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Winning the national championship takes pressure off Ryan Day. His Buckeyes bounced back from a terrible November loss to Michigan and ran the table through the college football playoffs. Ohio State dominated Tennessee and Oregon, beat a solid Texas team and Monday defeated Notre Dame for the title.
As of Monday Day has won as many championships in Columbus as Urban Meyer. That should quiet a lot of critics who said Day couldn't win a big game. It should also quiet critics and "fans" who are upset Ohio State has lost to Michigan four straight years. In fact, he can lose a fifth straight time in 2025 and it will not cost him his job. Had he not won a natty a potential fifth straight loss to the Wolverines may have ended his tenure at Ohio State.
Watching Ryan Day in interviews you can clearly see the toll of the daily pressure from coaching at Ohio State takes on a man. The head coach is expected to win every game at Ohio State! EVERY game! No Exceptions. Certainly that is never realistic. But guys like Ryan Day and Urban Meyer come close to that bar every week, every season. If not, they would not survive in Columbus very long.
PRESSURE OFF RYAN DAY
So this 2024-25 national championship takes pressure off Ryan Day. At least for the upcoming season. Maybe he can enjoy the ride a little more in 2025. But there will always be pressure coaching at Ohio State. Spring ball starts in a few weeks and the 2025 season will bring new questions and problems to solve. A large group of players returned to Ohio State in 2024 when they could have gone to the NFL. But now those players will be gone and there will be a lot of holes to fill on the roster. Until then maybe Day and the Buckeyes can enjoy their Natty for awhile.
For more college football talk and analysis tune in to Craig Shemon and Company weekdays from 2-6pm on ESPN Southwest Florida.
