Ohio State Football: Tenure defining game for Day and Harbaugh

Coaches of the Ohio State football team and Michigan Wolverines are measured by how they fare in The Game. Saturday is tenure defining for Day and Harbaugh.

Over the last seven years Ohio State’s football team has enjoyed much success against rival Michigan under Urban Meyer. Following the handoff to Ryan Day, Buckeye Nation expects more of the same from their new head coach.

The Wolverine faithful also expect success against the Buckeyes and many of them think this will the year for Jim Harbaugh to finally breakthrough into the win column. The stage is certainly set and anything can happen in these big rivalry games, especially when the road team has major postseason implications on the line as well as a perfect season.

The Game in Ann Arbor will be a tenure-defining matchup for both Day and Harbaugh.

For Ohio State, the beginning of a new era is off to a masterful start, but the 11-0 record will mean nothing if it is stained by a loss in the Big House. If Day is able to go into Ann Arbor and leave with a victory, it will prove he is truly an elite coach.

He has done a tremendous job up until this point, but coaches are truly measured in The Game above all else. The rivalry game carries the most weight and the pieces for an upset seem to be in place in terms of storylines.

The Buckeyes hung 62 points on the Wolverines last year and are ranked No. 1 at the moment surrounded by “best team ever” discussions and CFP implications. In the 1990s, this would be a textbook spoiler upset bid, but the 2019 Ohio State Buckeyes are different.

Ohio State is the most complete team in the country and their balance is largely in part to the dominance of Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young who all lead their units. The Buckeyes have athletes and playmakers all over the field on both sides of the ball and will be difficult to slow down for four quarters.

For Harbaugh on the other hand, he has desperately been trying to get over the hump but has fallen short in each of his four attempts. The odds are stacked against him this year too, but he is at home against a first year head coach in forecasted bad weather.

Only problem is that first year head coach is Ryan Day who is already proven to be elite and not a normal first year head coach. Harbaugh has his team trending up since halftime of the Penn State game, but the question still remains if they are playing well enough to upset Ohio State?

I don’t think so, but I do believe The Game will be an absolute war and extremely hard-fought with neither team giving the other anything. Any way you look at it, the facts still boil down to The Game being a tenure-defining matchup for both Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh.