Ohio State Football: Meyer passing Saban’s legacy coaching in Big Ten
When Urban Meyer took over the Ohio State football program it turned “the tide”.
Turning the page after an emotional letdown is difficult. Players, coaches, fans want quick answers and turnarounds. Maybe the truth is we are witnessing the effect of having Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer in the Big Ten.
Meyer still only has only one true peer in college football, Nick Saban. Their impact on each conference is dramatically different.
When Saban joined the SEC the second time around as Alabama’s coach in 2007, the conference was deep into its dominating BCS run.
Florida, LSU, Auburn and Georgia were all strong. Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas were really good. Ol Miss and Mississippi State were decent.
Coaches in the SEC included Steve Spurrier, Les Miles, Meyer, Phil Fulmer, Tommy Tuberville, Bobby Petrino and Mark Richt. None are still coaching the SEC.
Their replacements, except for Kirby Smart, are mostly struggling.
Fast forward a decade and the conference is a shell of what it once was. Coaching is sub par, quarterback play is questionable and the programs are failing while trying to duplicate what Saban has done in Tuscaloosa.
The Saban effect has deteriorated the strength of the conference.
Contrast that with the Big Ten.
The SEC made a living feasting off of the Big Ten, especially Ohio State which owned the Big Ten in the Tressell era.
Sure Michigan and Wisconsin popped up here and there, but the Buckeyes were king.
Meyer’s arrival brought change and fear to the Big Ten that was needed. Top-level coaches at that time were Mark Dantonio, Kirk Ferentz and Pat Fitzgerald, but it also included Brady Hoke, Bret Bielema, Bill O’Brien, Kyle Flood and Randy Edsall who have all been replaced by far superior coaches.
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Now look at the Big Ten. Jim Harbaugh, James Franklin, Paul Chryst, Chris Ash and D.J. Durkin were significant upgrades.
Meyer’s presence has risen the tide, while Saban’s has sunk the ship.
Fans can be upset with disappointing losses, but this should not be surprising. The Big Ten is better and much deeper than it has been in decades because Meyer arrived in Columbus in 2012.
If the Buckeyes win out, and I suspect they will, Meyer will have lost a total of four conference games in six seasons. Keep that in mind when you criticize the program.
No doubt some losses were headscratchers. The last few were blowouts and I hear fans gripe that Saban never loses this way.
Next: A ray of sunshine through a dark cloud
True, but Meyer’s program has sustained itself in a tougher environment. Saban is facing worse competition each passing season. That’s worthy of celebration.