Tressel’s in trouble at Ohio State; Urban Meyer to the rescue?
"Urban, you'd look swell in one of those sweater vests." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The NCAA has just accused Jim Tressel, who oversees the football program at The Ohio State University, of lying. Generally speaking, it doesn’t pay to lie to the NCAA. (Ask Bruce Pearl, who used to coach basketball at Tennessee.) There are those who believe Tressel, his stellar record notwithstanding, isn’t long for his job.
And then there’s Beano Cook, who believes Urban Meyer will coach Ohio State in 2012.
Beano Cook, who used to be a big man in college football circles, went on ESPN Radio last week and averred: “I’ve said on my Podcast. . . Urban Meyer will be the coach at Ohio State in 2012. That was my prediction and I stick by that prediction.”
Corporate synergy note: You can find Beano’s podcast, also on ESPN, by clicking here. And Urban Meyer, who once coached the Florida Gators, works for ESPN. At least he does until he decides to end his latest retirement.
A couple of things: Beano has been wrong before. (So have I.) He infamously predicted Ron Powlus would win two Heismans. (I infamously predicted Georgia would beat Florida and Urban Meyer in 2008. Also in 2010. I never learn.) That said, Beano could be onto something here.
Tressel is in trouble. He has already been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season — Ohio State was ready to dock him two games, but Tressel requested three more — after failing to tell school officials he’d been given reason to believe his players had traded jerseys for tattoos. And Meyer is, among other things, a native Ohioan.
Born in Toledo. Grew up in Ashtabula. Played defensive back for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Started his coaching career at Ohio State. Has his Masters from Ohio State. Can do all the gestures to “Hang On Sloopy.” (Official rock song of the Buckeye State, FYI.)
Meyer does have one blip on his history. He outcoached Tressel and beat the hugely favored Buckeyes in the BCS title game in January 2007, giving rise to the notion that Ohio State couldn’t handle the big boys of the SEC. This was the notion Tressel was so desperate to debunk that he lobbied for those players suspended in the wake of the tattoo investigation to be allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. (They played. OSU won, just.)
If Tressel does fall, there’d be no better choice as replacement. But one word of warning to Michigan fans: If your team should score a touchdown against the Meyer-coached Buckeyes and your players should feel the need to express their elation via an on-field dance … well, the Urbanator won’t like that. He won’t like that one little bit.
Oh, and one thing more: Readers have reminded me that The Ohio State University will meet The University of Georgia in 2020 and 2021. Mark your calendars, folks.
By Mark Bradley
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272 comments Add your comment
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:13 pm
Beast,
He’s well entrenched in the Buckeye State. I won’t be suprised either way.
He’s built one helluva good will bank account and I, for one, hope he stays. His play calling, ” the punt is the most important play in football” and all that drive us crazy. That said, we can expect to be in the national football conversation, not sure who has a stronger BCS record.
If Bill Clinton remained in office, Tressel has no worries.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:14 pm
Clinch,
Easy, Son. Leave it to Beaver comes on soon. And if you clean your plate, maybe you can stay up with the grown-ups for The Lawrance Welk Show.
ClinchCountyDawg
April 25th, 2011
6:16 pm
Buckeye
I can pick up three channels with my Ronco combination TV and CB antenna. But, two of them only play Hee Haw reruns over and over and over and over. I’m Buck , I’m Roy, I’m picking and I’m a grinning.
JASon
April 25th, 2011
6:16 pm
What Tressel did was illegal, no doubt. I mean, he basically covered up something he knew was illegal, and didn’t tell anyone about it for over a year. He should be punished, no doubt. The problem I have is, some kids got a few tattoos. Its not like they were paid thousands of dollars, or any money at all. But thank god we have a huge federal investigation over a few tattoos. One of these days the cost of all of this inane federal policing, domestic and foreign, is going to have to be paid for by America. So that will be fun to look forward to.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:16 pm
Clinch,
Tressel is a Welk fan, so you know.
WIN WITH RICHT
April 25th, 2011
6:18 pm
Buckeye
What is Ohio State’s standing in the current run for the Fulmer Cup? A distant second to Auburn.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:20 pm
Jason,
What you meant to say was, the NCAA has charged Ohio State with NCAA viloations. No one was arrested. Get that through your thick skull. To my knowledge, the NCAA is conducting an investigation, not the Feds. The Feds were looking into the Tattoo shop owner. The kids happened to pick the wrong ink shop.
ClinchCountyDawg
April 25th, 2011
6:21 pm
Buckeye
I’ll bet that when Tressel wants to get his freak on that he puts on an old Osmond Brother album. Down on the Lazy River. Rock out!!!
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:21 pm
With With,
Unranked. No arrests, felony or otherwise. Said it once, won’t comment until there is an arrest.
P.S. One word suggestion for you, Win WIth…………………..MasterLock
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:22 pm
Clinch,
You play? Multiple intsruments?
Not A Hewitt Fan
April 25th, 2011
6:23 pm
Tressel lasts one more year….Urban year after…..He ll get bored watching daughter at Tech play V Ball after this year.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:24 pm
Clinch,
Upgrade to HD once the county’s wired. Start a layaway asap!
i find it not only amusing but fitting
April 25th, 2011
6:24 pm
that tressle can now be called a scum ‘dawg’.
J-Man
April 25th, 2011
6:25 pm
So MB what do you think of Judge Nelson ruling for the NFL lockout to end?
illegal?
April 25th, 2011
6:27 pm
last time i looked breakin ncaa rules is not illegal. if that were the case vince every 4 years dooley would still be in jail as would most sec coaches.
Dawg48
April 25th, 2011
6:29 pm
Buckeye …….. just goes to show if you win no matter what you do a fan base wants to keep you.. And if you are losing you can’t do anything right for the fan base to want to keep you around! My opinion tressel new what he was doing he new if he lost those guys he would not even maid it to a bcs bowl to play a SEC team. The best thing for Ohio state to do is get rid of him cause it will hurt them recruiting in the future cause of tressel being a liar
Pago Pago DAWG
April 25th, 2011
6:31 pm
Actually, not many people would give up FL for OH! tressel will probably fire the president of ohio state before the NCAA takes care of him.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:32 pm
http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2011/3/11/2044789/fulmer-cupdate-auburn-goes-all-in-the-front-door-with-a-gun
Win With,
Latest Fulmer Cup rankings…..SEC! SEC! SEC!
WIN WITH RICHT
April 25th, 2011
6:33 pm
Buckeye
That should be no arrests or indictments yet. But, I am sure that will change shortly. Once the hammer falls, Ohio State will jump up in the race for the Fulmer Cup.
Dave
April 25th, 2011
6:33 pm
This is exactly why Meyer quit. He didn’t want to lose more games in the SEC. Needs to be in a conference like O St’s.
He should take it, but needs 3 years off to recover from burnout and spend some time watching his kids grow up.
Buckeye
April 25th, 2011
6:35 pm
Win With,
Oh, ok. Wake me up when it gets close. SEC! SEC!
blazerdawg
April 25th, 2011
6:36 pm
Dang Bucky, you have been on here non-stop since 4:22! You need your own show, like Finebaum or Buck & Kincaid.
WIN WITH RICHT
April 25th, 2011
6:36 pm
Buckeye
According to those ratings, there are three Big Ten teams in the top nine. Iowa State, PennState, and Nebraska.
Poopdawg
April 25th, 2011
6:36 pm
Don’t see Tressel stepping down nor should he. But the NCAA will make his and OSU life miserable in the future.
Dawg48
April 25th, 2011
6:40 pm
Tressel should not get the chance to step down! He should be fired he lied to his employer he lied to the media he lied to the NCAA he should be fired!
Go figure
April 25th, 2011
6:41 pm
2020? Meyer will retire by 2018 if he takes the job.
Doubt Urban goes
April 25th, 2011
6:41 pm
Depends on what happens and I doubt he’d go this year.
WIN WITH RICHT
April 25th, 2011
6:42 pm
Buckeye
How many teams are there in the Big Ten? Yall must stop counting when you run out of toes.
Gator Hater
April 25th, 2011
6:43 pm
Ha! Urban retired to be with his family! He takes the OSU job, he loses whatever last shred of credibility he ever had.
On the other hand, he can cheat with the best of ‘em, so Columbus might be a good spot for him.
april register
April 25th, 2011
6:45 pm
I will be so very pissed about this! He can’t coach the Florida Gator’s because of the high stress level, his health and his family. What is changing to allow his to coach at Ohio State? I wish the best for Coach Meyers but I will PERSONALLY feel so betrayed by him and his decision.
WIN WITH RICHT
April 25th, 2011
6:47 pm
I don’t see Meyer coaching in a mickey mouse conference. After coaching in the SEC, The Big Ten is a major step down. Who is the last big time SEC head coach to go to the Big Ten?
coondawg69
April 25th, 2011
6:48 pm
I might give this some merit if it wasn’t for Beano “Ron Poulus will win 3 Heismann trophies and 2 National championships while ND” Cook. Granted, Ron did have a win against a ranked opponent… and that is 1 more win that I ever had!!!
Beano Cook is to serious college football whip Glenn Beck is to serious reporting. Granted, both are successful and very funny!!!
H
April 25th, 2011
6:49 pm
Beano Cook….the guy who predicts Penn State will win the National Title every year. His sunset passed a long time ago.
Old Dawg
April 25th, 2011
6:50 pm
Buckeye: no, I’m referring to the use of the term by Big 10 administrators every time a playoff system is introduced. Every time it is mentioned, the conference commissioner, university presidents, ADs etc all say they don’t want to participate in the playoff because it would interfere with academics.
The contradiction with that is, DIII has a playoff and those schools are much more difficult academically.
As for the Clinton-Tressel issue, those are two different playing fields … athletics and politics, and if we can remember this, Larry Flynt proved that many of the folks chasing after Slick Willie were doing the same thing, including big Newt.
In regard to employee-employer scenario like Tressel, or athletic regulatory agency like the NCAA, then you have more than amble reasons to fire the coach … aka Tennessee and Bruce Pearl.
BG
April 25th, 2011
6:58 pm
Mark, Urban would turn the Ohio State players in to a bunch of pot smoking thugs. AKA Florida!
NCAA Acountability
April 25th, 2011
7:02 pm
All that I have heard so far about penalties for OS is Tressel leaving or vacating wins. The only real options to hold Ohio State accountable are: 1-3 year ban on bowl games, reduced football scholarships, death penalty ala SMU. Anything short of one of those 3 and the NCAA is truly inept.
WDE
April 25th, 2011
7:03 pm
Buckeye
I know you hate UGA, as do I, but don’t you think you guys have some bigger issues right now?
WDE
April 25th, 2011
7:04 pm
“I don’t see Meyer coaching in a mickey mouse conference.’
Speaking of bad football teams, what was UGA’s record last season? Ohhhhh, that’s right. 6-7.
KINGDAWG
April 25th, 2011
7:05 pm
I see there is a KINGDAWG imposter. Note the first and original KINGDAWG is always ALL CAPS for emphasis
WDE
April 25th, 2011
7:07 pm
Auburn = BCS National Champs
UGA = Fulmer Cup Champs and 6-7 losers of the Liberty Bowl.
WOOF WOOF!!!!!
Time
April 25th, 2011
7:41 pm
I generally can’t stand anything OSU. They have some of the most arrogant and obnoxious fans of anyone in the country. And they’re the new Notre Dame. Meaning that no matter what, idiot media types will ride their jocks to a top poll spot year after year after year. They play in a creampuff conference, that evidently needs remedial math (there’s 12 not 10 in the Big “Ten”) and gets handed shots at national titles that they simply don’t deserve because they’re not that good. For god’s sakes, they’re the only school in the country that has EVER made me root for Florida.
That being said, I find the whole thing stupid and hypocritical. The LAST people I want to hear ride a high horse on honesty and ethics are the criminal syndicate that is the NCAA. If I were Tressell I’d stand up in front of every camera and point the finger right back at the NCAA.
Time
April 25th, 2011
7:46 pm
@WDE
Auburn = Temporary BCS Champions (fixed it for you)
LakeDawg
April 25th, 2011
7:49 pm
Beano likes bean dip.
BullDawgerino
April 25th, 2011
7:52 pm
Fact: Mark Richt beat Urban Meyer and Teblow. Fact.
Chuck
April 25th, 2011
7:58 pm
His heart could not handle another pressure cooker. I mean what if he had to play Saban again. Not good.
SAL
April 25th, 2011
7:58 pm
Wonder if CMR is nerveous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks like the big ten aint so lilly white any more
April 25th, 2011
7:59 pm
cheatin? the big (and righteous) 10?
say it ain’t so. Michigan and Ohio State….IN THE SAME YEARS! Gasp??
come on down from your high horse boys, and join the rest of us. SEC cheaters. cant say any more that “we lost because you cheat..”
bigdawg
April 25th, 2011
8:01 pm
UGA will not play OSU unless its a bowl game. Like always we will cancel when the games are only a couple of years away. (See Oregon among others). Shoot the Atl. Sports Council basically had to get down on bended knees and BEG us to play Boise in our all backyard (We kept turning them down so we could play the Louisiana A&M’s of the world. Sick of the high dollar tix to watch us trash some no name football program.
icedawg
April 25th, 2011
8:02 pm
Not likely, not likely.
Curious George
April 25th, 2011
8:24 pm
Will Urban ever find a quarterback at Ohio State who is as KISSABLE to him as Tim Tebow?