Ryan Day Running From Expectations At Big Ten Media Days? He Has To Beat Michigan To Extend Stay At Ohio State

We all know what's at stake for Ryan Day this season at Ohio State. The expectation should be to play for a national championship in January. But more so, he needs to beat Michigan this season and put an end to the current losing streak. 

Let's face it, Ohio State could lose in the first round of the upcoming playoffs, but beating Michigan in late November might be the game that keeps the wolves at bay. For the past few years, chatter around Columbus, Ohio, has centered around the Buckeyes continuing to fall short in their biggest game of the regular season. 

The excuses are no longer going to fly, especially with the talent he has returning this season, and the turnover that occurred in Ann Arbor. If there was ever a season that Ryan Day should end the dreaded losing streak to Michigan, it's 2024. 

If we're looking at the additions they made from the transfer portal, there should be zero excuses for the upcoming season. Adding Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard, Caleb Downs, Julian Sayin and a handful of others is the reason why the Buckeyes were picked to finish first in the Big Ten, according to a poll taken by Cleveland.com this week. 

Taking the stage in Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon to answer questions during Big Ten Media Days, the Buckeyes head coach was asked about his team embracing the expectations that are coming with this talented roster. 

"Now, our guys, they know what the expectation is," Ryan Day noted. "You've heard some of them say what their goals are. We're not going to shy away from that. We want to win the rivalry game, be right in this stadium right here and win this Big Ten championship, win a National Championship. We know that. At the same time that can't be our focus because that's a distraction from where we are right now.

"So where the season goes and what this team looks like will look a lot different than it did last year. This is a new journey. We have to rebuild that to get to where we need to be."

I'm sorry, rebuild? Your focus can't be on winning the Big Ten championship and beating Michigan because it would become a distraction? 

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 23: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes speaks to the media during Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 23, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Nope, this is not going to fly with fans across the country, and it certainly shouldn't be the case inside the facility. Having realistic expectations on playing for a national title should always be the main focus. And i get it, he's really saying that this season should be taken one game at a time. 

OK, if Ryan Day wants to play that game with the media, and expectations, then have at it. But we are now at a point with the Buckeyes that losing to Michigan once again is going to cause boosters to pick up the phone and call new athletic director Ross Bjork and ask if this is the right situation. As Ryan Day pointed out, we are just under two weeks away from the Buckeyes starting fall camp, and the expectations for a successful season are not going away. 

The first real test of the season is going to come on October 12th, when the Buckeyes travel to Eugene to play the Oregon Ducks, which should honestly be one of the most entertaining matchups in the conference this season. The only other hostile road environment they will encounter in 2024 will be at Penn State in November. Sorry Michigan State fans but you've still got a ways to go. 

If Ryan Day Doesn’t Beat Michigan, Paul Finebaum Says He Should Be Fired

The chatter surrounding Ryan Day isn't going away, especially during this losing streak to Michigan and the failure to capture a national championship, while the Wolverines are still celebrating one. The biggest conundrum currently facing the Ohio State head coach is finally getting over the hump and snapping this three-game losing streak to their hated rival. 

Along with the majority of college football reporters, Paul Finebaun made it clear on Tuesday morning that if Ryan Day comes up short once again to a Jim Harbaugh-less Michigan squad, it would be time for the Buckeyes administration to pull the trigger on finding a new coach. 

"Here’s the problem with talking about Ryan Day. You look at his record… it’s gaudy. Nobody has a record like him. Except you can’t choke the biggest game of the year," Paul Finebaum said on ESPN Tuesday morning. "And to me, if he can’t beat Michigan this year when he’s got probably the best team in the country, along with Georgia, after Harbaugh leaves, after all those great players depart after a national championship, he ought to be gone. It’s as simple as that. That’s the biggest game of the year in the Big Ten."

And guess what? Finebaum isn't saying anything that some Ohio State boosters are already thinking. 

Forget the season expectation distractions, or the excuses of not looking ahead to November. This is a critical year for the Buckeyes, and embracing the challenge is going to be fascinating to watch unfold.