Tressel played it absolutely wrong and politically correct

You don't know whether to applaud Jim Tressel or slap him.

Instead of griping over Urban Meyer's methods, Lloyd Carr should have emulated them. (Getty Images)

If this were a court of law, Tressel recusing himself from voting in the coaches poll on Sunday would be admirable. But the BCS isn't a murder trial. All Tressel was asked to do -- what he had promised to do -- was submit a ballot in the final poll.

You know by now that Tressel abstained from voting in the final poll that is used in the BCS standings, calling it a "conflict of interest."

"I didn't think it was appropriate for us to put a ballot out for who we would play," Tressel said. "I didn't think it was the right thing to do."

Stop right there. Let's get rid of the legalese. This wasn't a court proceeding. The Ohio State coach made it sound like a group decision, saying it came about after consultation with athletic director Gene Smith.

No, this was Jim Tressel going Washington politico on us. We found you breaking into Watergate, Jim, and you still denied. The war is going to spit in Iraq, and you continue to spin.

If you asked Tressel if the sky was blue, he'd get back to you on it after carefully consulting with the board of trustees.

Jim, how about growing a pair in this case? Let's call this what it is: You were afraid that if you voted Michigan No. 2, that you'd give Florida bulletin board material. If you voted Florida No. 2, That School Up North would hate you even more.

Life is tough. There are players out there living hand-to-Pell Grant. Suddenly, you're worried about how they're going to feel? That's only a big deal to you when it threatens to impact your front lawn. You know, where the TP job would go when Lloyd Carr found your home address.

You made a promise to USA Today to vote. Honor it. This was the first time in the paper's 16-year involvement in the poll that someone abstained.

And guess what? It didn't matter. Florida would have ended up No. 2 if you had ranked it 25th and Michigan No. 1.

That just looks bad, a borderline grandstand move. Your poll credibility already was called into question in September when you proudly declared your No. 1 vote for Texas. That conveniently happened to be the week you played Texas.

Oops. That's not what USA Today found when it checked your ballot.