After a disappointing game against Nebraska, Ohio State is at a crossroads. What is the best outcome for fans this Saturday?
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Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format?
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I understand that this will be controversial, but the worst place to be in sports is near the top but not breaking through. GMs, owners, and fans across sports come to a place where they have to answer a hard question: Do you accept where you’re at, whether that be a middle-of-the-road constant playoff contender but with a clear ceiling, or do you take a risk, blow it up and try for better?
To be great in sports you have to rip off the bandaid, even if not everyone agrees with you or sees the vision. Ask Georgia fans how they feel about the decision to fire Mark Richt. At the time it was a risky decision that many fans did not support, but two national championships later, who is complaining?
The other side of this is Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were tired of winning nine games a year, fired a successful coach and has struggled to even win six games most years. The thing is… Ohio State isn’t Nebraska.
Ohio State is the most rescission-proof program in the country. They have the facilities, they have the prestige, they have the money, they have the recruiting engine, the NFL talent, and a state that always has talent but little competition for that talent. Whether it’s money, access to talent, or pedigree there are not many programs that can compete with Ohio State in any area — and especially not in every area.
This brings me to the question: After losing to Oregon and legitimately being at risk of losing to Nebraska coming off a bye week, what should Ohio State fans be rooting for on Saturday as Ohio State goes to State College to play Penn State?
The easy answer is for a victory, but that answer is also accepting the status quo. It’s accepting that Ohio State will beat Penn State and any team not ranked in the top five more times than not, but continue to lose really big games. Whereas rooting for a loss means Ohio State will have two losses with games against Indiana and Michigan on the schedule and a risk of not making the playoffs. Rooting for a loss moves the program closer to firing Ryan Day.
After getting a reported $20 million dollars to retain and bolster the roster in hopes of winning a national championship, losing two games is unacceptable. A loss sets up Day for a fourth-straight year of not accomplishing one of his three stated goals: winning the Big Ten.
For as much as we want to win a national championship, the most egregious thing about the Day tenure is that the Buckeyes no longer run the Big Ten. A win over a hapless Michigan isn’t enough to soothe the wounds. A loss to Penn State guarantees that Ohio State will not make it to Indianapolis, where they haven’t been since 2020 when the conference had to change the rules for them to make an appearance.
Heading into this weekend, the flaws in Day’s program are out there for the world to see. He continued to employ a failing offensive line coach, causing the depth in that room to be eroded. He then went out and hired a friend instead of opening the wallet for a widely respected coach, and his replacement also failed at recruiting and maybe a worse developer.
His decision to largely stand pat in the transfer portal, only recruiting Josh Simmons, Seth McLaughlin and a third player who clearly couldn’t play at this level, is at the forefront as his team doesn’t have the depth to withstand an injury on the line.
His decision to continue to employ a defensive line coach who has struggled to land not only big prospects but also the correct number of players is indefensible. It’s made worse when that coach is actively disagreeing with the defensive coordinator and refusing to rotate his guys in big games. So not only does the defensive line room not have depth, but it’s also not developing players for next season.
Ohio State has always won in the trenches, and it no longer has players who can dictate a game or take over when needed. After watching Ohio State lose another close game to Oregon and struggle against a Nebraska program that lost by 40-plud points the week before, do you still believe this is a national championship program?
After watching the pass rush fail to get consistent pressure and the offensive line fail to get any push in the run game or stop the pass rush, do you still believe in this program? After watching two of the five best running backs in the country average under three yards per carry do you still have faith that Day is the right guy for the job?
The roster isn’t the problem, religion isn’t the problem, nor is recruiting or NIL. So the problem lies at the feet of one person, and that’s the head coach. Can you say you don’t think there is a coach out there who can do a better job than Day?
There is a really good chance that Day goes and beats James Franklin again. He may even beat Indiana and set up a rematch against Oregon. Doing so almost guarantees we don’t get a chance to see if the grass is greener on the other side.
So what are you rooting for — A loss that may finally cause the administration to consider moving on from Ryan Day, or the status quo, and another meaningless win against James Franklin’s Nittany Lions?
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