Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Compares Losing To Michigan Three Straight Years To The Death Of His Father

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Michigan has gotten the best of Ohio State in ‘The Game’ three straight seasons, which has made Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day ‘the coach who can’t beat the Wolverines' for more than 1,000 days. Heading into the 120th edition of the game this weekend, Day tried to put into words what it feels like to be on the losing end of the iconic matchup, and good grief did he deliver the drama.

Day compared losing to Michigan to losing his father, which he did so when he was only nine years old.

"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 said on ‘GameTime with Ryan Day.’

While Day appeared to rank the death of his father ahead of losing a football game among the worst things to have happened to him, he contradicted himself with his very next statement.

"It’s quite honestly, for my family, the worst thing that’s happened. So, we can never have that happen," Day explained.

We get it - everyone gets it - the Ohio State-Michigan game is a big deal for all involved, but this a wild statement from Day. Comparing losing a football game to losing your literal father is some diabolical behavior, but maybe this is his way of reminding the fans that he wants to beat Michigan just as much as they do.

Day has amassed a 66-9 overall record since taking over at Ohio State in 2019. He started off his tenure in Columbus with a 13-1 campaign that included a win over Michigan to close out the regular season. After not playing the rivalry in 2020 due to Big Ten officials thinking COVID was going to wipe away all of humanity, he's since been on the losing end each of the last three seasons.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.