight in the Red River Shootout against a ranked Sooners squad, before getting the monkey off his back in 2005. Overall he stands 5-6 against his chief rival to the north.

In bowl games Brown is an impressive 7-3, including winning the national title by upsetting USC with a Vince Young led team in 2005. However, against opponents ranked in the top ten Brown stands just 8-13 during his Texas tenure.

When I think of Mack Brown I always conjure up the image of a slightly calmer and better John Cooper. He is a nice guy, recruits well, and wins a lot of games, but doesn't blow you away with his X's and O's and sometimes seems to have a deer-in-the-headlights look on the sideline.

No doubt he rode Vince Young to a large degree, but Brown was a good coach before Young, and has continued to be successful since.

On a personal note, I have a friend whose teenage son was diagnosed with colon cancer last year and faced surgery and chemotherapy. The young man, who has since returned to the football field, loves Texas. So I wrote to coach Brown and asked if he would send an autographed picture.

Not only did he respond with the picture but sent an inspiring letter along with a Texas media guide and other items. There is no doubt that Brown is a class act, and has done a great job at Texas.

In truth, there are many similarities between Mack Brown and Jim Tressel. Like Brown, JT has won consistently at Ohio State (83% to be exact). Both have won one national championship, and both men are highly respected by others in their profession.

If there is anything that separates the two record wise, it is the fact that Tressel has achieved better success against his main opponent (7-1 against Michigan) and against top ten teams (9-5).

In fact, until the past couple of years, Tressel was the best big game coach in the business, but recent failures in big games has tarnished that image.

Overall I don't think there is a great deal of difference between these two head coaches. But I have to go with Tressel because he seems a bit more composed on the sidelines, and I think he may be better at making adjustments.

The past two years aside, I think Tressel is really good when given a few weeks to prepare, and so he gets the nod. Take the sweater vest over Mack the knife, I mean Mack the nice!

With that in mind, let's take a look at the rest of the coaching staff. Obviously both teams have a number of good coaches or they wouldn't be winning 10 or more games each year. Both squads also have continuity with numerous assistants having been in place throughout the entire tenure of each head coach.

However what stands out to me is the comparison between the teams coordinators. The Longhorns have Greg Davis as their Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, and the numbers don't lie. The team can score points, and the manner in which Vince Young and Colt McCoy have developed is impressive.

Meanwhile, Will Muschamp is in his first year as the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach, and if you have watched any of their games, you have no doubt seen his aggressive style and enthusiasm.

While the Big 12 is known for its high octane offense and suspect defense, the one thing that sets Texas apart, in my opinion, is that they are a good defensive team. Giving up 18.6 points a game, in spite of playing teams like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Missouri.

This is a marked improvement over a year ago when they gave up 24 points per contest so Muschamp is getting the job done.

Ohio State's coordinators, quite honestly, don't impress me. Jim Bollman is the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach, and may well be the most unpopular man in Columbus.

His offensive lines have consistently under performed and although it is Tressel who calls the plays, the lack of execution and creativity on offense are a sore spot with Buckeye fans.

Jim Heacock, the Defensive Coordinator, has seen his squads post excellent numbers on a consistent basis. But many of the Buckeye faithful would like to  see him be a little more fiery and aggressive. In recent important games, the defense has seemed passive and has been ineffective.

Heacock will be out to prove his critics wrong on Jan. 5 in Glendale.

So, although it is difficult to compare staffs, I'll take Texas on the basis of their coordinators.

If you're keeping track that's one vote for OSU (head coach) and one for Texas (rest of the staff).

While you'll have to wait for my prediction score, its goes without saying that Texas had the better year and clearly the more explosive offense, so if coaching is even, you have to favor them in this game.

What do you think? Let us know, as we anticipate round three of Ohio State versus Texas.