When Ohio State lines up against Michigan on Saturday in The Game, the stakes are massive because it’s not just a rivalry; it’s the litmus test for the entire season. Win a natty? Great. But lose to Michigan, and fans will call it a wash. And no one knows it better than Ryan Day, who won the championship last season, but at what cost? He faced backlash; his family was given death threats. As that 4-loss streak hangs over him like a storm cloud. And the worst part? Michigan has them on the ropes lately, holding a significant historical advantage (62-51-6). So, if he wants to join the pantheon of Buckeye legends, losing against Sherrone Moore’s team is not an option.
Well, in 2023, Ryan Day carved his name into the wrong kind of history, becoming the first Ohio State coach since John Cooper in 1955-97 to lose three straight games to Michigan, and last season just made it worse. After losing that game, Day joined the unfortunate list of HCs who lost 4 consecutive games to the Wolverines, and they are A.E. Herrnstein, John Wilce, and John Cooper. Look, you know you messed up pretty badly when you lose a game against Michigan, and that was pretty evident when Day’s entire family was getting death threats. So, you cannot be a fan favorite and the Bucks’ greatest coach when you keep dropping the ball against Michigan, and that’s exactly what RJ Young is highlighting on Adapt and Response with RJ Young.
“You cannot be the greatest coach at Ohio State of all time if you have a losing record against Michigan. I dare say you have to go undefeated against Michigan in your tenure at this time to even get into that discussion for many Ohio State fans. I don’t think that that’s too shabby at all by saying that, but he’s not going to do that,” Young said. But why?
Because at Ohio State, greatness runs through Michigan. That’s what Young explained: “I think he could win the next four in a row, right? Maybe get back to 500 against Michigan. Still not going to be on the list of greatest of all time. You’ll be on the list, I think, of great head coaches because you’ve already done something that some have not—like John Cooper, for instance.”
That’s a straight fact. John Cooper suffered several losing streaks against Michigan, notably a tough four-year stretch from 1988 to 1991. Ohio State tied in 1992 but then lost badly 28-0 to their rivals in 1993, giving Cooper a dismal 0-1-5 record in his first six games. Things only got worse. He suffered further losses between 1995 and 1997, followed by two more in 1999 and 2000. His record against Michigan ended poorly at 2-10-1, a stain on his career no amount of other victories could ever remove. And that’s far from what Ryan Day did for the Buckeyes.
At Ohio State, even one loss to Michigan can knock a coach off the pedestal of greatness, and John Cooper’s tenure proves it. But there are coaches like Urban Meyer who went undefeated against Michigan with a 7-0 record. Great, right? Not so much. “You win a bunch, you get to stay. And Urban needed to step down because the headaches were getting to him, the stress of the job, and I think that’s going to come for every head coach at some point or another. You can only have this high of blood pressure for so long before people start to go, “Okay, let’s think about our health now that we are millionaires several times over.”
So, coaching at Ohio State might bring a big bag, but stress and pressure come with it. But if Ryan Day wants a peaceful environment, he simply has to win against Sherrone Moore’s team. And RJ Young is pretty clear about it: “For Ryan Day to enter into that conversation of the greatest head coaches we’ve ever seen in the sport, I think he’d win at least four national championships at Ohio State.” That’s the least fans can expect from Day, especially when billions are at stake.
More pressure mounts on Ryan Day
The Ohio-Michigan rivalry is not just about fans’ emotions and HC’s struggles to keep going, but also the economic impact it creates for Ohio State. And RJ Young laid out the massive figure, which might shock you. “Look, R.J., I talked to an economics professor at Ohio State who told me that he believes there’s a billion dollars in economic impact and revenue in the state of Ohio and in Columbus after one home game for Ohio State, and consider you get six of those, sometimes seven, every year.” So, when this much is on the line, how can Ryan Day not feel the heat?
Ohio State football operates like a large business, not just a sports team. A whole cottage industry—small businesses, jobs, and media—has sprung up around Ohio State football. That’s what creates the most amount of pressure. “You also get an entire cottage industry that is built around Ohio State football is one of the most protected and profitable trademark copyrights in all of sports; it’s one of those programs on the short list that when it is doing well, the sport is doing well. To be the head coach at Ohio State is not only to accept the mandate of needing to win each and every year and play for championships every year, it is accepting the mandate that if you do not, you have failed,” RJ Young said.
Remember when, because of COVID-19, the games got canceled? Losing the Ohio-Michigan game impacted Fox Sports in terms of cash and audience. As in the 2019 season, they enjoyed an estimated $18.5 million in TV advertising revenue. So, now you can understand how much their rivalry game impacts the entire chain.
So, now Ryan Day not only has to fight for that greatest tag, but he’s fighting to protect the entire economic powerhouse.
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