COLUMBUS, Ohio — Having coached in 10 editions of it—and winning nine of them—there are few people more qualified to talk about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry than Jim Tressel.
But that doesn't mean the former Buckeyes head coach can't be wrong when discussing The Game.
The new Youngstown State president made headlines earlier this week while speaking at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton, Ohio. Discussing the Wolverines' hiring of Jim Harbaugh, Tressel praised the arrival of the new Michigan head man.
"I think Jim Harbaugh will bring something to the Ohio State-Michigan storied rivalry," Tressel said, via Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal. "He’s been successful wherever he’s been. He’s extremely hardworking. He has great pride in his alma mater."
That's not where Tressel was wrong. In fact, it'd be hard to disagree with anything "The Senator" said above.
But his assessment that followed could be open to interpretation.
“Personally, I think they’re a ways away from being at the level where there’s going to be a 'Ten Year War,'" Tressel said, referencing the storied rivalry between OSU's Woody Hayes and Michigan's Bo Schembechler from 1969-1978. "I think they’ve got some work to do to get to that."
Tressel could be correct. But it all depends on his definition of "a ways."
The Buckeyes certainly have an advantage over the Wolverines coming off their national championship season, one which also saw the Wolverines accumulate a 5-7 record before firing former head coach Brady Hoke. Additionally, Ohio State has won 12 of its past 14 matches with Michigan dating back to Tressel's first season at Columbus in 2001.
The momentum is certainly in Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes' favor—that's inarguable. And according to Tressel, it will stay that way until Harbaugh proves he can consistently recruit the state of Ohio.
“How far behind [is Michigan]? It [depends] on how long that door stays closed," Tressel said. "That’s the key. Urban will do a great job, they know how to win, they’ve got a great staff. But you’ve still got to keep it closed.”
History would show that Tressel's correct, that successful Michigan teams usually coincide with a strong presence of players from the Buckeye State. Wolverine Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson each hail from talent-rich Ohio, as do recent Michigan stars Shawn Crable, Pierre Woods, Mario Manningham, Jordan Kovacs, Frank Clark and Fitzgerald Toussaint.
Heck, even Harbaugh, Hoke and Schembechler were born in Ohio.
But while recruiting Ohio has proven beneficial throughout the Wolverines' storied history, it hasn't always equated to success in Ann Arbor.
In order to see this, one must look no further than Hoke, who arrived in Michigan in 2011, the same year Tressel was ousted from Ohio State after committing NCAA violations. In his first recruiting class, Hoke took advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the rival Buckeyes, landing four players from Ohio including Clark, center Jack Miller, defensive end Chris Rock and defensive end Keith Heitzman.
A year later, Hoke would add nine Ohio natives to his roster only to see his program decline in the four seasons he was at the helm.
The problem was that while Hoke was attracting talented players—including some of Ohio's best—they rarely developed under his watch. That shouldn't be a problem with Harbaugh, who turned around San Jose and Stanford during his previous college coaching stints before taking the 49ers to three consecutive NFC title games and a Super Bowl.
And despite what Tressel says, in order to turn Michigan around, he may not need to rely on Ohio to do it.
While it's always beneficial to successfully recruit a state with as much talent as Ohio, Harbaugh's celebrity has instantly restored credibility to the Wolverines as a national brand. More importantly, his ties in California should bode well for Michigan's ability to recruit the Golden State, which has also been a vital pipeline for the Wolverines in the past.
Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno's presence will only increase Michigan's efforts in California, while defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and defensive line coach Greg Mattison give Harbaugh ties to talent-rich Florida as well. If Michigan can consistently recruit California and Florida while also cherry-picking national prospects and the best in its own backyard, whatever Harbaugh can pull from Ohio could be a bonus.
And Tressel isn't counting out Harbaugh doing that, either.
"If anyone can do it, Jim Harbaugh can," he said. "He’ll do a great job.”
Maybe he wasn't wrong after all.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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