Opinion: Meyer and Ohio State a Perfect Fit

In January 2001, Jim Tressel was the man called upon to clean up Ohio State's image. It was tattered and badly in need of repair after mediocre performances ravaged the program on and off the field. Though Tressel's slightly-out-of-left-field hire wasn't immediately coined a home run by the polarized fan base, history tells us with benefit of hindsight it absolutely was.

Ten years, nine victories against archrival Michigan, four BCS wins (read: five) and a thrilling National Championship later, the Ohio State image is again frayed after nine months of beating it took by the national media.

Like too many politicians, Tressel's senatorial reputation has been tarnished by scandal. Last December, six Buckeye players were fingered in a miniscule tattoo-for-memorabilia scheme. Though the players received a five-game suspension for their conduct, a punishment deemed overly harsh by the national pundits if not for allowing them to delay the suspension until the 2011 season, it was not until January the tidal wave of negative publicity turned on the distinguished gentleman from Youngstown.

Yahoo! Sports, the new sheriff of investigative sports journalism, uncovered that Tressel had known of the accusations in the spring when a local attorney sent a tip via email that the players' possessions turned up in a federal raid of a suspected felon. For the first time, it seemed the cotton sweater vest was the camouflage for a wolf in sheep's clothing.

For several months thereafter, the media dug for any dirt it could find on the now-vulnerable Tressel. While most leads yielded only false positives-unsubstantiated rumors and anecdotal tales by anonymous sources-the senator's third term was coming to a close. Ohio State administrators were fatigued from constant publicity, and on Memorial Day, Tressel unceremoniously resigned from office.

Luke Fickell was named the interim replacement for Tressel until an election could yield a replacement. Though Fickell was himself a candidate, fighting suspensions and the onslaught of negative recruiting from both opposing coaches and the media itself, there was no question from day one that Ohio State had its sights set on one man-Urban Meyer.

There are some things in life you know just go together; milk and cookies; Burt and Ernie; turkey at Thanksgiving; and in this case, Urban and Ohio State.

Winning cures all and there's no questioning Meyer is a winner. He's won at Bowling Green, Utah and boy did he ever win at Florida. With two national titles to his name, he brings instant credibility on the field. But much like Tressel brought to Ohio State when replacing John Cooper, Meyer owns a spotless reputation for following the rules and devotion to academics. In fact, at Florida, Meyer's teams had 153 total SEC Academic Honor Roll selections, which was second during his tenure only to (no surprise) Vanderbilt.

Some will say, though, winning isn't the problem. Some will add grades aren't a problem. And Ohio State, despite the cries of Tressel's perceived corruption to the contrary, has not really been accused of purchasing the recruitment of players. Its only conviction is having overzealous booster who are a little too eager to show their appreciation.

Ohio State went 6-6 this past season with a dearth of playmakers, though some of the program's holes that have been slowly developing the past few seasons would have been masked if tattoo-gate never happened. Perhaps that it happened now is a blessing in disguise, as Ohio State simply wasn't recruiting as many elite level talents as it was earlier in Tressel's tenure.

The truth, though, is that the problem is not as much with Ohio State as it is with a system set up for inevitable failure.

"I don't think Ohio State is broke," Meyer said at his introductory press conference. "I think there were some mistakes made in the grand scheme, but those mistakes are very correctable."

Nonetheless, the biggest irony is that the same system that drove Meyer away from football last season is what allowed him to return to Ohio State where he got his start as a graduate assistant.

Coaches are under enormous pressure to win. Most play by the rules, though some do not. Most of them, however, must turn a blind eye to things they're unable to control. Boosters, rogue agents and jock-sniffers are not unique to Ohio State rather they're borne from a system of magnification.

When confronted, coaches must choose between taking responsibility and risk admonishment if caught ignoring a catharsis that was admittedly not their own doing. Interestingly, few people deny the hypocrisy of punishing players that become beneficiaries of this broken system. Still, it doesn't stop sanctimonious opposing fans and talking heads from calling the coach and his program rogue. They're truly damned if they do and damned if they don't.

And that's the lesson Tressel learned the hard way and the reason Meyer is now on the job.

Meyer, though, is eager to spite the system. The same doubters that will question his dedication to the job merely serve as motivation for Meyer to do better. And that's part of why he's such a perfect fit for Ohio State: this isn't just a competition against the Big Ten but it's also a visceral competition against the system of which he loathes.

The battles against the media have been ongoing for Meyer as well. For nearly a year, he heard questions as to the sincerity of his resigning for "health and family reasons" at Florida. Getting back into the ring for a heavyweight bout at Ohio State just further sparked those talking points.

In his presser, though, Meyer was a little more open about his real motivation: it was health and family that drove him away, but as an indirect result of the stress created from worries of recruiting scandals, oversigning and the rampant corruption he dealt with on a daily basis in the SEC.

If tattoos and ESPN are now his biggest enemies south of the Ohio-Michigan border, his health will undoubtedly improve. And fortunately for him (and Ohio State), his partnership this past fall with ESPN has created at least something of a temporary ally.

Perhaps Ohio State is not in dire need of change like it was in 2001, but if there's ever been a perfect Mr. Fix-It for this job, it's Meyer. He's a match made in football heaven both between the hash marks and in a world where public perception is reality.

Tressel is gone, though not forgotten. While the rest of the world will tell you Tressel is just another in a long line of dirty, corrupt politicians, try telling that to the lives of many parents, recruits, fellow coaches and the many sick and dying hospital patients, most of whom were complete strangers, he touched on a daily basis. No man did more for his constituents than Tressel.

Urban can't restore that reputation for him. He can't change hearts and minds when it comes to Ohio State's reputation. However, when it comes to things under his control, he can be counted on to doing things the right way.

When push comes to shove, Meyer will have a hard time equaling the gaudy record Tressel boasted against Michigan. After all, it will finally be a fair fight with Brady Hoke bringing positive momentum to the program.

With an improving Big Ten, one would figure, and addition of a championship game, BCS appearances might not be as much a foregone conclusion as they were under Tressel. Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin could all be fixtures at the top of their divisions, and the addition of Nebraska only solidifies the league further. And don't count out Penn State from being back sooner than later.

Rest assured, though, even without taking wins against rivals or bowl opponents for granted, the program is going to be on a whole other level. In the words of WWE announcing icon, Jim Ross, "business is about to pick up."

Where Tressel's laissez-fare approach to recruiting often mirrored his conservative game strategy, Meyer's intense, aggressive recruiting will match his own fiery personality and exciting brand of football. Like Tressel, he will look to put a fence around the state of Ohio, but he will eagerly pursue elite recruits from sea-to-shining-sea until the ink dries on their national letter of intent paperwork.

There were probably few people that didn't wonder ‘what if' about Meyer one day being the Ohio State head coach. It's just unfortunate that it happened, not necessarily this soon, but especially under these circumstances.

Perhaps there were several coaching candidates that could have been a successful replacement for Tressel. Only one of them, however, is suited to defeat Ohio State's toughest opponent: the system. That's why with Meyer, Ohio State hit the ball out of the ballpark.