The Front Row

Tressel looked like he was 37 when he took the job... a few years later he looks 67... that was a coach who had what multiple NC's under his belt in IAA and like 15 years HC experience... albiet we all scratched when he was named coach and look what he did...... Fickell has nothing like that behind him with all due respect..... trust I love the dude too but that's like Speilman coaching the Crusaders.... Luke is the All American Ohio kid who laid it all on the line for tOSU and has been there for what the last 8 years... AWESOME..... sure he has grit, determination, and everything else BUT does that make him for a ready made HC for a team like tOSU.... I hope he gets the job too or at least to show us what he has because I know guys will want to play for him and above all he had HEART when he played... those are the types of qualities we need more everyday now in our players...... hire an OC and he might be taking a step in the right direction.....otherwise by the 2nd half of Akron the FIRE BOLLMAN chants will begin.... and guess who is next?

Good news is everyone's expectations should be a little lower than the last 8 years since NC in 2002....

I worry that FIckel won't be able to handle the front line part of being a head coach. Sometimes the coaching is the easiest part. I am not confident a guy who hasn't even ran a defense by himself can run a program this big. With that said I will not cry one bit if he is the head coach since many others know him better than I do (which is zero) so if they feel he can do it than great.

Duane, I believe Meyer might had some issues with the press in Gainesville and he was having some problems with some of the brass at Florida, maybe even a booster or two that he wasn't allowed to squelch. I think there's more to it than burn out or a health issue. He wanted out of Florida.

I think if they don't hire Fickell after him cleaning up the mess it's a travesty. If they hire Fickell he can hire an offensive Coordinator...OL coach. I would love to see Fickell extend an offer to Glen Mason as the OC or OL coach. I would make Bolls the Assistant HC and move Peterson to TE/assistant OL coach.

I agree the more we mess around the longer it will take to heal. Fickell is the ripe old age of 37 going on 38...alot of gas in that tank. He could be our Fitzgerald. Get 20-25 years out of him and maybe he could go down as an all-time great.

I think the 3 real candidates are Fickell, Gruden, and Meyer.

I would love to see Fickell succeed! He needs a great season and he needs to land a few top recruits for him to get the job, IMO.

Urban seems the perfect candidate for a year off and then come in fired up to be HC again.....especially if Ohio State is his dream job. I would welcome him.

All you can ask is to be given a chance. If he kicks ass this year with all the distractions, I think he deserves a legitimate look. I love the man and would love to see him succeed

I really like Fickell and the staff, but its funny how they all get a free pass from the same media blasting JT that he knew about the scandal the whole time...you gotta think JT shared some of this info with the staff at least verbally behind the closed doors of the Woody...I'll be curious to see if the NCAA questions each assistant coach and if any of them eventually admit or our proven that they knew about this stuff as well...I really hope not, because then it goes from cover-up to conspiracy. Anyway, I think OSU ends up cleaning house after this season ala USC...Smith will be gone also. I definately can see Heacock, Bolllman and Dick Tressel riding off into the sunset...so maybe there is a scenario where Luke does end up getting the head job but with conditions of an entirely new staff...including a hot shot offensive coordinator alot of fans have been clamoring for.

Fickell Gets my vote Meyer is a good coach but the stress is to much he is a control freak like Tress and when he let's go of the reins a little well you saw what happend to fla.

Can't argue with the logic that if he coaches the team to victories over Miami, Mich St, Nebraska and Wisconsin, he should be hired as the next head coach. If the team looks 'good' going 10-2, think he likely gets the nod also. An 'ugly' 10-2 or anything less and they should go with someone more experienced.

If Meyer can't handdle it a Florida with the cache of 2 NCs under his belt, he can't handle it here. If he got the job everyone, including me, would demand an NC game appearance right away.

Gruden, as I have said ad nauseum, has less pedigree than Fickell. He won a SuperBowl with Dungy's team then ran that team into the ground. All he has is name recognition. That may be good for recruiting, but we would end up with John Cooper-lite.

Fickell is a tremendous recruiter and great defensive coach. He has a grioup of hungry players, but if he can parlay that with all of the potnetial for derailment into a 10-2 or better record this year and a BCS game, he deserves the job for 10 years. I say DON'T BE FICKLE ABOUT FICKELL!! LUKE! LUKE!! LUKE!!!

Nobody here can seriously say a thing about Luke Fickell until the man has his opportunity to be the HEAD Ball Coach. Different game altogether. Meyer has Been there and done that...more than once. I am not against Fickell, Hell of a Buckeye through and through, but at the end of the day, I want WHOEVER is best...and at this juncture, NOBODY can predict that with any amount of credibility. Let time be the judge.

You think fickell is going to win two BCS titles in 4 years and go unbeaten in all BCS bowls?