Dear Coach Hoke,
As a die-hard Ohio State Buckeye fan you would think that it would be obvious that I am enjoying the struggles of the team up north. I won’t lie and say that I am not getting a chuckle out of the program falling apart, but in reality it’s bad for college football and the Big 10. The Big 10 is top-heavy with Ohio State, MSU, and Wisconsin as formidable teams, and for the rest of the conference it’s a crap shoot. Penn State is trying to get back to national supremacy, Nebraska is decent, and Maryland and Rutgers are new to the conference. The other teams are searching for an identity (S/O to Indiana for beating Mizzou). To be honest, what is Big Ten football with a woeful team in Ann Arbor? The conference lacks the national respect that it once had, and quality wins are tough to come by when most teams resemble the Bad News Bears. The OSU-TTUN rivalry is more of a drubbing more than anything. Since the turn of the century, OSU is 11-3 against the team up north. I know it’s not all your fault, but as of now nothing is changing.
It was expected that you would take the program out of the dumps after Rich Rodriguez left it in disarray, but it seems like your team is seven years in the hole. In the 2011-2012 season, you led the team to a 11-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech, but since then the team hasn’t had a record better than 8-5. It created excitement for me, because I felt that the rivalry with OSU would pick up some steam after coming out of the gates swinging. This season team has two losses early into the season, and it doesn’t look like things are on the rise. We all know you’re on the hot seat, but what can done to save you? It’s obvious to say winning, but that’s easier said than done. People believed that Al Borges was the problem, but he was replaced by Doug Nuessmeier and the offense still resembles shades of last season. Recruiting hasn’t been the issue, with the school having two top-ten recruiting classes under you. With those numbers it falls on coaching, and coaching scheme. It’s an eerie situation, because the quality players are there, but they have yet to tap into the potential. The Big Ten needs the team to step up to bring more credibility to the conference, and OSU needs it to keep the rivalry relevant. I know tough times don’t last forever, but this nightmare has been going for too long.
P.S. Brady Hoke, please shape up your team, or you will be on your way out of town. This isn’t good for me, because I don’t want to see John or Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.
Signed,
Some Buckeye Fan
1 thought on “Trouble in Ann Arbor: A Letter to Brady Hoke”