The ghost of the sweater vest continues to haunt the Wolverines. Ever since Tressel took over Ohio State in 2001, Michigan’s dominance over its rivals has waned.
Michael Hart’s 2007 proclamation of Michigan State being little brother has been anything but the last four years. Ever since Dantonio took over at MSU, Michigan is 1-4. Ever since Jim Tressel took over at OSU, Michigan is 1-9 (technically 1-8). But Jim Tressel is no longer at OSU and only played Michigan 10 times. How can Tressel be 13-2 against UM?
Despite coaching with greats like Nick Saban, it is no secret that Mark Dantonio’s coaching idol has been Jim Tressel.
After Tressel stepped down, Dantonio came to his friend’s defense, calling him a tragic hero and his mentor ever since 1983. Like Tressel, Dantonio teaches his players character and football. The goal is not just to win football games and be a great player but to also be a great person. Like Tressel, Dantonio knows how to beat Michigan. People commented that MSU could be looking ahead to Wisconsin, but Dantonio has been trained by the master and has indoctrinated his team to believe that the most important game on their schedule is Michigan.
Robert Smith commented on ESPN that the rivalry means more to Michigan State than Michigan, but this is not necessarily true. When John Cooper was head coach at Ohio State, the Buckeyes were a lousy 2-10-1 against their arch rivals. Michigan would always say that MSU was their main rival. But ever since 2001, Michigan no longer has the upper hand and any Michigan fan wants to beat OSU more. From 2001-2006, Michigan was 5-1 against MSU but only 1-5 against Tressel and OSU. Ever since Dantonio took over MSU, Michigan is 1-4 against MSU and 0-4 against OSU (technically 0-3).
Jim Tressel is Mark Dantonio’s mentor and taught him well. Before Saturday’s game, the MSU football players entered the stadium wearing their helmets. Dantonio has learned that beating your rival means more than any other game and for him, there is no bigger game for MSU than UM. And like his mentor, he has had great success.
Luke Fickell is on the hot seat at OSU. Everyone in Ohio is preparing for Urban Meyer to be the next head coach. But Fickell has been with Tressel for amost nine years and has watched how OSU has dominated UM. Has he learned how to beat Michigan from Tressel like Dantonio has? He was also a player under John Cooper and knows what not to do.
If Fickell can get OSU to a bowl game and beat UM in Ann Arbor, he will likely retain the head coaching job. OSU has gotten use to beating Michigan and if they feel Fickell has learned from the master, they will keep him on. Then the ghost of Jim Tressel may not leave Ann Arbor for a long long time.