Tressel The Chess Player

Imagine, if you will, Jim Tressel as a chess player. He is a very good and smart chess player. Over his years of playing chess he has developed an immaculate and systematic scheme in which he feels like if he does it successfully, he is going to beat you every time. You are also a good chess player, but unlike Jim Tressel you dont have a formula by which to win. You play each game different. Sometimes more agressive if you know an opponents weakness and are confident you can beat him quickly. Other times you hold back some, knowing that your opponent is strong and the one who makes the first mistake will probably lose. You play Jim Tressel once a day for two weeks. He wins all 14 times. He absolutely destroys you the first week, but the second week it gets more and more competitive each day. Finally you beat him...you beat him regularly. You have figured out that Jim Tressel does the SAME EXACT THING EVERY TIME HE PLAYS. You know that at the beginning of the chess match he'll start out by moving different pieces, but at certain points of the game you have figured him out and you know which player he's going to move, where he's going to move it, and what his next move will be. It is obvious to you, obvious to everyone else, yet Jim Tressel seems oblivious to it. When you ask him about it afterwards, he simply says "well, i just need to go study and get better". The next time you beat him, he says "there were some things that i did that i probably shouldnt have done, but the important thing is that I learn". Yet again, you beat Jim Tressel. Jim, what happened this time? Why did you move the Rook instead of the queen for a sure-fire checkmate? Jim Tressel replies, "well, it just seemed like the right thing to do".

What I Learned Over The Weekend

With the exception of Ohio State, the Big 10 conference is simply bad. Should Ohio State play up to their capability, they should waltz through the Big 10 schedule unscathed and be headed for a Rose Bowl date vs the Pac 10 champ. Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern: you're awful. Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan State: enjoy your 6 win season. Michigan: hey, atleast you wont be 3-9. Iowa and Penn State: you're okay, but still no match for a Buckeye team playing their A-game. Having just purchased tickets for an October 31st matchup with New Mexico State, i have extremely happy with the prospect of seeing an OSU team that will be 8-1 and possibly a top 5 team in the country. Enjoy the ride, Buckeye fans..it'll be a fun one.