anyone else have a let down year?

[BoxCar_Willie]

In the winter/spring of 2002 I was more pumped for OSU football than ever, didn't quite know why. Then the season was just magic.
Anyone else have a bit of a let down this year before/during the season?
The whole MoC crap turned me off and then all the other NYtimes academics/elgilibility issues of players. I think it peaked with Reynolds choking Sorgie. After that I was so embarrassed I didn't even mind that we lost that game.
Slowly picked up steam the rest of the year and we went to the Fiesta Bowl.
I think there were so many extracurricular activities around the team and players that it kind of turned me off.
Anyone else feel this way this season?

[MililaniBuckeye]

Obviously the Clarett thing was like someone [censored]ing on my campfire, but once the season started, it was back to business as normal for me. I was really fired up for the Washington opener.

[WoodyWorshiper]

I said it after last years Fiesta Bowl and I'll say it to the day I die. There is NOTHING that Jim Tressel can do at TOSU to top what happened last year. NOTHING!

Letdown? Yea, I'll admit there was from the get-go. Losing MoC really messed things up. Any true Buckeye fan knew that this offense was in big trouble without him. "Returning 10 starters" didn't excite me. I also think losing Ivan Douglas hurt alot, this never gets any mention.

We had a good season this year but maybe I've gotten too greedy. I want more Titles. We went to dUMb this year with a chance to get there and got blown out. THAT was the biggest "letdown" of all.

I can not honestly sit here and say I was pleased with this season. The crazy thing is, if we had not lost to Wisky, I think we'd have played in the Sugar even with the loss to dUMb. Go Figure.

[cincibuckeyenut]

I struggle with this. We met or exceeded expectations, but I really felt like we should have won Wisconsin. But I wasn't too devastated because every streak has to end sometime and UW made two gutsy but perfect plays at the perfect time (bomb and naked bootleg) And I do feel we would have gone sugar without beating UM then (imagine that uproar, OK and OSU both losing their last game and still going title?) And of course, while I felt like we got beat by a better team at the time, I am no longer convinced of that about Michigan. I feel like our defense was so beat up that we didn't have the gas for UM. I think if we had played them in a bowl game where both teams had a month to heal and prepare, our defense does to Navarre what USCs did.

I look back on this year and think about how much fun it is to watch a buckeye game because I know it is gonna be close. I also think about the fact that I no longer get nervous when we are within 10 points or even when we are down 2 touchdowns. I even thought we were going to come back against UM until halfway through the fourth. I think about the fact that I had no fear about the nations leading rusher or an incredible rushing QB going into the bowl game.

A national championship is a once in a lifetime thing for most schools. At best once a decade. I think about the fact that I have the utmost confidence that we will see another before the decade is out, about the fact that I believe we may in fact see several over the next 20 years. I think about the incredible recruiting class coming in, not just good athletes but in general it sounds like smart kids and good people. I think about the fact that our starting QB won the Academic Heisman. About the fact that we every single year produce all americans or NFL stars out of our defensive backfield, at least one and sometimes two. I think about the fact that guys like Michael Doss, Will Smith, Michael Jenkins would give up millions of dollars to play for my school.

Down year? Nah. I'd say a great year, just not quite as good as the most magical season in college football history.

[LightningRod]

I don't believe any other coach could have produced an 11-2 year with all of the adversity that hit this team beginning at the end of spring practice through the season. That this group of young men were able to stay focused enough to go 11-2 is a testament to the great group of players and coaches at OSU. I could look at the negatives, but instead prefer to dwell on the good things. For me, this season was truly a sign that the Cooper years are over -the team did not pack it in for a bowl game following a Michigan loss.