What We Think We Know: Do we still have our doubts about Ryan Day?

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From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the things we think, but aren’t 100% confident on. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “What We Think We Know” articles here.

Ryan Day is the Nick Sirianni of college football head coaches. Day may not have the brash personality that Sirianni has, but in terms of how the Ohio State fanbase views him, that’s how he relates to the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning head coach. 

Speaking of winning, Day has won. He led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2024, giving him a sense of vindication. Still, though, the way last season ended resurfaces the questions about Day and whether he can lead Ohio State to wins in big games. 

Eagles’ fans feel the same way about Sirianni, and that’s with him taking the Eagles to two Super Bowls and winning it in 2024. How many times has Sirianni been in the headlines for reasons other than winning? Calls for his job were prevalent last year because Eagles’ fans care. It’s the same way with Ohio State.

No, Day shouldn’t have been fired after the Buckeyes lost to Miami in the CFP Quarterfinals. However, it does raise questions about him again. Considering the Buckeyes lost to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship, even though Indiana was terrific last season, and then Miami in their first CFP game, the mood sort of changed on Day.

Even after a 12-0 regular season and beating Michigan, the concerns about the Buckeyes’ head coach are back. Winning cures all. Losing creates questions. Ohio State hasn’t won the Big Ten Championship since 2020.

Here is my biggest worry: If, and I don’t think it will happen, but if the Buckeyes lost at home to Michigan this year, that is going to be catastrophic. Can you imagine the Buckeyes losing a third straight home game to Michigan?

We all remember the aftermath of the last time Ohio State lost at home to the maize and blue. Calls for Day’s job were loud and prevalent. They will be more so if that happens this season.

Day hasn’t had a home win against Michigan. He’s 0-2. But 0-3? That would look very bad. Even in the 12-team Playoff era and even with the magic of the 2024 National Championship, expectations to beat Michigan still sit near or at the top of the list in Columbus.

Overall, Day is 2-4 against Michigan. If that falls to 2-5 this season, and the Buckeyes again miss out on the Big Ten Championship… whoa man.

In addition to Michigan, the Buckeyes also have big games against Texas, Indiana, and Oregon. Day’s record as a head coach is 82-12. Four of those losses are to Michigan. Four of those losses are in Playoff games or the National Championship. Two of those losses are to Oregon. One of those losses is in the Big Ten Championship. One loss is to Missouri in a New Year’s Six bowl. 

Those 12 losses are all notable. Despite an .872 winning percentage, there’s still a feeling of nervousness and uncertainty going into a big game, and whether or not the Buckeyes are going to win. More importantly, there are nerves about whether Day will clamp up in big games, whether the play-calling will be questionable, whether the Buckeyes will play conservatively, and whether there will be missed opportunities.

Even with a national championship, the pressure is on Ryan Day. The expectation is to win every game at Ohio State, especially against Michigan and the national championship. The pressure is higher at Ohio State than, arguably, anywhere in the country.

It doesn’t matter what happened for one month spanning December 2024 and January 2025. It’s what have you done for me lately. For the Buckeyes, they’re coming off a season where, after being No. 1 for nearly all of it, they lost in the Quarterfinals of the CFP. They didn’t even play for a berth in the National Championship, let alone play in the National Championship.

Ohio State’s season was over before the ball dropped at Times Square.

It doesn’t matter that the Buckeyes won the national championship in 2024. It’s about the next one, the next season. Questions still remain about Day. Considering the stakes and implications in the Buckeyes’ biggest games this season, especially against Michigan, the pressure is on.

It’s not far-fetched to say he could find his way back on the hot seat if things break wrong. We know we may still have our doubts about him, but beating Michigan at home and winning the national championship would sure silence those doubts.

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