‘I don’t care what else you’ve done’: College football analyst gets brutally honest about Ohio State Buckeyes HC Ryan Day

Ohio State finally got over a decade-long hump last season by winning it all. In doing so, Ryan Day became just the third active head coach to win a national championship.

Still, one major issue remains—and it’s a clear one. When the Buckeyes lost to Michigan last season, it felt like that game could derail their entire year. But it didn’t. Instead, they went on a wild run, defeating four elite teams, including No. 1 Oregon, en route to the title.

One college football analyst recently weighed in on Day’s situation and the continued importance of getting back to beating Michigan. Josh Pate offered an intriguing perspective:

“My personal college football worldview is that if you’re the head coach at Ohio State, your job is to beat Michigan—and then the Big Ten can be won, and then the national title can be won, in that order. But beating Michigan is No. 1, and he hasn’t done it in several years now. So, if you anre asking me if there’s pressure on him—absolutely, there is pressure on him. I don’t care if they won the national title by 100 last year. That’s almost like its own conversation. The national title picture is its own conversation. The Michigan game is a season. It is its own season.

“I’d say the same thing if the head coach at Michigan had lost to Ryan Day three, four years in a row—going on half a decade. I don’t care what else you’ve done. You’ve failed repeatedly in your most important role. And I think Day is one of the best in the game. I overflow with respect for Ryan Day. I couldn’t think more highly of the guy. But I’m not saying anything he doesn’t already know.”