Ohio State said that they will not seek a new coach for the 2011 season. Again, no shocker there. June is not the month to go out and get a big name coach. Not to mention that the NCAA has yet to rule on the Ohio State situation. Ohio State is a top 5 job in the realm of college football, but no one will jump this late in the year before the NCAA ruling has come down. It's too risky. Eventually, Ohio State will get hammered by the NCAA- once that happens, they can go out and see if any coach wants to take the reins of a battered program.
Ohio State was able to save face today- kind of. They upheld their proud tradition by getting rid of Tressel. It shouldn't have stopped there. A change in athletic director needs to happen. It probably won't. Regardless, Ohio State did what it had to do, the same as they did with legendary coach Woody Hayes.
So who's willing to take on this gig? Here are my candidates in no particular order. Remember, the head coach will not be chosen until after the 2011-2012 season.
1. Urban Meyer- ESPN Analyst
Urban Meyer is the most popular name on the list right now. He has a stellar record (104-23) at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida. He has won two national championships in 4 years time. He is an Ohio boy. He played at UC and was an assistant at Ohio State. He said in his own book that OSU is a "dream job" for him. I personally don't think that Urban Meyer is going to jump at this. He has health issues and has stated publicly that he wants to spend time with his family. He has won at the highest level, what else does he have to prove? Will he take a chance and come home...?
2. Bo Pelini- Head Coach University of Nebraska
This name has been thrown around a lot today. I highly doubt it though. Bo is also an Ohio boy who played at Ohio State. Bo is also the coach at the University of Nebraska which is too an elite program. If Nebraska was still a Big 12 school, I could see it possibly happening. Now that Nebraska is in the Big Ten, I don't see Bo jumping to Columbus. It would be an ugly move. Bo has a good thing going in Lincoln now, and seems to be at the top of the new Big Ten. Ohio State will be ugly for the next couple of years. He can rule the Big Ten at Nebraska.
3. The Stoops Brothers- Head coaches at Arizona and Oklahoma
The Stoops brothers are also from the state of Ohio and grew up watching the Buckeyes. Out of the two, you want Bob Stoops. Bob has won a national title at Oklahoma and consistently has them in contention. He is a flashy name that brings some umph to the job. Mike Stoops is a little slower. He has built a steady program at Arizona, but doesn't have the resume of his brother. Both could make the jump to Ohio State, but I doubt Bob would do it. Bob is the coach at a power program in Oklahoma, it would be hard for him to head to Columbus. Then again, out of all the coaches listed here, Bob Stoops could easily be the one. He has been at Oklahoma for a decade. He has won it all at Oklahoma. Rumors have been swirling that he may be looking at a change in venue. This may be his chance. The question is, how comfortable are you in Norman?
4. The Little Sisters of the Poor
TCU's Gary Patterson and Boise State's Chris Petersen would be likely targets. Who wouldn't want their services after the seasons they've put together? Ohio State's President may not. Everyone remembers when OSU President Gee mocked their schedules by calling their opponents the "little sisters of the poor". Patterson has a good thing going at TCU, and is about to move into a putrid BCS conference. His TCU team beat the Big Ten Champion in the Rose Bowl last season. Patterson may also not want to come to Columbus, a final slap in the face to the crazy President. Besides, if he can keep up the recruiting, he can run the table in the Big East. Peterson on the other hand may have to think about this. He has turned Boise into a brand name. He has had great success over the past few seasons. His team is also moving into a power conference, albeit not a BCS conference. He will have to decide if now is the time to finally take a "better" job, even with the sanctions coming. Before he decides, he should call up former Boise State coach Dan Hawkins and ask him about the move to an elite team....
In the end, all of these coaches will have their names put through the ringer over the course of the year. We also can't count out interim head coach Luke Fickel. He is a long time assistant and former star player for the Buckeyes. They should be careful with that though. Remember, WVU hired Bill Stewart (a long time assistant) to replace Rich Rodriguez in order to keep the team together. Stewart will be "retiring" after the end of the 2011 season. Coaches have great success when emotions are high. Those emotions will wear off and success levels usually drop. Ohio State needs to go out and make a smart hire, someone who can rebuild a proud tradition. In the end, they could just do what they did when they hired Tressel; go find someone up and coming and snatch him up.
Maybe that person will kick Terrell Pryor off the team. He has caused enough damage to Buckeye nation....
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