Ohio State Football: Why Jim Tressel's Buckeyes Are a College Football Dynasty

For as much as Ohio State struggled in the 1990's under John Cooper, Buckeye fans have great reason to be proud of the work that Jim Tressel has done.

Since 2001, Tressel has won a BCS national title, played for two more, and won or shared seven Big Ten conference titles, including a record six straight.

Even coaching legends such as Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler weren't able to do what Tressel has.

So does this make Jim Tressel's OSU teams of the 2000's a dynasty? Considering their consistency of staying in the top ten, the answer has to be yes.

While in Columbus, Tressel has won at least 10 games in eight of his 10 seasons.

Although he gets flack for not being flashy and having an inability to beat big non-conference opponents, he has mostly avoided the type of seasons that Texas and Florida are going through currently.

The most common complaint about Tressel has been his overly conservative nature on offense. Some would even say at times watching the Buckeyes is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

But plain and simple, he wins.

He wins conference games in November and he owns Michigan, having gone 9-1 against the arch-rival Wolverines during his tenure.

Tressel, however, has an Achilles heel—the SEC. He is 0-4 in bowl games vs. teams from that conference and overall, Ohio State is 0-9 vs. SEC teams in bowl games dating back to the 1970's.

Ironically, the other teams in the Big Ten that Ohio State has dominated in recent years have not had as much of a problem with SEC teams for some reason.

Despite Tressel's struggles against SEC teams, he has pulled off a few bowl upsets as well, including the 2010 Rose Bowl where Oregon was favored.

The game that everyone will remember him for is the shocking upset of double-digit favorite Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, where a powerful Hurricane offense came up against a roadblock defense from Ohio State.


And consider the Miami offense featured powerful weapons including WRs Andre Johnson and Roscoe Parrish, TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. and RB Willis McGahee, all of whom have been good to great in the NFL.

While the pass interference call heard 'round the world is what most people will associate with that game, don't forget how Tressel's team was in control of that game for a majority of the second half.

Since then, it seems as if Tressel's Buckeyes have put up a residence in the BCS, playing in seven BCS bowl games in nine seasons (not including this season).

While other programs like Miami-FL are has-been dynasties, Ohio State has been a model of consistency.

Does Tressel need to improve on flaws? Like all coaches, of course.

Tressel's offensive philosophies hinge on protecting the football and not turning the offense loose unless he trusts his players to keep possession and not make costly turnovers.

But this philosophy does at times restrict the playmaking ability of his skill players by not using them in the most effective and explosive manner.

Regardless of the criticisms, there is no doubt that Ohio State football under Jim Tressel is as good as it's ever been, going back to the days of Woody Hayes.

The bottom line here is that Buckeye fans can almost certainly celebrate a win over Michigan and a trip to the BCS practically every season, and nobody should be complaining about that.

If you're a Buckeye fan, life in Columbus is very good these days...


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Written by BlockONation Contributor, Tim Bielik