Ohio State's last three losing seasons in the Big Ten came in 1966, 1988 and 1999. So any amateur numerologist could have told Luke Fickell that danger lurked in 2011.
Now he's living that odd coincidence, and it doesn't look like it's much fun. The Buckeyes were routed by Miami and nearly shocked by Toledo in September, but both were mere preambles to the torture of the conference schedule. Ohio State was nearly shut out in Columbus by Michigan State in its opener, then savaged by Nebraska's ferocious second-half rally last Saturday in Lincoln.
Yes, Minnesota isn't the only Big Ten program immersed in a debate over the sorry state its previous coach left the program. The Buckeyes are living the revenge of Jim Tressel, whose awkward exit has made it impossible for Fickell to enjoy the same success he had. The Buckeyes' streak of six straight BCS bowl games is already history, and their stretch of six straight Big Ten championships is almost certainly over, too. And the specter of severe punishment for the tattoo-parlor scandal hovers over the program, with the NCAA's verdict expected soon.
All of which has restored the "interim" to Fickell's head coaching title, no matter what Buckeyes administration says. The innocent-bystander coach, unexpectedly promoted when the scandal-ridden Tressel was finally tossed overboard on Memorial Day, insisted before the season that "I won't allow myself to think about" job security as the season goes along.
If Fickell isn't thinking about who will coach the Buckeyes next season, he might be the only person in Columbus who isn't. Ohio native Urban Meyer's name is routinely invoked, as though he's already been appointed, and Fickell's removal from power is considered a mere formality.
"We can't look any farther ahead than today. You drive yourself batty trying to do it," Fickell said this week after the Buckeyes blew a 21-point lead to lose to the Cornhuskers. "So no, I don't give that any thought."
The embarrassment at Lincoln might have been avoided had freshman quarterback Braxton Miller not sprained his ankle in the third quarter, forcing Fickell to insert overmatched junior Joe Bauserman to protect a 21-6 lead. Bauserman completed only one of his last 10 passes -- he is three of 24 in two road games this year -- while Nebraska's comeback gained momentum.
Miller is expected to play Saturday, when the Buckeyes head to Champaign as four-point underdogs to undefeated Illinois. Perhaps Fickell can get some pointers on enduring endless he's-gone rumors, since Ron Zook -- who has the 6-0 Illini off to their best start in 60 years -- has appeared on the verge of being fired for three years.
