It's been 13 years since Jim Tressel was the head coach of Ohio State football, but he's still as confident as ever in the Buckeyes.
Ohio State lost their second consecutive game to rivals Michigan last season, something they never did during Tressel's ten-year tenure. In fact, the Buckeyes were 9-1 (including a vacated win) while Tressel was head coach. He said that Ohio State will make up for it this season.
“There’s no question,” Tressel said, “that I think the Buckeyes will make us proud in Ann Arbor.”
The Buckeyes were 106-22 under Jim Tressel from 2001-2010. That ten-year run included winning the national championship to cap off an undefeated 2002 season. The Buckeyes played in three national title games under Tressel. He made a similar comment before he began his tenure as Ohio State's head coach.
“I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community, and, most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” Tressel said at halftime of an Ohio State basketball game in January 2001. The Buckeyes had just come off their second consecutive loss to the Wolverines. That was followed by 17 wins in the next 19 games for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State went 11-2 in 2022, losing to Michigan and then to Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals. They'll once again be looked at as one of the favorites to win the national title this season.
It's easy to get up for a rivalry game, especially after being beaten in the most recent affairs. Getting some added motivation from a program legend always helps too.
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