Liar Liar, Vest got Fired.

As a life long Michigan fan, today is day i have dreamed of for many years. There have been few men who tormented the Wolverines more than Jim "The Vest" Tressel and his departure from the head coaching job at Ohio State is a fantastic news for any Michigan fan. But after my initial reaction of jubilation of learning that Tressel resigned from OSU, i was left with a sense of disappointment. While Tressel's personal legacy is forever marred, he leaves OSU with a shockingly successful record. He went to 8 BCS bowl games in 10 years, won a National title, and had a 9-1 record against Michigan. This last point is by far the most painful fact and the reason that Tressel's off the field burnout is not enough.

When a team that forfeit wins due to sanctions, no one forgets the achievements of the team. The same is true here. No one will forget his record as a coach all time or his record against Michigan. So while todays news is a huge positive for Michigan, its not a fairy tale ending. The fairy tale ending is Tressel trying to hold on to the job for another 5 years amid the growing scandal leaving Ohio State with a permanent black eye and a weak and decrepit program, while Brady Hoke raises the Wolverines from the ashes of the Rich-Rod experiment that ended in catastrophe, beating with Buckeyes year in and year out until OSU had no choice to part ways with its beleaguered coach, much the way Lloyd Carr was forced to leave from Ann Arbor. While I have almost no confidence that would have happened, i would have enjoyed the chance. The funny part is, now that Tressel is gone, many of those plot points are now possible. Michigan is on the rise, with a new coach that understands how Michigan football i splayed, and what its played for, while OSU is left to pick up the pieces. Many will call me crazy, but dont be surprised if Michigan is in the hunt for the Big 10 title this year, or if Brady Hoke starts his own 7 game winning streak in The Game.