Jim Tressel (official thread)

[BB73]

Tressel, interviewed by ESPN after USC lost.

paraphrased - "I told Steve Snapp, our SID, that I don't feel comfortable submitting a ballot. We'll have to play one of those teams, and I don't want to vote either one of them #3 and make them mad at me."

[TresselOwnsCarr]

well, let's hope JT votes florida #2 (if it was me, I'd put UF 2 and scUM #117 just to hurt their chances of a rematch)

[bucknut11]

Originally Posted by TresselOwnsCarr

well, let's hope JT votes florida #2 (if it was me, I'd put UF 2 and scUM #117 just to hurt their chances of a rematch)

It will be interesting to see if any voters do something like this. Obviously they can't put 'em 117, but some voters could put one of the 2 schools somewhere out of the top 3, which would be significant when thousandths of a point matter. Maybe we'll get the SEC coaches to conspire together to avenge Auburns 2003 season.

[WoodyWorshiper]

Gotta love Coach Tress. Personally, I hope we play scUM. We know them, and can't complain about our success against them since Tress took charge.

[Bob Buck]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2684870

Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel chose not to cast his vote Sunday in the coaches' poll.

"After consultation with my director of athletics, Gene Smith, and based upon our unique position in the BCS standings," Tressel said in a statement, "I believe it is only fair that we not participate in the final poll."

[osugrad21]

Mike Leach of course is on the offensive...no need for defense from him:

Link

Leach critical of vote abstention

By JEFF CAPLAN

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

The fallout from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's decision to abstain from the final USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll triggered emotional responses among Big 12 coaches on Monday, with calls for a playoff system growing louder.
Tressel, whose team will face Florida in the BCS championship game, said he abstained because he viewed voting for his team's opponent as a conflict of interest.
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach called Tressel's reasoning "a bunch of sanctimonious bunk."
Others, such as Texas coach Mack Brown and Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said they sympathize with Tressel.
"I saw Jim didn't vote," Brown said. "I wish I had done the same."
Brown said he believes Michigan's chances were hurt because the Big 10 doesn't play a championship game, so while Michigan sat idle, Florida helped its cause by beating Arkansas in the SEC title game Saturday.
Brown said he tried to split his second-place vote between Michigan and Florida. Told by poll administrators that he could not split his vote, Brown selected Michigan second and Florida third, same as Leach.
Callahan said he doesn't believe the coaches' ballots should be made public, which would have allowed Tressel to vote without the possibility of facing criticism for his choice.
Prior to 2005, ballots were not made public, so coaches were never faced with making such a decision.
"It's a lose-lose situation for a coach," Callahan said. "I can see where it can cause some conflict, some real controversy that's unneeded and unnecessary for college football."
The debate elicited a response from American Football Coaches Association executive director Grant Teaff, who said the issue will be discussed at the Division I-A head coaches' meetings at the AFCA Convention in January and that "we will have a policy in place for next season."
Some coaches believe the best policy is to institute a playoff system, but that seems like a long shot for now.
"I'm not hearing any talk about it at all [from school presidents]," said Brown, a playoff proponent who called coaches "powerless" to further the playoff movement.
Leach emphatically endorsed a playoff system and provided his own plan: a 10-game regular season followed by a 64-team playoff starting with home games based on seeding and region. The second round would incorporate current bowl sites, leading to a national championship game.
Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, whose team played 11 consecutive weeks before a bye, said extending the season to a possible 16 games would be a strain on the players. Leach said he doesn't buy that argument.
Florida, plus teams such as Oklahoma and Nebraska that played in conference championship games, will have played 14 games after the bowls.
"Texas high school football manages to be able to play 16 games; Division III manages to be able to play 16 games; I-AA is able to play 16 games; Division II plays 16 games; the NFL is able to play significantly more than that, and somehow, magically, I-A is not? I mean, are you kidding me?" Leach said.
"And there are people that buy that, which is even more disgusting than ever. If people buy that, then obviously nothing's going to be solved at any level because stupid people are making decisions."
Leach believes a playoff structure would create a greater financial windfall than the current system. But, he said, the real issue holding back a playoff system is deciding where the additional revenue would go.
Staff writer Jimmy Burch contributed to this report.
IN THE KNOW
How they voted
A look at how Texas and Big 12 coaches voted in the final USA Today coaches' poll:
Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. USC; 5. Auburn; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Louisville; 8. LSU; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Notre Dame; 11. West Virginia; 12. Virginia Tech; 13. Wake Forest; 14. Arkansas; 15. Rutgers; 16. Boise State; 17. Tennessee; 18. California; 19. BYU; 20. Nebraska; 21. Texas A&M; 22. Texas; 23. Boston College; 24. Georgia Tech; 25. TCU.
Mack Brown, Texas
1. Ohio State; 2. Michigan; 3. Florida; 4. Wisconsin; 5. USC; 6. LSU; 7. Louisville; 8. Oklahoma; 9. Auburn; 10. Notre Dame; 11. Arkansas; 12. Boise State; 13. Virginia Tech; 14. West Virginia; 15. Texas; 16. Wake Forest; 17. Tennessee; 18. Rutgers; 19. California; 20. Nebraska; 21. BYU; 22. Texas A&M; 23. Georgia Tech; 24. Boston College; 25. Clemson.
Gary Patterson, TCU
1. Ohio State; 2. Michigan; 3. Florida; 4. LSU; 5. USC; 6. Louisville; 7. Auburn; 8. Oklahoma; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Boise State; 11. Wisconsin; 12. Arkansas; 13. West Virginia; 14. Rutgers; 15. Texas; 16. Virginia Tech; 17. Wake Forest; 18. California; 19. BYU; 20. Nebraska; 21. Tennessee; 22. Boston College; 23. TCU; 24. Texas A&M; 25. Georgia Tech.
Art Briles, Houston
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. LSU; 5. USC; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Louisville; 8. Boise State; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Auburn; 11. Virginia Tech; 12. Arkansas; 13. Notre Dame; 14. West Virginia; 15. Wake Forest; 16. Texas; 17. Tennessee; 18. Rutgers; 19. Houston; 20. California; 21. BYU; 22. Texas A&M; 23. TCU; 24. Boston College; 25. Oregon State.
Mike Leach, Texas Tech
1. Ohio State; 2. Michigan; 3. Florida; 4. Oklahoma; 5. LSU; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Virginia Tech; 8. Auburn; 9. Louisville; 10. Notre Dame; 11. USC; 12. Boise State; 13. Arkansas; 14. West Virginia; 15. BYU; 16. Wake Forest; 17. Texas; 18. Tennessee; 19. California; 20. Nebraska; 21. TCU; 22. Rutgers; 23. Texas A&M; 24. Boston College; 25. Oregon State.
Darrell Dickey, North Texas
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. Wisconsin; 5. LSU; 6. Louisville; 7. Boise State; 8. Oklahoma; 9. USC; 10. Notre Dame; 11. Arkansas; 12. West Virginia; 13. Wake Forest; 14. Auburn; 15. Texas; 16. Rutgers; 17. Virginia Tech; 18. Tennessee; 19. California; 20. Nebraska; 21. BYU; 22. Boston College; 23. Texas A&M; 24. TCU; 25. Georgia Tech.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Wisconsin; 6. LSU; 7. USC; 8. Louisville; 9. Arkansas; 10. Boise State; 11. Auburn; 12. Notre Dame; 13. Virginia Tech; 14. Wake Forest; 15. West Virginia; 16. Texas; 17. Nebraska; 18. Rutgers; 19. California; 20. Tennessee; 21. Texas A&M; 22. BYU; 23. Georgia Tech; 24. Boston College; 25. Houston.
Bill Callahan, Nebraska
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. Wisconsin; 5. Louisville; 6. Boise State; 7. Oklahoma; 8. LSU; 9. USC; 10. Auburn; 11. Notre Dame; 12. West Virginia; 13. Arkansas; 14. Wake Forest; 15. Virginia Tech; 16. Texas; 17. Texas A&M; 18. California; 19. Rutgers; 20. Boston College; 21. BYU; 22. Tennessee; 23. Nebraska; 24. Oregon State; 25. Penn State.
Dan Hawkins, Colorado
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. LSU; 5. Wisconsin; 6. Louisville; 7. Boise State; 8. Oklahoma; 9. USC; 10. Auburn; 11. Notre Dame; 12. Virginia Tech; 13. Arkansas; 14. West Virginia; 15. Wake Forest; 16. Texas A&M; 17. Tennessee; 18. California; 19. Rutgers; 20. Texas; 21. BYU; 22. Nebraska; 23. Oregon State; 24. Boston College; 25. TCU.
Dan McCarney, Iowa State
1. Ohio State; 2. Florida; 3. Michigan; 4. LSU; 5. Wisconsin; 6. USC; 7. Louisville; 8. Oklahoma; 9. Boise State; 10. Auburn; 11. Notre Dame; 12. West Virginia; 13. Arkansas; 14. Virginia Tech; 15. Wake Forest; 16. Texas; 17. Rutgers; 18. Tennessee; 19. California; 20. BYU; 21. Texas A&M; 22. Nebraska; 23. Boston College; 24. TCU; 25. Oregon State.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

COMMENTARY
Call him astute, or call him slick: Tressel correct in sidestepping vote
Tuesday, December 05, 2006

ROB OLLER
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Ohio?s unofficial guvna has spoken, and once again Jim Tressel comes off sounding more polished and politically savvy than most elected officials on their best days.
His decision to abstain from voting in the final USA Today coaches poll on Sunday was a shrewd move made by a man perfectly suited for the politics of poll voting. No one spins potential spider webs into cotton candy better than Tress. Show me a mess and I?ll show you a coach who wipes it clean with his words.
The Buckeyes coach cited conflict of interest and respect for Florida and Michigan as reasons why he vetoed his own vote. No doubt Tressel?s genuine integrity played a part in the decision, but only the politically na?ve fail to see the masterful maneuvering of a coach who some dub "The Senator." Others, maybe even Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, might have a new name for Tress: "Slick Jimmy."
"I just didn?t think it was appropriate that Ohio State would cast a ballot one way or the other," Tressel said, making sure to spread the accountability by adding that he consulted with athletic director Gene Smith in making the decision.
The political fallout began immediately from afar and continued into yesterday. Jim Mandich, a former Michigan receiver who now does a sports talk radio show in Miami, went off on Tressel, calling him "a weasel" who "wet his pants."
"Be a man. You signed up for the job. It?s your duty and responsibility (to vote)," Mandich said.
Harsh. Among his own constituency, the OSU coach remains the people?s choice to lead the Buckeyes into the desert and out again with the national title. He may not be able to solve world hunger, but as long as he solves the Gators all will be right in the world of scarlet and gray.
Tressel is not the only coach to play politics. In the race to decide which teams receive BCS bowl bids, including which will be voted No. 2 and earn a spot in the national championship game, scoring points off the field is nearly as important as scoring them off slant routes.
Down in Florida, Gators coach Urban Meyer sparked another campaign controversy involving a hanging Chad. This time, Meyer hung Michigan quarterback Chad Henne and the rest of the Wolverines out to dry a few weeks ago by declaring that "Michigan had its chance" against Ohio State and that "if there?s a (Ohio State-Michigan) rematch, the system needs to be blown up."
Kaboom. Talk about attack ads. At least that?s how Carr saw it. The Wolverines coach turned around and ripped Meyer for the "inappropriate" comments and called his politicking wrong.
Carr, who is iron skillet to Tressel?s Teflon, claimed that he didn?t care who the voters picked as No. 2. That?s funny, because he later appeared on ESPN to say he sure hoped that voters wouldn?t punish Michigan for having not played since the loss to Ohio State.
See, even grumps know how to play the government game.
Whether Tressel?s decision comes back to bite him and the Buckeyes remains to be seen. In the short term, The Vest avoided two missteps at once. If he had voted for Florida, the Wolverines would have remembered the slam into the next century. The Big Ten likely would have frowned upon it, too.
A vote for Michigan, meanwhile, would have given Florida instant bulletin board material. In the long run, it?s possible that USA Today could pull Tressel?s vote, which could cost the Buckeyes down the road. But the future matters little when an election, er,