Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State's Ryan Day has heartbreaking comments about how it feels to lose to Michigan

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Nov 26, 2024 8:03 PM ET

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day takes the rivalry between the Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines seriously. How serious is it to him?

If you were to hear him explain it, losing to the Wolverines is close to losing a loved one. He, unfortunately, has experience with that. Day lost his father when he was a young child. For him, the pain of losing to Michigan feels close to that pain — which is intense.

“We’ve felt what it’s like to not win this game, and it’s bad. It’s one of the worst things that’s happened to me in my life, quite honestly. Other than losing my father, and a few other things,” Day stated on "GameTime with Ryan Day" (h/t On3's Steve Samra). “It’s quite honestly, for my family, the worst thing that’s happened. So, we can never have that happen.”

Oh my goodness. pic.twitter.com/uwLSqQIyfL
— Timmy Hall (@TimmyHallRadio) November 26, 2024

If that's not a statement as to how much this weekend's game means to Day, what else could be? There's a lot riding on this one for Ohio State, as there always seems to be. The Buckeyes are 10-1 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Michigan, on the other-hand, is still the defending College Football Playoffs National Champion, but the Wolverines are 6-5 in head coach Sherrone Moore's first season, and really, they shouldn't be a threat to the Buckeyes this year.

Day can't lose this game. He's already lost three straight to the Wolverines. If he loses to Michigan in this one Ohio State will still likely be a CFP team, but no matter the results, he may not find himself employed next season. That's how serious this game is in Columbus.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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