With Tressel at the helm, the Buckeyes have thrived in "big games", building a 4-1 record against Michigan and 4-1 in bowl appearances. Battling ranked squads, OSU has a 21-7 ledger, including a robust 6-2 mark against opponents in the Top Ten. The Bucks fare well in close contests, too, winning 17 of 26 games that have been decided by seven points or less.

For Tressel, success off of the football field is important as well. There have been an incredible 97 Academic All-Big Ten Honorees the last five seasons, by far the most in the conference. Last season, OSU saw 56 players turn in a 3.0 during fall quarter bringing the team GPA to 2.81. In 2003, Craig Krenzel was named Academic All-American of the year, earning a National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame scholarship for postgraduate work. He also won the Vincent DePaul Draddy Award, referred to as the "Academic Heisman Trophy".

In the spring of 2005, 48 Buckeyes had a grade-point-average of 3.0 or higher, including three perfect 4.0 marks (Brandon Schnittker, Anthony Gonzalez and Stan White, Jr.). Ten players took part in commencement activities as well, receiving their degrees from Ohio State, including safety Brandon Mitchell, who completed his undergraduate work in three years.

Before coming to Columbus, Tressel was the head coach at Youngstown State, getting hired in December of 1985 at the age of 33. He guided the Penguins to a 135-57-2 record and the Division I-AA National Championships in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997. He remains the only coach in college football history to win a national title in both Division I and I-AA.

YSU qualified for 10 playoffs in all, and reached the championship game a total of six times. During the 1990's Youngstown State was the most successful program in Division I-AA, and the 103 wins were the fourth-most wins of any Division I or I-AA school in the country. On four occasions (national championship seasons of 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997), Tressel was tabbed as the Division I-AA National Coach of the Year, while at YSU. He became the first coach ever to be named American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year at two different schools. His Penguins pounded the books, too, with 67 players over his final two seasons in Youngstown earning a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.