Jim Tressel has resigned as head football coach at Ohio State.
The timing is a surprise -- or not, if they wanted to mitigate the fall-out by announcing it on a national holiday -- but the outcome is not. This was inevitable and obvious from the minute Tressel was caught lying and covering up NCAA violations.
His legacy at Ohio State is now primarily that of a disgrace, who happened to win a national championship and umpteen Big Ten titles -- rather than as a champion who had to resign.
But what is next at Ohio State? It is impossible to think that they don't spend the next year with this interim guy, but hire Ohio native Urban Meyer, who grew up rooting for Ohio State and is one of few coaches with the stature to rehab the program -- it doesn't hurt that Ohio State is one of the few mega-programs worth Meyer's time and energy. (As a huge Meyer fan and Ohio State hater, this entire thing is a disappointment, because he'll crush everyone there.)
The smartest thing for Ohio State and Meyer to do would be to cut a deal ASAP that names Meyer "head coach in waiting" for 2012, so he can begin to help the program recruit; if they wait too long, they will get pummeled for the entire recruiting cycle and set the program back even more than it will be with the inevitable NCAA sanctions.
Anyway, the headline remains: Jim Tressel is out. And no one is really surprised.
-- D.S.
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