Brady Quinn: Jim Tressel changed the modern face of Ohio State-Michigan rivalry
Brady Quinn might’ve played at Notre Dame, but he knows a thing or two about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. He grew up in Columbus, which gave him a front-row seat to the evolution of The Game.
Quinn talked about how the rivalry has evolved, from John Cooper’s failure to beat Michigan to Jim Tressel’s promise to beat “that team up north.” In fact, Quinn said Tressel changed the trajectory of The Game.
“I watched this rivalry my entire life,” Quinn said Friday morning. “I watched John Cooper lose his job because he couldn’t beat Michigan. They had great football teams. I watched [Charles Woodson], I watched David Boston, I watched all those matchups. They had great players, you guys both did. You guys always won. John Cooper lost his job over it.
“You know what Jim Tressel said the first day he walked in the door at Ohio State? … I’ll never forget it. They weren’t a great football team that first year, but he guaranteed he’d beat That Team Up North. And he did as a 7-5 team that year … and the rest has really been history over the past two decades. To me, this is about Jim Harbaugh’s legacy now moving forward and what direction it goes.”
Tressel took over at Ohio State in 2001 and went 9-1 against Michigan in The Game over his career. Prior to his arrival, the Buckeyes won the matchup six times between 1980 and 2000. He completely flipped the script, which is evidenced by Michigan’s two wins since Tressel became Ohio State’s coach.
Kickoff between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan is coming up Saturday at noon ET on FOX.
Bob Stoops backs Jim Harbaugh prior to Michigan-Ohio State
It’s almost time for The Game between Ohio State and Michigan. There’s once again plenty of talk about what it means for Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh — and FOX analyst Bob Stoops has his back.
Harbaugh hasn’t beaten Ohio State as Michigan’s head coach. In fact, the Wolverines haven’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2011 when Brady Hoke was the coach.
Stoops said that adds to the magnitude of the game for Harbaugh. However, it’s not make-or-break considering how Michigan has done this year.
“Winning this game for Coach Harbaugh, to me, puts him at another level,” Stoops said Friday morning. “Jim Harbaugh’s perfect for Michigan. I think he’s a great coach, he’s a damn good coach. Every year, winning eight, nine, 10 games. Look around the country, that isn’t happening everywhere. Just look at Texas right now. So point being, he does a great job.
“This’ll put him at another level, winning it. If he does lose it, again, they’re still doing a great job here. They’re in the end of the season, 10-1, are you kidding me? They’re doing an awesome job.”