Why the Ohio State football team has a different mentality this season

The Ohio State football team is loaded. It's something we've been talking about all offseason and into the Spring. Using the transfer portal to get a solid offensive lineman, a stud running back, and perhaps the best safety in the country all points to them being really good this season.

Still, this is something we've thought in the past. We thought the Buckeyes were good enough to go undefeated in each of the last three seasons. In each season, they fell to TTUN. It has been since 2019 that Ohio State finished the regular season undefeated while also beating Michigan.

Everything they've done personnel-wise suggests this will be different this season. But will it really? Ryan Day is still leading the program and only has one win against Michigan under his belt. Why would anyone suggest that this year would be any different than the last three in that regard?

The answer is mentality. Ryan Day has become more hands-off on the actual coaching aspect of things. He has become more of a CEO-type of coach by delegating things to his assistants. It's one of the reasons why Chip Kelly is now in Columbus and running the offense.

Kelly is instilling toughness in the offense. The offensive line, specifically. That unit was the weakest unit the Buckeyes had last season and it kept them from beating Michigan. It's frustrating to see the Buckeyes come so close and yet know there is still a gap between them and TTUN.

That's what Kelly is telling his offense. That gap can no longer exist this season. If it does, Day is out of a job. He knows it and the players know it too. That's why so many of them came back for one more year. They love Day and want him to keep his job.

Mentally approaching the year differently should go a long way toward fixing the issues that they have had at the end of the year.