Mr. Tressel is 8-1 vs Michigan. And if Maurice Clarret hadn't ruined the 2003 season, he could very well be undefeated. Regardless, Ohio State fans, whether they want to realize it or not, are experiencing a truly special period in the history of their football team.
I know that after the Purdue loss this year I was unhappy. Partly due to the entitlement I now have for the Big Ten title, and partly due to how bad the team played that day, I reacted irrationally to that loss. I threw Pryor under the bus; I openly questioned the leadership of Mr. Tressel. The anger at Tressel slowly boiled after each big game loss the last few years and especially after the USC game this year. Losing to a downtrodden Purdue made me snap.
But since then, the team improved. Well, not on defense, where the team has excelled all year, but rather on offense where the team greatly improved in two key areas: running the ball, protecting the ball.
Both of those improvements undoubtedly arouse Mr. Tressel. And if the Buckeyes can do these things, and combine them with a stout defense, that's a recipe for success, as evidenced by the entire Tressel era. And as I sit here in the wake of the sixth consecutive victory over Michigan, I realize I was being petty and short-sighted after the Purdue loss. I was like a girl crying on "My Super Sweet Sixteen" when her fleet of ponies is late to her yacht party. Spoiled.
But I've settled down (winning has that effect) and I think I'm seeing things clearly. Mr. Tressel has a plan and this team will be headed for big things if it just stays on this path, and much of it has to do with Pryor—he's the key to finding real separation from the college football world. It's not much of a limb to go out on saying Pryor's development will determine OSU's success, but it's true nonetheless. I've been mad at him, you've been mad at him, but we need him because the Tressel formula has proven successful in the Big Ten but not so outside the Big Ten.
All of the "move him to wide receiver" talk after the Purdue loss was misguided. He's only a sophomore, and he's shown improvement in a year where we were young at several key positions and not likely to win a national title. Where is the improvement, you ask? In one of the key areas mentioned before—he's not turning the ball over. And as annoying as it may be for those that hate the conservative OSU ways, that's all he has to do when we are running the ball effectively and playing stifling defense. Pryor adds an extra dimension, and as long as he does the little things and protects the ball while implementing his x-factor capabilities, not many teams will beat us.
Now think about the national competition next year. No Tebow. No McCoy. No Bradford. The power is going to shift, and because of the solid fundamentals of this year, mixed in with the dash of flavor Pryor provides at the QB position, OSU is poised to be in the Top 3. No question. Only Alabama and USC stand in the way of a preseason No.1.
2010: Another year older, another year to gel, another offseason to improve on a year where we won the Big Ten and went the Rose Bowl. And a year where the other national powers lose their leaders.
I know we still have the Rose Bowl this year, and I believe we NEED this victory in Pasadena, but at the moment, I want to express the pride I feel watching this team come together after everyone, including their ardent supporters, hung them out to dry. I'm sorry for my insubordination after the Purdue loss, Mr. Tressel. You know what you are doing; we need Pryor to win a national title; 2010 is going to be a year of high expectations; but most importantly, Michigan is our bitch.
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