This morning, we continue our examination of “The Potential Decline And Fall of the Buckeye Empire”- in our last adventure, we talked about the stuff that’s all over the news and all over the WHAC. Today’s journey will look more closely at two of the factors that can change the course of history on the gridiron- foes across the field.
Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous
William Shakespeare- Julius Caesar
As much as Ohio State fans are more than ready to get past the “news” and head deep into the fall season, the fact of the matter is that this will be a season like no other.
Certainly, the Buckeyes have not helped themselves in this- I cannot think of another time when so many crucial elements of a team (including coaching) will be absent from autumn Saturdays due to the suspensions that they have rightfully earned. But the challenge that Ohio State will face in the fall will actually transcend this season- as the new B1G Conference kicks off it’s inaugural season, it does so with coaches and players who bring a lean and hungry look to the sidelines and gameday experiences.
While the logical choice here would be to discuss the new alliance with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (for the record, they are not called the Red Menace at my house), the fact is that there are more transitions than merely adding the Pelini brothers. Minnesota and Indiana, historically on the south side of the conference rankings, have both brought new blood into their programs, and it is yet to be seen how this will play out on the field. Purdue’s coach has proven success against the Buckeyes, as has Northwestern behind a coach that’s not going anywhere any time soon. Illinois and Iowa are known commodities, but you get the sense that Zook and Ferentz see this season as the chance to turn the tables and make their move. Between the two, Illinois looks to have the most talent returning… but recruiting has never been Ron Zook’s problem.
Yet the largest threats to continued Buckeye supremacy in terms of conference titles are from the three headed monster of Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan State. Again, no surprise- each of these teams either won or played for their conference titles last season, with the Huskers doing it in each of the last two. The Huskers are the unknown variable, and are in many ways the mirror image of Buckeye football philosophy on the field- lights out, aggressive defense and ball control (although the Taylor Martinez Experience began changing that… just as a young QB named Smith did early in Tressel’s career). They also bring a fanbase and tradition that is not used to losing, and that expectation carries itself to the way that the players carry themselves- Winning is not a novelty, it’s part of the business of Husker football. Even though their academics might be a topic for discussion, their readiness to assume the leadership of a new conference should never be.
As for the other two immediate challengers for the conference title, their place alongside the Buckeyes this past January might have been the harbinger of many things to come. Bret Bielema continues the Wisconsin legacy of always finding a way to have Ohio State’s number, and there’s no reason to consider that this will change in the near future. In a time where the Buckeyes have moved to a more flexible defense to stop fast, pass heavy teams, the Badgers continue with the tried and true- big people trying to hurt the guys in the other jerseys. Even if the talent isn’t equal between the two teams, the strategy is one that’s sound and single purposed… beat Ohio State.
If you’re talking strategy, you have to also mention Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans. Granted, last year was a special year in East Lansing, but as you look at Dantonio’s body of work and his ability to develop student athletes, it’s got to be a bit disconcerting for Buckeye Fans (especially if you look at his current level of recruiting). Particularly when you realize that, of the “lean and hungry” coaches with aims on dethroning Ohio State, he’s the one who understands the Scarlet and Gray the best. If there is an “insider threat”, it’s got to be Dantonio and his team.
And Penn State? The Lions are what the Lions are- solid, spectacular every three years or so, but relatively cyclical in their successes and struggles. However, when that day comes that Joe Paterno officially moves on and the blue and white begin to truly take on a new persona, the three headed monster mentioned above might just undergo a transition.
So the first significant challenge to the Ohio State reign may be reinvigorated competition within the conference, particularly given the new conference alignment and championship game. No longer can teams have stellar seasons and dodge stronger opponents, the game in Indy throws the “co-champion” ideology out the window. For those who may be skeptical that this will make a difference, remember that Wisconsin and Michigan State would have played for the title last December, with the one-loss Buckeyes on the outside looking in.
Times, they are a changin’.
The Northern Threat
To this point, you’ve probably noticed that one conference foe has been conspicuously absent from this reflection. That’s not, as you might assume, due to my disregard of the Wolverine program, but due rather to the fact that I see them as the largest on the field threat for any continued glory that Buckeye football may have.
While always THE rival, just as St. Woody would have wanted it, the past several years have seen a significant decline in the Michigan program. Part of that is due to a resurgent Ohio State program, although 2006’s Wolverines were amongst the best in the country. Another aspect of the decline could be the UM hubris- that they assumed that it would be perfectly fine to bring in a questionable coach with a questionable offensive scheme, one who didn’t match up with the personnel of the team or the makeup of the conference, and still remain a dominant force. Shoot, the winged helmets alone were good for seven wins a year, right?
Friends, those days are over. When Mich1gAAn hired Brady Hoke, there was a lot of derision across Buckeye nation (mostly reminiscent of Caesar’s first line above). “He doesn’t have a winning record for his career…”. Fact of the matter is that I called my on UM colleague, talked him off of the “We didn’t get Jim Harbaugh” ledge, and told him truthfully- “I think you just hired your Jim Tressel.” And I’m not the only one who feels that way.
While we haven’t yet seen any results on the field, the off-field stuff has been impressive. From bringing in an excellent defensive mind from the NFL, to ramping up the recruiting efforts (including in Ohio, where all great Wolverines are seemingly from), to his emphasis on The Game, Hoke is poised to return UM to greatness. Add to that what Duane Long calls the “perfect storm” (OSU with limited scholarships, NCAA Controversy, and a state recruiting class that’s stocked with stellar athletes) and you are watching the foundation being laid for a revitalization of the greatest rivalry in sports.
Sure, it will take a year or two (you know what they say about making chicken salad), but I firmly believe that Brady Hoke is doing what needs to be done to rebuild TTUN… and, for the sake of The Game, I certainly hope that I’m right.
Next- We conclude with the revelation that the current trials and tribulations are not the end of the world.
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