LordJeffBuck;631854; said:
from 1969 to 1978, he was basically John Cooper - consistently the best talent in the land, consistently losing big games (Michigan in 1969, Rose Bowl in 1970, Michigan (tie) in 1973, Michigan State in 1974, Rose Bowl in 1975), consistently coming up short in the hunt for the NC, then finally going out in disgrace after an embarrassing loss in a minor bowl game.
Sorry, LJB, but I got to disagree big time:
1. The loss at Michigan in 1969 can't be compared to any of Cooper's losses to Michigan teams. Michigan actually had a very solid team...they were 7-2 coming into The Game and their defense had given up only 22 points total over the previous four games.
2. The 1973 tie at Michigan was against the then-#4 team in the land that had a defense that was virtually as good as ours (they allowed only 58 points through their first 10 games, including three straight shutouts and four straight games without allowing a TD). Ohio State and Michigan were about as even as two teams could be.
3. The 1974 loss at MSU was bullshit because the refs took away our winning TD.
4. I think you mean the 1976 Rose (UCLA) and not the 1975 Rose Bowl (USC). We had no business losing to UCLA after pounding them 41-20, on their field, earlier in the season. It was either that Rose Bowl, or the 1970 Rose Bowl you mentioned, that many players were pissed at Hayes because of restriction on their freedom prior to the bowl game, and thus didn't give near 100%. That one I'll put on Woody.
Although he may have failed quite a few times in your eyes from 1969 onward, he still had teams consistently playing for national titles and still beat Michigan often (still went 4-4-1 against Michigan after the 1969 upset, and three of those losses were in his last three years as coach).
John Cooper not once had an Ohio State team playing for a national title, i.e., in a game that if they won they'd be national champs. Cooper not only lost to Michigan nearly every year, but he never won at Ann Arbor--not once--and several times lost to markedly inferior Wolverine teams:
1993: OSU (9-0-1) Mich (6-4) lost 28-0
1995: OSU (11-0) Mich (8-3) lost 31-23
1996: OSU (11-0) Mich (7-3) lost 13-9
Most glaring is the 1993 28-point ass-whooping...how in the fuck can an undefeated team averaging 32.3 ppg get pounded by four TDs and shutout by a four-loss team?