Ohio State Buckeyes Jim Tressel - Dark Horse Candidate for 2009 Coach of the Year

In 2009, head coach Jim Tressel will be entering his ninth year with Ohio State University and has the inside track to be a dark horse candidate for the 2009 Coach of the Year.

To understand why, you need to see where Jim Tressel has come from.

Jim Tressel began his college football coaching career with Youngstown State in 1986 and compiled a 135-57-2 record during his 15 year tenure. In 2001, Jim Tressel became the 22^nd head coach at Ohio State University when he replaced John Cooper. During the nine seasons as the Buckeyes head coach, Tressel has achieved an overall record of 83 - 19, with a Big Ten conference record of 52 - 12.

What is even more impressive about Jim Tressel is his performance during the last four years, where he has led the Buckeyes to a 43 - 8 while earning a Big Ten title every year.

While at Ohio State, Jim Tressel has coached his team in three BCS national championship games, resulting in a 1 - 2 record. When Tressel won the national title in 2002, Ohio State compiled a 14 - 0 record and defeated the University of Miami in double overtime during one of the most memorable Fiesta Bowls in college football history.

For the upcoming 2009 college football season Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes enter ranked sixth in the AP and Coaches polls and have positioned themselves for a chance at another national championship run.

The first game of the season where Jim Tressel's coaching ability will be tested comes on September 12, 2009 when USC comes to town. This will be an important game as the Buckeyes look to avenge the loss they suffered in 2008 to the Trojans on the West Coast. Not only will the Buckeyes be playing on their home turf, they will be facing the Trojans who will be lead by a true freshman quarterback.

The next key game in Tressel's quest to be the 2009 Coach of the Year, will be when the Buckeyes travel to Penn State on November 7, 2009. Not only does this game have the chance to be between two top ten ranked teams, but it has the potential to be the deciding factor in the race for the Big Ten conference title.

If Jim Tressel can lead the Buckeyes to wins in the above mentioned games, they should be in perfect position to land one of the two spots in the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship game. And from there anything can happen.

Resources

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com

http://ohiostate.rivals.com/