Buckeye Football Still Paying For Tressel

English: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel talk on the field before their teams played on November 14, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ohio State, and Buckeye football, have yet again backed down to former football coach, Jim Tressel. Now they are taking back their demand that he pay them back the 250,000 dollars in fines that he cost them for dodgy dealings, and in a jaw-dropping addition to the story, the university is going to pay Tressel 52,000 dollars, or the amount of money he would have earned in June had he not resigned in shame.

After being head coach for ten years at the university, Tressel quit on the thirtieth of May, rather than risk being fired. Universety President, E. Gordon Gee had previously said that the ex-coach would be made to pay for the fine no matter the terms of his leaving were.

It is not known why the school officials changed their stance on the payment of the fine. If Tressel had not resigned he faced a 250,000 dollar fine from the NCAA, plus a suspension of five games.

Tressel had claimed that he was unaware that at least two of his players had traded sports memorabilia in order to receive tattoos. However, it later became apparent that not only had Tressel known about the transgressions, he had covered them up for the players.

When it became known what Tressel had done, he tried to spin it, and say that he was just trying to protect his players. However, it seems more likely that Tressel was just trying to protect his chances of winning a national championship. Tressel had maintained an image as someone who always demanded personal accountability.

Ohio State Football 2010 Preview

English: Third quarter of the major regular season college football game between the visiting No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 1 USC Trojans at the L.A. Coliseum on September 13, 2008; USC would win, 35-3. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The excitement this year for the defense is the fresh young prospects. Last year was a great year for the team's run defense, which allowed 186 yards or less every game--and the only game where they allowed 186 was the opener when they played Navy. Last year was a good year for the secondary defense and with enough returning players from last year this year\'s defense should be strong but the big question--is this defensive team capable of performances that win national titles? The answer could lie in these great young defensive new-comers such as sophomore John Simon who will be probably starting. He looks like a star-quality tackle ready for his greater role this year. Red shirt freshman Dorian Bell, a linebacker, Orhian Johnson, sophomore safety, and the experienced junior Nathan Williams all show promise of being the new team's additions that, if this defensive unit gels, could be the team\'s stars.

Real improvement this year depends on how much the running game can keep up consistency. In the five losses last year when the team went 21-5, the team exceeded 88 yards only once, during the Fiesta Bowl. The loss to Texas, which rushed for 203 yards, came because Colt McCoy pulled off a great classic late drive for their win. A look at the importance of running to victories over the previous two seasons shows that when the Buckeyes rush for at least 125 yards in a game they are unbeatable--20-0. When OSU lost to USC they ran for only 71 yards. During the loss to Penn State in 2008 the running game could only muster an anemic 61 yards. In 2009, the OSU offense managed only 88 yards in the loss to USC and 66 in the defeat by Purdue. They did, however, beat Wisconsin with a 97 yard rushing performance by 31-13. This despite the fact that the Badger offense controlled the ball for 42:47. Obviously, Tressel Ball works.

This could be an unbeaten year for Ohio State if they perform like they should. However, the competition this year lined up should not be underestimated as many of them have the capability to mess up any unbeaten streak. The schedule includes a very talented Miami team which will be an early test in Columbus. The rest of the schedule should not be that big a test, with just Ohio and Eastern Michigan as the two MAC teams and Marshall. Northwestern and Michigan State are two Big Ten teams missing from the schedule and they both made it two bowl games the previous year. They could have been dangerous opponents, expected to be contenders again this year who will probably be in the top five of the conference. The road schedule is pretty friendly--no two weeks away from home in a row. The game against Wisconsin on the road comes after the Indiana game which should not challenge OSU's team. However, the team will have to face two tough opponents in a row- Penn State and then Iowa one week later.

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