Just a Matter of Time For Urban Meyer

How does Brady always know?

The last 2 weeks has seen a flurry of activity concerning the impending head football coach vacancy at The Ohio State University. Luke Fickell may have had a shot to retain his position if he had been able to win out after the Wisconsin game but we all know how that has turned out over the last couple weeks.

Uninspired losses against Purdue and a scandal ridden Penn St. team at home have all but sealed the young coaches’ fate. I think the fan base was rooting for Fickell because he was one of our own but in the end, wins are the only thing that matters around these parts. Luke has a chance to be a good coach in the future but taking off the training wheels under the bright lights of Ohio Stadium is not conducive to success.

2011 will be remembered as a lost year when we all look back 20 years from now. It isn’t only the head coaches fault. He was thrust into an impossible situation and did the best he could. I wish him well in his future coaching endeavors and even think it is a possibility that his services are retained in some capacity next season.

It is no secret that Urban Meyer is the hot name to take over in Columbus. The rumors have been swirling ever since Tressel stepped down in the spring and have reached a fever pitch in the last week or so. The rumblings started last week with the now famed charter jet that took off from Gainesville en route to Columbus. I thought Twitter was going to explode with the rumors and innuendo being thrust across my tiny phone screen. The next night, things got even crazier.

Dave Biddle and Eleven Warriors began to report that Meyer was guaranteed to don the headset in Columbus the following season. Other credible sources would follow and I felt like a child on Christmas Eve. I didn’t know how I was going to sleep with this information now swirling around in my brain. Nothing to the contrary has been reported since with Meyer even admitting that he would be interested in the job (if offered LOL).

There is no question that Urban Meyer can coach football. His career started at my alma mater BGSU and he quickly put a struggling MAC doormat on the map. Under his tutelage, the Falcons would accomplish more in his short tenure than they had in the previous 15 years combined.

During that wonderful time in my life BGSU would go to multiple bowl games, become nationally ranked and entice ESPN’s College Gameday to broadcast live in front of Doyt Perry Stadium. That doesn’t seem like a big deal to fans of the Big Ten but for a MAC school it was just short of Armageddon. I still live in Bowling Green and that day still stands alone as the craziest I have ever seen in this tiny college town. I wish I could remember more of it but that’s the thing with alcohol, it can do crazy things to you.

You can go ahead and bring that to OSU now

Anyway, those seasons wouldn't have been possible without that rising star in the coaching world. Meyer brought an exciting offense and innovative approach to BGSU and I have no doubt he will do the same for a Buckeye team that has lost its’ way a little bit.

The Meyer hire (I rhyme all the time) will send shockwaves through the Big Ten and College football in general. This is the exact kind of move the Buckeyes need after suffering through one of the darkest seasons in OSU history. Urban will bring an offensive mind that helped the Gators to two national titles and countless other successful seasons. When Tressel was fired, there weren’t that many guys out there who rivaled his success. Urban is certainly one that comes close and will appease this crazy fan base. I don’t think OSU could afford to go with the unproven coordinator route this time. They needed to make a splash and it appears this cannonball is going to drain the pool!

Most of the pieces are in place for this team to be back in the National Title hunt. Braxton has shown flashes of the player he could be under the right system and the defense always has play makers waiting in the wings. The recruiting wars would also take a dramatic turn in the Buckeyes’ favor if this move were to happen. Those kids in Ohio, Florida and Texas who were looking at other destinations for their college careers will have a lot to think about if Urban is patrolling the sidelines. Two rings and multiple players sent to the NFL can be awfully persuasive.

It is just a matter of time Meyer signs on the dotted line and we can begin this new chapter in Ohio State football. The latest interviews with Meyer were quite telling in my opinion. He went out of his way to be political about the whole thing but if you read between the lines the interest is definitely there. His health problems seem to have been squelched for the moment and his kids are growing up so there isn’t that need to go to all of their game and practices. The man is only in his late 40’s! This should be the prime of his coaching career and I am excited for that time to be spent in Columbus.