Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day and his Buckeyes are currently gearing up to enter what figures to be a highly important 2023-24 season as for the future direction of the program. Day has led several Buckeyes teams thus far in his tenure since taking over for Urban Meyer, but Ohio State has yet to break through to championship glory so far during his run.
Arguably the most frustrating thing for Ohio State football fans over the last few years has been their sudden inability to beat the Michigan Wolverines after previously owning that matchup for the better part of the previous decade. Ohio State hasn't defeated the Wolverines since the 2019 season and the pressure is now amping up for Day to finally break through and win the big one, at least according to ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.
“He's lost that game three years in a row and he's talking about how his players are motivated to come back and play,” said Finebaum, via First Take (per On3 on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter. “I heard that three years ago, two years ago, and last year, and you stunk in all three games. I mean, what are you talking about? And here's the problem with talking about Ryan Day. You look at his record… it's gaudy. Nobody has a record like him, except you can't choke the biggest game of the year, and to me, if he can't beat Michigan this year when he's got probably the best team in the country along with Georgia, after Harbaugh leaves, after all those great players depart… he ought to be gone.”
Is Ryan Day on the hot seat?
Pressure is certainly mounting for Ryan Day to finally break through and beat his rivals this year as the Big Ten and SEC will look vastly different than they have in previous seasons.
As Finebaum referenced, Day has had no issues compiling wins against opponents not named Michigan in the regular season during the last few years, and he was a missed field goal away from more than likely winning the national championship in 2022-23.
However, fans, donors, and analysts alike all put added pressure on rivalry games for a reason, and in the last few years, Michigan has owned this matchup. If Day can't win now that virtually every important piece from Michigan's championship team a season ago is now gone, it's certainly fair to wonder if he truly is the right person for the job in Columbus.
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