Could be big year for OSU, Tressel

I wonder how the college football season will play out.
It's probably not going to come as much of a surprise, but I'm hoping for an Ohio State appearance and win in the BCS National Championship Game.
The table is set for Coach Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes, who are No. 2 in the pre-season coaches poll. As much as I hate pre-season polls, that's exactly where I thought OSU would and should be. Win out and they will make their 4th appearance in the BCS title game.
That will set-up the oft-criticized Buckeyes and Tressel to silence the critics who don't think too highly of the Big 10/11/12 and who don't Ohio State think can win the big game against a quality opponent.
While I don't want to put the proverbial cart before the horse (man, I hate cliches), a national championship would be the salve Buckeye Nation needs for several reasons.
First, a title game appearance would tie Oklahoma at the top with four.
Second, a win would most likely come against an SEC (Alabama or Florida) or Big 12 (Texas or Oklahoma) powerhouse. That would stifle talk about  the Big 10's best team not being good enough to beat the big boys from the other power conferences.
Third, it would give Ohio State more BCS titles than any school not named Florida or Alabama and would tie those aforementioned schools with two titles. And if the win comes against either of them, it would even their BCS title game series at one apiece.
And fourth, it would validate Tressel's OSU career. Not that I think it needs to be validated, but it would give Tressel as many national titles as Pete Carroll (one was an AP title), Nick Saban (one at LSU and one at Alabama) and Urban Meyer. And it would push Tressel ahead of Les Miles and Mack Brown.
Why is that important?
Every time you click on a website or listen to a sports talk show, it's Nick Saban this, Urban Meyer that, Mack Brown did this and Les Miles did that with LSU.
How about the job Tressel has done of restoring OSU to it's rightful place among the elite schools in the country? Personally, I think he had a lot more work to do than the other guys. That's no knock on John Cooper. Just the truth.
So it could be a great season for the Buckeyes, Tressel and the fans.
And there's no better way for OSU and the Big 10/11/12 to enter the age of expansion than with a national championship that would mean so much for so many.