We all know that this season has been about redemption. The numbers 41-14 have been a constant reminder the entire season and whether he admits it or not, Coach Tressel has has built the year around the notion the notion of “never again.”

And the media has played into this well, reminding the Buckeyes at every turn that like in 2002, they don’t really belong in the BCS Championship and when it comes to ESPN, we should probably just hand the BCS trophy over to USC. It seems like you can’t turn on the television without hearing the talking heads mention Ohio State without all but placing a big question mark on the screen.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the underdog role suits Tressel and the Buckeyes well and Coach Tressel is apparently using it to the fullest. According to Ken Gordon at the Columbus Dispatch, Coach Tressel sent his players home for the holidays with a special DVD filled with ESPN commentary (among others) “blasting” Ohio State and touting LSU and the SEC. And while Mark May is still crying over USC, according to Gordon (who says he has not seen the DVD), May is prominently featured in the video.

Let them all talk. It worked for Florida last year and it worked for the Buckeyes in 02. Maybe that is the biggest problem with the BCS and the reason the underdogs have traditionally done so well. Without a playoff, one team always seems to arrive with a big question mark next to it. The hype builds until the underdog is so angry that they hit the field ready to prove the world wrong. Meanwhile, the favorite comes in as if they don’t even need to play the game.

Let’s just hope the Buckeyes did their homework over the holidays.

(Thanks to Eleven Warriors for the tip and if anyone gets a copy of the dvd, let me know. I would love to post the highlight reel.)

Update: A blog out of Canton, Ohio has the first 90 seconds available to download. It takes time to download but I will put it up here if I can get it to work. It is pretty much what you would expect: Florida players gloating, ESPN commentators trashing the Buckeyes, no Mark May but I understand he has an entire section of the video all to himself.

Update: Here’s the first 3 minutes or so.

This is the kind of stuff that leads to big Buckeye victories