The Buckeyes are having a good year this year. Their goals are to end their current three-game losing streak against the Wolverines and win a national championship of their own to avenge Michigan’s 2023 triumph.
Ohio State has defeated Michigan in their previous eight games with them before to this current three-game run.
Top players from the transfer portal, including as quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, center Seth McLaughlin, and safety Caleb Downs, were lavishly signed by Ohio State.
The “College GameDay” expert believes that Day will be replaced by Ohio State’s current offensive coordinator Chip Kelly if their ambitious 2024 plan fails.
“If things go awry, I think they have somebody who’s behind Ryan Day,” Howard stated. Chip Kelly may take over as coach in the future. Ryan Day is, in my opinion, now under fire.”
According to the preseason AP Poll, Ohio State was rated No. 2.
Four ranked teams are on their schedule for 2024: No. 25 Iowa, No. 3 Oregon, No. 8 Penn State, and No. 9 Michigan.
With stops as head coach at UCLA, the Oregon Ducks, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the San Francisco 49ers, Kelly has an outstanding resume. He has been around for a long time, but his only real success as a coach has been with the Ducks.
Kelly guided Oregon to four straight BCS bowl games between 2009 and 2012, including a BCS National Championship game in which they were defeated by Auburn and Cam Newton.
Chip Kelly, the former head coach of UCLA and Oregon, appears at ease in his role as offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
His tenure as an NFL coach was from 2013 to 2016. He spent one season with the 49ers and three seasons as the Eagles’ head coach. His Eagles were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, the only time he made it that far.
Kelly spent the last six years as a UCLA coach. In 2022, his team’s highest win total of nine was only attained once. Remarkably, he departed on his own terms this past offseason to accept a less hierarchical post at Ohio State.
Ryan Day of the Ohio State football team is defended by Nick Saban from calls for his dismissal.
When Day mentioned that he connects to having high expectations for a college football program that is supposed to win every game, Saban would wholeheartedly agree with Day. He would even add that Day will “do a really good job with his roster” and that he is a “really good coach.”
Ryan Day of Ohio State football and Nick Saban discuss high expectations.
On The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed a wide range of college football topics, one of which was Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day. Every year, there are a lot of expectations placed on the Buckeyes, particularly on Day. When asked if he felt sorry for the 45-year-old head coach, Saban responded in the negative.
After 17 years of living this life, Saban remarked, “Look, for 15 years we were expected to win every game.” It’s difficult for me to assume that role and to hold any coach, including Ryan Day, to that level of expectation and pressure. The quarterback’s injury is always a possibility because you never know what will happen.
You can’t cover anyone, so you never know when you’re going to lose defensive corners. As a result, you must be able to adapt and improvise while doing your best. Personally, I believe Ryan Day is an excellent coach and that he will manage his team well.
"I personally think Ryan Day is a really good coach & I think he'll do a really good job with his roster..
If he has the best roster who do you think got them there..
The fans should appreciate the fact that they have one of the best teams in the country"
Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vbk8lpaaHG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 23, 2024
Day has a 56-8 record with the Buckeyes, and McAfee would point out to him a stark number that shows him that some people have unrealistic expectations for him and the team. Undoubtedly, the program’s record is exceptional, but some people are more concerned with the Ohio State football team’s two Big Ten championship trophies.
Nick Saban said more credit should be given to Ryan Day
In the 2020–21 season, his squad advanced to the national championship game but, ironically, fell short against Saban and the Crimson Tide. Even yet, Saban would compliment Day, pointing out that although fans tend to overreact to the outcome, Day built the present team that is receiving so much attention and that fans ought to give the Buckeyes coach credit.
“I always say that I’m a process guy,” Saban remarked. “So, instead of being a fan and saying we’re going to fire you if you don’t achieve the outcome, you keep thinking about what you need to do to obtain the result. I have too much respect for coaches and what they do to develop a program, so that’s difficult for me to do. You can tell if he has the best roster by looking at who got it there and who is accountable for getting it there. Thus, that is significant.
In any case, the Ohio State football team hopes to improve on its 11-2, 8-1 conference record from the previous season by winning a national championship, which is their ultimate aim. On Saturday, August 31, they take on an in-state college football team from Akron to begin the following season.
Although everyone will have their own personal rankings, the Buckyes are ranked second in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches poll.
