The Ohio State football program is one of the best programs in the country. Under Ryan Day, the Buckeyes won the first 12-team College Football Playoff, grabbing a national title in 2024. While the Ohio State Buckeyes failed to win back-to-back titles, Day still accomplished a lot.
Day was finally able to get the Michigan monkey off his back, beating TTUN badly. With that win, Day finally plugged the last remaining hole in his resume. He established himself as one of the best coaches in college football. He's one of four active coaches to have won a national title.
The rise of Curt Cignetti and Indiana has raised some questions about whether or not Day is still the best coach in the Big Ten. One noted SEC homer surprisingly still has Day as not only the best coach in the Big Ten, but at the top of the mountain in college football.
Josh Pate has Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as the best coach in the country
Josh Pate is a noted SEC apologist. Yet, he has been giving the Buckeyes some credit recently. Most recently, he listed Day as the best coach in the country. He has Day ahead of Kirby Smart, Cignetti, Dan Lanning, and Marcus Freeman as the other top five coaches on his list.
Day is certainly one of the best coaches in the country. At worst, he's a top-three coach. It might be hard to justify putting him over Cignetti based on what the Hoosiers have done over the last couple of seasons at a place that has the most losses of any FBS program.
It's even more surprising to have Pate have three Big Ten coaches in his top five. It's gotten to the point that it's undeniable to have Ohio State and Day as one of the best programs and coaches in the country, based on what they have accomplished.