Detroit — Be relieved or celebratory if you wish. Be skeptical of his motives and intentions, too. Just be careful assuming this is the end…
Detroit — Be relieved or celebratory if you wish. Be skeptical of his motives and intentions, too. Just be careful assuming this is the end — for Ohio State as a super-power or Urban Meyer as a coach.
Meyer is retiring from Ohio State after the Rose Bowl, and suddenly there’s a gaping hole in college football and the Big Ten, and the task seemingly just got easier for others, including Jim Harbaugh. That’s the theory, at least.
The reality is, the Buckeyes are losing one of the game’s all-time greats, and it’s a huge blow for them. But be cautious assuming it’s an immediate boon for the Wolverines, or the Spartans, or the Nittany Lions, or any other would-be reign-taker. The Buckeyes have been rocked before by scandal and sudden departures, and for most of the past half-century, they haven’t slipped from the elite.
The pressure is back on blast for Harbaugh, 10-2 this season but 0-4 versus Meyer after the 62-39 pummeling. It’s renewed for Mark Dantonio, 7-5 this season but the only Big Ten coach to beat Meyer twice.
There is an opening for sure. But kicking in that door might not be so simple. The Buckeyes have recruited at an incredible level, and new coach Ryan Day has helped coordinate a record-setting offense the past two seasons, including that 62-point cavalcade against Michigan’s vaunted defense.
We’ve never seen a coach quite like Meyer, 82-9 in seven seasons with the Buckeyes, an astonishing 54-4 in Big Ten regular-season games. He’s won a combined three national championships at Florida and Ohio State, and lost zero games to Michigan (7-0).
