LAS VEGAS — While Ryan Day is tucked away at Ohio State busy preparing to correct the Buckeyes’ course in the College Football Playoff, his boss is maintaining a unified front in the face of immense criticism.
A shocking loss to Michigan, the fourth straight in the intense rivalry, brought out the “boo birds” at Ohio Stadium in late November and prompted questions about Day’s viability as a big-game coach. The most rabid fans continue to ponder whether Day is the coach who can lead them to a national championship, an expectation fortified by possibly the richest and most talented roster in college football.
“There’s high expectations at Ohio State. We get it,” Ohio State athletics director Ross Bjork told CBS Sports this week outside an event at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “But, again, what’s the big picture perspective? You’re always going to look at that versus microcosms here and there. You got to look at big picture and that’s how it will always be.”
The big picture is a national title, perhaps the only result that will quiet the murmurs. The Buckeyes (10-2) grabbed a No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff following the 13-10 loss, which bumped them out of a rematch with No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State’s first-round game against No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) is a showdown with historical significance that’s not just limited to it carrying the distinction as the first ever football game in December to be played at Ohio Stadium.
After all, what happens to Day if Ohio State is one-and-done in the playoff?
“We don’t have any thoughts about that,” said Bjork. “We want to win, right? That’s the goal.”
On Thursday, Bjork did reaffirm his commitment to Day returning as Ohio State coach in 2025 during a radio appearance.
Day has long carried the sardonic “Big Game Day” moniker. The Buckeyes coach is 3-6 against top-five teams and an incredible 64-3 overall when not facing Michigan or a top-five program, The latest loss to Michigan, however, carried much more significance. The Buckeyes were in perfect position to capitalize on Michigan’s misfortunes after Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL amid two NCAA investigations. Instead, a five-win Michigan team dominated Ohio State in the trenches and won a slugfest despite throwing for only 62 yards.
“I don’t blame anybody for being upset,” Day said after the loss. “I’m upset more than anybody, and those players are, too, and the coaches and everybody that goes at it. We know what we’re getting ourselves into here.”
Afterward, Michigan planted its flag into the turf at midfield, sparking a fracas among players that ended when police deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Day was again criticized by fans for his inaction during the melee, which he watched from afar on the field.
Day and players have mostly remained out of the public eye since the loss, but the spotlight will shine on them again with the playoff game looming Dec. 21. Practices began last week.
“It took a day or two to get over it,” Ohio State safety Caleb Downs told CBS Sports. “But once you realize that you have more games to play, you get over it to play the high-level games you have left.”
“Those guys want to play, and now they have something to prove,” Bjork said. “That’s not who we are. That performance is not who we are, so let’s go out and prove it differently. I think they’re going to come out fighting and really hungry.”
Bjork referred to the issues that plague Day in big games as “marginal,” offering that it’s something that can be fixed. “He’s been great. I mean, he’s rock solid. He knows how to win, he knows what it looks like and knows how to recruit at the highest level. Yeah, we have the setback in the in the rivalry game. We get it. We understand it, we signed up for it, but you got to put things in big perspective, We run a great program. He runs a great program.”
But the criticism — and calls for Day’s head — will continue until the Buckeyes prove otherwise in the CFP.
“At the end of the day you’ve got to be in the moment,” Downs said. “He’s the head coach and everybody respects him on our team. It’s really just us against the world. We can’t really control any of the media and what anybody says about him. At the end of the day, he’s our head coach.”
How Ohio State ends the season will tell the tale.
