Ryan Day should never have had to win a national title to prove himself to Ohio State fans. For a coach leading a program that’s consistently in the hunt for championships, it’s baffling

Ryan Day should never have had to win a national title to prove himself to Ohio State fans. For a coach leading a program that’s consistently in the hunt for championships, it’s baffling

 

 

Ryan Day should never have had to win a national title to prove himself to Ohio State fans. For a coach leading a program that’s consistently in the hunt for championships, it’s baffling to think that Day has faced such scrutiny despite his success. His tenure at Ohio State has been marked by impressive achievements, yet the demand for a national championship seems like an unfair standard to hold against a coach whose teams have been perennial contenders.

 

First, it’s important to recognize that Ryan Day inherited a program already in the national spotlight. Urban Meyer had led Ohio State to consistent dominance, including a national title in 2014, and established a culture of success. Day, stepping into such big shoes, managed to maintain the high standards Meyer set and even built upon them in several key areas. Under Day, Ohio State has remained a juggernaut in the Big Ten and national college football, continually recruiting top-tier talent and making the College Football Playoff (CFP) year after year. Day’s teams have regularly been ranked among the top four in the nation and have posted impressive records, including a near-perfect 2020 season.

 

However, despite all these accomplishments, the narrative around Day has been overly focused on the one thing that truly separates the great coaches from the elite ones in the eyes of many: winning the national championship. It’s as if the only measure of success at Ohio State is the ultimate prize, even though Day has more than demonstrated his ability to compete at the highest level. The expectation for Ohio State coaches to win national titles is rooted in a rich tradition of success, but it’s important to remember that the program has only won eight championships since its inception in 1890. The history of Ohio State football, while storied, is not one of constant dominance at the top of the mountain. Even under Meyer, the Buckeyes didn’t win the title every year.

 

What makes this situation even more puzzling is the consistent performance of Ohio State’s teams under Day’s leadership. Since taking over in 2019, Day has led the team to multiple Big Ten championships, has secured several playoff appearances, and has put together some of the most explosive offenses in college football. His ability to develop quarterbacks, especially with players like Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, and others, has been a major asset to the program. Under Day, Ohio State’s offense has remained one of the most potent in the country, often ranked at the top in scoring, yards, and efficiency.

 

Despite the success on the field, the pressure to win the national title remains ever-present. That pressure is, in part, due to the nature of the College Football Playoff system itself. The playoff format creates a winner-takes-all scenario, where teams are judged almost solely by their performance in a small postseason bracket. If a team doesn’t secure that final championship game victory, it’s easy for fans and analysts to dismiss the season as incomplete or even a failure. Ohio State has appeared in the CFP multiple times under Day, but the losses, particularly to teams like Clemson and Alabama, have led to criticisms that Day isn’t “getting it done.” It’s as if the success in the regular season, conference championships, and playoff berths aren’t enough to satisfy the fanbase.

 

This expectation also ignores the complexity of college football. The sport is highly competitive, with numerous teams vying for a limited number of spots in the playoff each year. Winning a national championship is not simply a matter of being the best team but also having favorable matchups, avoiding injuries, and dealing with all the factors that can influence a single-elimination tournament. Ohio State’s losses in the playoffs under Day are not indicative of a failure to lead the team to greatness, but rather a reflection of the inherent volatility in the postseason.

 

What Day has done at Ohio State is extraordinary in its own right. He has maintained the program’s elite status while continuing to recruit, develop, and put together top-tier teams year after year. There is no denying that a national championship would solidify Day’s legacy, but the notion that he needs to win one to prove his worth is unfair. The Buckeyes are consistently in the conversation for a national title, and that, in itself, is a testament to Ryan Day’s ability as a coach. The bar for success should not be set so impossibly high that consistent championship contention is overlooked in favor of a singular, elusive goal.

 

Ryan Day doesn’t need to win a national title to prove himself. He has already done so by leading Ohio State into the conversation for championships year after year and keeping the program at an elite level of success. The focus should shift to appreciating the consistent greatness Day has brought to the Buckeyes rather than judging him by a single game that, in many ways, is out of his control.