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
Reality Check
April 26th, 2011
9:13 am
OSU has a great tradition and short of Alabama as good or better than any other SEC team. However, from the outside Coach Tressell will leave a legacy of cutting corners, lieing and cheating. Does anyone remember the mysterious test that Maurice Clerett was able to take at the national championship so he would be eligible. Coach Tressel is a liar and if he had any integrity would step down. This is the watergate of college football and he should be impeached as Nixon was. Sorry Buckeye but you poke fun at UGA’s Liberty Bowl loss while the only way you won your bowl game was your coach who lobbied hard to have the five players play knowing all along they were ineligible. The worst part is this has nothing to do with the players or even boosters that were out of hand because that can happen to any school. Your coach covered everything up and goes into kids homes and talks about respect, working hard, etc. while he is a snake behind closed doors.
PMC
April 26th, 2011
9:15 am
Also, I don’t think Meyer is a good fit for OSU. They’ve got a coach that’s still working well that has excersised some extremely poor judgement in the name of winning. He’s got to be punished of course but why fire the coach if he’s still beating Michigan and winning Big 10 titles?
Ohio State football is an embarrassment
April 26th, 2011
9:17 am
OSU’s latest round of lying and cheating is a black eye on NCAA football and they need to be drop kicked and kicked hard.
Theirr coach needs to either quit or be fired immediately AND their winning games over the period in whch these THUGS were on the team ……………… stripped of them.
Wait and see …………… Barry O will comment liketh community punk activist he is, as he desperately needs to win Ohio in 2012 ………….. he will lose otherwise.
OSU grads for now are humiliated.
Maurice Clarett
April 26th, 2011
9:29 am
How come OSU never got in trouble when it was learned that Clarett was taking money and not attending classes while at The Ohio State University?
If the NCAA keeps digging, bet there is A LOT of stuff that Sweater Vest covered up over the years…
They should have to vacate the 2001 Natty Championship, since they didn’t deserve it anyways (bogus late pass interference call)….
Booger
April 26th, 2011
9:36 am
Maybe Urb can take some of the big UF pot stash with him to Columbus!! The Swamp: “Home of the Smokin’ Gators!” Always breakin’ the rules, always a dainty pat on the hand.
Honesty & Integrity
April 26th, 2011
9:37 am
The Sugar Bowl Trophy should be transferred to Arkansas.
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
9:37 am
buckeye blast…Assuming Corch took the job at OSU, I think 2 years to national prominence is a bit ambitious.
Florida had a pretty good team when Corch took the job…in the 3rd most fertile state for top recruits. In Ohio, it would take 3-4 years just to start pulling the studs from the south. I don’t think THE Ohio State University will ever be strong enough to compete with the SEC. Certainly not with Ohio recruits alone. (How hard is it to recruit against Youngstown State and Akron btw? “Be a buckeye not a zip.” “OK”)
THE OSU’s recent success is entirely attributed to WAC level competition in the second weakest BCS conference (Oh, and when the ACC passes you by, you conference is in trouble). If you were not in a BCS conference do you really think that any of your past 5 or 6 or 8 seasons would have been strong enough to warrant an at large bid? No chance. Now it turns out that you had to cheat to be THAT good. You should be embarassed.
Mobile Dawg
April 26th, 2011
9:40 am
The real humiliating thing is that we as fans put up with the “cheating”, “lying”, etc., in the name of winning and sportsmanship. Same with putting up with the folks running our “federal government”. People have allowed themselves to be manipulated, paying the bills, all for the good of the few, and have forgotten that we really do have control, we’ve just forgotten how to exercise it, or we’re afraid. That’s the beast we’re all dealing with right now.
Football Guy
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
Meyer better be careful. That Ohio Oregano is as good as Gainesville Green. And you really dont think all those cornfields have corn, do you?
Um, ah, um the last time
April 26th, 2011
9:51 am
UGA back in the Coach Ray Goff era defeated Ohio State either 21-7 or 21-14 with Kirk Herbstreit at QB and Robert Smith as THE highly regarded Big 10 tailback. They had nothing. We handled them without ever trailing in the old Citrus Bowl or the then newly named Cap One Bowl in 91 or 92.
OSU and the Big 10 do not play well vs SEC squads. The entire world knows this to be true. I never use one year to support my arguments …………….. college is a legacy of traditions and here is one UGA tradition:
Heck look at UGA vs Wisconsin with two or three wins over the last 12 years and look at UGA’s stomping of Michigan in 65 ( i was washing my dad’s car listening to it ) when Michigan was then # 1 in ANN ARBOR !!!
UGA also took care of mouthy Andre Rison in the 88? Gator Bowl vs the Michigan State Spartans and AGAIN IN the Cap One about three years ago.
Folks …………. we all know that “UGA IS PITIFUL” right??? Then how do they own the Brand Name schools of the bIg 10 over the last 45-50 years??? Hmmmmm???
Let the hate spew forth.
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dogs.
Go Dogs.
Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!
April 26th, 2011
9:55 am
They should hire Maurice Clarett. He knows all the tattoo parlors and car dealerships.
I wish these young men would realize that you have two career choices when you get your hands and neck tatted- professional athlete or tattoo artist. Lets face it, very few do anything in athletics.
Someone needs to get in their face and tell that appearance DOES MATTER in our society.
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
10:06 am
Nerds! What about being in a Punk Band? I think Pryor would be a great front man in a Punk Band.
I miss Maurice Clarett. The story where it took 6 policeman to subdue him was awesome. The tasers wouldn’t work because he chose to wear a bullett proof vest on the way (allegedly) to shoot his girlfriend. THE OSU is as dirty as any place…just the media infrastructure in Columbus is similar to Tuscaloosa and Germany under Hitler. Information control just works people.
The best part is the Buckeye fans never miss a chance to point out each and every one of the traffic related arrests in Athens.
joe
April 26th, 2011
10:07 am
The NCAA MUST put as much heat on Tressle as they did on Pearl, otherwise they are just hypocrites, which we already know.
Hoops Guru
April 26th, 2011
10:08 am
As a former high school principal at a school which would have some 50+ D1 coaches come visit every Spring…..No one…I repeat no one, ever entered a school building with the professional class that Jim Tressel did. Would always wear a suit (not the logo attire all those khaki clad coaches would wear), he would always check by the Principal’s office to seek permission to enter the building. He was the ultimate in higher education class. It is with a deep regret that I view this mess he was involved in at OSU. I have always held him up to such a high standard due to the actions I witnessed. To think we now enter him into the Bruce Pearl club is so sad. Another case where our heroes have glass feet.
shankit
April 26th, 2011
10:17 am
Blue Machine, “Michigan owns the SEC???
Georgia owns Michigan and the Big Ten, with
wins over Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin,
Purdue, etc.
baconator
April 26th, 2011
10:41 am
I hate Tressel. I hope he burns in the under world for his wrong doings and usage of such great and inmeasurable talent.
Tradition.....
April 26th, 2011
10:58 am
Again folks OSU football is all about tradition, those traditions include beating Michigan, cheating and losing to the SEC teams they play. All about the tradition….
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
11:17 am
Reality,
The reality is that I have never defended Tressel’s apparent actions, or lackthereof. The reality is the NCAA, not Tressel, Gee, or Smith declared Pryor and Co. eligible for the Sugar Bowl. Bad decision by the NCAA with the benefit of hindsite? Absolutely. Is Tressel evil, immoral, a “snake”? You have your opinion, I have mine.
The reality is you went 6-7 and lost to Conf USA in the LIberty Bowl. That’s reality. Do I think Win With is a good man? Yes. Is he a great coach of a perennial top 5 program. Nope. That’s reality.
I must agree with you, however, that the Tressel legacy is forever tainted in some corners. That said, Democrats cheer for Bill Clinton. Eagle fans and cerain Falcons fans cheer for Mick Vick. Golf fans certainly roared for Tiger at Augusta a few weeks back. I will cheer again for Jim Tressel.
P.S. Curious, why do some call Saban Satan?
ColaDawg
April 26th, 2011
11:28 am
Anyone got any information on Justin Houston failing the combine drug test???
Tressel
April 26th, 2011
11:29 am
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Dawg258
April 26th, 2011
11:31 am
Mark, even if he is the coach in 2012….. what percentage do you give him of being around in 2020? I’d say 0%
He’s an overrated coach, that manipulates the system in order for him to look better than he truely is.
I wouldn’t send my kid to play for him! No discipline, No Loyalty, Not trust worthy, and only looking for someone to make him look better (Selfish) and watch out for him to not take responsibility for any failure, he’d rather pass the buck on to someone elses tab.
I’d equate him to the Sean Combs of Coaching
Old Dawg
April 26th, 2011
11:32 am
Buckeye: referencing UGA’s 2010 in this discussion is like apples and spare tires, there’s no connection. There was obviously a lot of lobbying on the part of OSU to have the players eligible for the bowl game, with the carrot of suspensions early next season used to suppress the outcry from administrators and fans all over the country.
Tressel knew of these infractions for a year and then lied about them. It’s clearly obvious the NCAA is taking a much more stern look at the situation and we’ll see what the final penalty will be.
One thing to remember, and I mentioned this in a post last week, once the NCAA gets its sites set on a program, it will continue to pursue the case until they find a reason to penalize the school. I have no idea what the penalty will be, but it will happen.
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
11:33 am
Buckeye–I could tell you as soon as the NCAA said the players could play in the Sugar Bowl that the NCAA had f**ked up…I don’t need hindsight. I guess knowing that our player broke the same rule and was punished immediately (ok as immediately as anything ever happens with the NCAA anyway) led me to believe that losing a high profile QB for a BCS game would hurt the TV numbers for a BCS game and that the NCAA is much more concerned with pleasing TV partners than enforcing their criminally complicated rule book.
Tressell screwed up. Do I think he is as diabolically evil as either of the SEC head coaches in Alabama? Nope.
Covering for your kids is one thing…consistently exploiting loopholes in the NCAA rule book is another. Chizik turning a blind eye to a booster paying Cam’s Daddy and Saban’s oversigning and using Medical hardships to cut players are both much worse than Tressell trying to protect his players.
All that said…I still believe that THE OSU is the hemmoroid of College Football.
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
11:33 am
ColaDawg–huh…he must have spent Spring Break in Gainesville!
PMC
April 26th, 2011
11:35 am
Cola Dawg, he was hanging out with Janoris Jenkins.
WDE
April 26th, 2011
11:56 am
I think its funny that some folks think that OSU won’t be stripped of the Sugar Bowl title as the NCAA had cleared those players to play. Folks the NCAA can say they acted on false information, as OSU didn’t give them the complete picture on who knew what when….so taking the Sugar Bowl win away is very possible…does it change anything..Hell Yes..OSU will still be winless vs the SEC..
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
12:09 pm
…says the Auburn imbecile that still thinks they’ll have their BCS trophy a year from now. Hey-O!
Time
April 26th, 2011
12:21 pm
LOL @ the Buckeye fans who are posting along the lines of they think Meyer is coming and he is going to somehow win NC’s there where Tressel has failed miserably.
Sorry folks, that’s just not going to happen. You are a Big Math Error Conference team. Which means that you will get a couple “star” players that might be good, or might just look good due to the level of competition. The depth of your team will be pathetic, as it always has been. And when you run up against true football powers like SEC teams or Texas/OU/USC you get SMOKED. Tressel, Meyer, Parcells, doesn’t matter who you get. You’ll always just be a second tier team that gets media hyped up with the big boys, until you get bent over their knees and spanked.
WDE
April 26th, 2011
12:25 pm
Auburn Fans are horrible… they will get that trophy when they pry it from my cold dead hands!
DawgDad
April 26th, 2011
12:28 pm
From my vantage point we are in an era of college football tantamount to the steroid era of Major League Baseball. Cheating is rampant, the fans turn a blind eye and clamor for more wins, and the supposed leaders either facilitate or let it happen.
Tressel should be disqualified from ever again coaching or teaching at an NCAA institution. Otherwise, just what message is being sent to the kids and to society in general?
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:29 pm
Auburn,
I enjoyed reading your 11:33 post. Thoughful, respectful until the end. Hemmoroid of college football. I thought that was reserved for the whatever SEC! SEC! team is playing the other SEC! SEC! team on any given Fall Saturday.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:32 pm
DawgDad,
I’ll give you Tressel if you give me Bill Clinton who instilled in million of kids of a generation that OS is not sex. Explaining a lie for covering up for his players pales in comparisoin in explaining a lie for not having relations with that woman….in the Oval Office, no less. Have some perspective.
Wolverine!
April 26th, 2011
12:32 pm
tressel will get fired, osu appoints an interim coach to try and get meyer next year. In the meantime, Michigan is back! Look for UM to take over this series, starting in 2011—ohio state is in disarray and michigan has a new coach and tons of talent.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:37 pm
Wolverine,
Good to see you. I hope you are right. It makes the rivalry.
WDE
April 26th, 2011
12:37 pm
Wolverine! Son your going to have to win something to back that big talk up with. After the way a 2nd tier SEC team ran over you in your bowl game I’m thinking all that big talk is doodley squat.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:39 pm
Time,
uga is the second tier team…be it in the SEC! SEC!, nationally or any other way you want to slice it. Facts are facts.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:40 pm
WDE,
It’s “didly” not “dodley”. Get your squats straight.
Kanoacaptain
April 26th, 2011
12:49 pm
Southern schools are routinely excoriated by the NCAA no matter how minor the violations,while Northern schools skate. Ohio State’s too valuable to the BCS for its program to be weakened with sanctions,so Tressel will apologize and keep coaching,Ohio State might lose one or two scholarships and keep playing in BCS games,and nothing will change with that. In addition,if Urban couldn’t take pressure at one football school,he won’t coach at another one anytime soon. He broke down as Butch Davis did,so I look for him to coach a school that isn’t so serious about football,as Butch Davis elected to do.
dog gone it
April 26th, 2011
12:50 pm
Fire mark the underachiever as soon as possible please….do it yesterday!
Hawker1
April 26th, 2011
12:52 pm
Buckeye, did Woody really say “tradegy”?
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
12:57 pm
Typo, hawker. excuse TFOOM.
Dawg Gone
April 26th, 2011
12:59 pm
Buckeye a 2nd tier SEC school is exactly what OSU hopes to be one day. You would struggle to make 2nd tier in the SEC.
Dawg Trainer
April 26th, 2011
12:59 pm
So Blue Machine thinks Meeshigun owns the SEC? Well, the Wolverines just smoked us in b-ball, so I’ll give him that. But my memories tell me last time we played in football the Vols (borrowing a term from UGA) GATA. Same with The OSU. And when you let Bully (MSU) run you off the field…You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law or a MB blog. You know the rest…
WDE
April 26th, 2011
1:00 pm
Buckeye typo excuse TFOOM too…
Auburn Fans are horrible
April 26th, 2011
1:14 pm
Buckeye…my Hatred ot OSU is tied to 3 things: stressing the ‘THE’, Kirk Herbstreit, and the Rose Bowl. THE is an article only to be stressed by self important a-holes. OSU gave the world Kirk Herbstreit who inexplicably has been given the power to affect the polls in college football! Finally the Rose Bowl…a has been bowl game that is single handedly preventing a college football playoff.
THE is annoying to everyone but OSU fans. Kirk Herbstreit has been on Florida’s Nuts for about 5 years and downgrades our dawgs almost as often as Mark May, who I think is mentally handicapped. And god bless the Rose Bowl for standing strong ot the Big Ten might just be totally irrelevent! They should keep standing strong because if a playoff was ever istituted, OSU would get to play every year and they would get crushed in the first round every year. This way at least you get your BCS payday regardless of how awful your team is.
I love you!
Jim Crow
April 26th, 2011
1:17 pm
My only concern with Meyers, that over 30 of his recruits have criminal offenses since their playing days with Florida. Not a good record.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
1:25 pm
Auburn
As I learned and posted yesterday, “The” became part of the official name back in like 1878.
Kirk Herbstreit? Well, someone gave the world Nancy Pelosi and she’s affected a lot more than college football polls.
The Rose Bowl preventing a playoff? Most would argue it’s the College Presidents.
Get crushed in the first round? Conjecture. That’s why they would play the games.
BCS Payday? I’ve not seen a dime.
I love you too. Second best uni’s in college football.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
1:27 pm
Dawg gone,
2nd Tier in the SEC! SEC!?
That’s why we scheduled Vandy and Tennessee before we take you on in 10 years.
Buckeye
April 26th, 2011
1:29 pm
Anyone know John Houston’s cell? I’d like to hook up with him so I can, you know, chill.
Dawg Gone
April 26th, 2011
1:35 pm
Buckeye My point exactly your going to start training with Vandy and Tennessee..but it may backfire I don’t think your bunch can beat the Vols.