It’s probably fair to say that Ryan Day is the first coach in college football history to compile a 61-8 record, but still has something to prove. And it’s not just national, but with its own intense and sometimes desperate fan base.
It’s never easy following up on a larger-than-life legend, a bill that fits Urban Meyer. So Day knew the challenges that came with the advantage of getting the keys to the Buckeyes Lamborghini.
He is mocked for being born at third base by getting Ohio State as his first head coaching job, but he is a former New Hampshire quarterback who overcame his father’s death by suicide at age 9 to become a paving the way to the top.
Six seasons in Day, 45 have passed. Well, except for the part where some people point more to those eight losses than those 61 wins.
The day is 1-6 against teams in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings. He is 1-3 against Michigan overall, including losses in each of the last three years. He is 1-3 in the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State has a reputation for steamrolling weaker opponents. Day has never lost to an unranked team and is undefeated against any Big Ten team not in Ann Arbor. That’s not nothing.
It may even beat a high-ranked team every now and then, but the joy doesn’t seem to last long. In 2020, Clemson was defeated in the College Football Playoff…only to be blown out by Alabama in the title game.
Last season it won late at Notre Dame, which was ranked No. 9 at the time, but no one was overwhelmingly impressed as the Irish also rarely win big and Day spent the postgame seemingly challenging Lou Holtz to a fight.
And so, even as Ohio State (5-0) has blown away Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Michigan State and Iowa by a score of 230-34, doubts remain, both in Columbus and across the country.
Sure, the Buckeyes can be bullies, but can they bully a bully? Can this team win it all?
No. No. 3 Oregon awaits Saturday in Eugene, a seemingly fair fight for the Bucks. It counts in the race for a Big Ten title, a playoff berth and playoff berth. And it will count on Ryan Day’s reputation, both near and far.
“There’s a lot at stake this weekend, and that’s exactly the way we want it,” Day said.
Nothing will be decided on Saturday, but it’s fair to look at it and wonder. If not this year, then when? If this isn’t the case with this team, why not?
The Buckeyes are always talented and Day has proven to be every bit the elite recruiter, especially nationally, that Meyer was. But as good as the selection always looks, this year is something different.
Over the summer, Meyer stated that this “might be the best roster in college football in the last decade.” As bold as this statement was, nothing that has emerged so far indicates that Meyer is wrong.
Ohio State followed Michigan’s playbook this year by using NIL money to encourage NFL-caliber players to skip the draft and return to campus for a national title run.
That meant guys like running back TreVeyon Henderson, cornerback Denzel Burke, wideout Emeka Egbuka and defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer – among others – all returned from an 11-1 regular season squad.
Then Day entered the transfer portal to add quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State) and more running back depth in Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss).
The Buckeyes’ two best players are actually newcomers: safety Caleb Downs, who arrived from Alabama after Nick Saban’s retirement, and true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who Ohio State beat Miami and Florida State and signed last February.
It is a breathtaking collection. Anything can happen in Autzen Stadium, but one of those “anythings” is a show of force that will make the rest of the country sit up and wonder if Ohio State can be defeated. The Buckeyes are favorites by 3.5 points.
So Day enters another big match that exudes confidence. He likes to say it’s about Ohio State, not who plays Ohio State. Internally, he’s probably right. Still external?
“I think you always make sure you identify the things that fit the team,” Day said. “You know, all of a sudden you can’t just change because it’s a big quote-unquote game. They are all big.
“If we say it’s about us all the time, then in these kinds of games it’s also about us, and that’s true. So we continue with the same routine.”
Ryan Day did a great job at Ohio State, but not good enough for some. He will get the podium on Saturday to prove that he is capable of reaching that final level.
He certainly has the team to get there.
