The Ohio State football program has one of the most decorated histories in all of college football. They are one of the few recession-proof programs in the country. The only period of sustained struggle for them was in the 1980s before John Cooper was hired. He, too, had issues winning big games.
Ryan Day has made two national championship games, winning one. He also has just two Big Ten titles and a losing record against TTUN. Day wins a ton of games, but he also has lost some stupid ones. After the loss against Texas, his legacy is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Ryan Day has a chance to go up or down with his legacy this season
After the 2024 national championship, Day instantly became one of the best coaches in Ohio State history. He followed both of his predecessors as national title-winning coaches. The Buckeyes won titles under both Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer. Day's team rallied after the 2024 loss to TTUN.
However, that loss against the Wolverines is also part of what makes Day's legacy at Ohio State so mixed. He has only beaten TTUN twice, beating them in 2019 and 2025. Ohio State fans need to see their team beat TTUN every year. However, those losses aren't the only bad ones on Day's resume.
The loss to Georgia in the CFP is a bad one, as they had a double-digit lead in the second half. Winning that game likely would have given them a national championship. The losses to Indiana and Miami last season were a big issue for how the offense performed with him calling plays.
Losing last week to Texas might be the most damning. Blowing a 20-point fourth-quarter lead to the Longhorns is simply unacceptable. Losing that game means that the Buckeyes have now lost three of their last four games. That simply doesn't happen in Columbus.
Ryan Day still has plenty of time to turn things around
While his grace period from winning the national title is over, Day still has plenty of time to flip things around. All of Ohio State's goals are still out in front of them. They can still beat TTUN, win a Big Ten title, and win a national championship. Those three goals are set before every season.
If Day is able to do those things, he will ascend into the pantheon of Ohio State coaches. He will be untouchable, and he will be able to coach at Ohio State for as long as he wants. Fans will get off his back, and he will finally be universally loved by every Ohio State fan.
Losing another game this season would certainly frustrate fans. The Buckeyes don't have much wiggle room after the loss to Texas. They would likely make the CFP if they had just two losses. However, three losses would mean they would likely miss out.
It's up to Day to rally his team and make sure that no more mistakes are made. Ohio State needs to make sure the offense and the defense are more aggressive moving forward. That will likely result in more wins, as that was the main issue in Austin.
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