Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made his priorities very clear when he was first introduced as City Meyer’s successor in Columbus.
“Win the rivalry sport after which win each sport after that,” Day stated, in that order, at his 2018 introduction.
It was an awesome quip, for positive, however there’s no mistaking the reality behind it. Michigan could symbolize the sport, however it’s not the final sport of the 12 months. It’s not the Huge Ten championship or the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
That mentality has put Day and Ohio State in an enchanting place on Saturday after Michigan — a three-touchdown underdog — handed the No. 2 Buckeyes a fourth consecutive defeat within the rivalry sport, 13-10.
The issue with establishments telling their fan bases that beating one single crew is extra vital than anything is that, after lengthy sufficient, they begin to internalize it.
So now what?
Put extraordinarily merely: Ohio State should determine if a four-game dropping streak to Michigan is extra vital than any of Day’s accomplishments. If the reply is sure, the following query is can Ohio State do any higher than its present head coach?
Ohio State, with it’s $20 million greenback roster, is 10-2 and nearly actually heading to the Faculty Soccer Playoff for the fourth time beneath Day. Was that cash properly spent if it doesn’t include a victory over The Group Up North?
How then to sq. the Buckeyes’ primal have to beat Michigan with the fact of recent faculty soccer? A Faculty Soccer Playoff look is price considerably greater than a single win over Michigan. The additional money dolled out to members can’t be understated on the eve of income sharing in faculty sports activities.
These are the metrics which are imagined to matter. But earlier this week, Day upped the strain on The Recreation when he stated dropping to the Wolverines was similar to the demise of his father. Senior Buckeyes talked in regards to the ache of getting by no means beat the Wolverines. All of it makes for a wildly uncomfortable scenario.
The present teaching market is skinny, and whereas followers are already demanding Mike Vrabel come house, there’s no assure he’ll — and even that it could present an improve. There’s actually no assure Ohio State could have one other run of playoff appearances like Day has supplied.
These hypotheticals don’t cool off Day’s seat any, after all, however that is the dialogue taking place amongst Ohio State boosters and officers.
If the lasting think about in Columbus is the Buckeyes’ coach standing nonetheless as his gamers brawl after one other Michigan loss, it’ll reinforce the concept Ohio State should “win the rivalry sport after which win each sport after that.” It’ll additionally overshadow all the things else Day’s carried out for the varsity — all of the titles, the elite recruit wins and the gamers he’s despatched to the NFL.
Day has crushed Michigan earlier than, and whereas it looks as if an eternity because the Buckeyes received this sport, Ohio State was 17-3 over the Wolverines for the primary 20 years of this century.
So now we’re left to surprise how Ohio State navigates the wealthy ache of remaining one of many sport’s elite applications who nonetheless can’t appear to fulfill its fan base.
Will a single Saturday in November outweigh banners that dangle eternally? We’ll discover out quickly sufficient.
