Ryan Day’s seat at Ohio State is already hot after losing again to Michigan, and he did himself no favors with his latest comments.
Day, who will reportedly return in 2025 despite four straight losses to the Wolverines, said an interview with Columbus’ 10TV that the team’s goal was to make the College Football Playoff, which it has, and “to make a run at this thing.”
“The goal all along was to make the playoffs,” Day said to 10TV in Columbus. “Well, we’re here. We’ve won 10 games this year. We’ve had two top-five wins. Along the way, there’s been different challenges. This year, the Big Ten changed. We had three top-five games this year, two on the road, and we took on some injuries. So along the way this year, there’s been some twists and turns. Some things that went well, some things that we’d like to have back. But you’ve got to learn from those and make adjustments.”
Ohio State fans are not buying Day’s big picture outlook.
“If the Buckeyes come into Saturday with this monotone energy, the Buckeyes will get beat. It’s football. Not a funeral,” said former Ohio State star Cie Grant.
“This is the most mentally soft excuse maker I have ever seen,” an OSU fan added.
“Extend Ryan Day!” said a Michigan fan.
“The only Buckeye who can possibly be happy hearing this is John Cooper,” another commenter added.
“Acting like this season was successful and making excuses is pitiful,” someone else chimed in.
Day can obviously change some of the narrative around him by leading the Buckeyes on a deep playoff run, starting Saturday night against Tennessee (8 p.m. ET, ABC). With a win, OSU would move on to a rematch with Oregon, which it lost to by one point during the regular season.
The pressure is mounting for him to come through. We’ll see if he can.
Related: Ohio State Confirms Decision On Ryan Day For 2025 Season