Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day puts Michigan on the map

Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, is fed up with the constant losses against Michigan.

Entering 2021, Ohio State had reeled off eight straight wins against its archrivals, some of them in dominant fashion. In fact, the Buckeyes crushed the Wolverines 56-27 in Ann Arbor in 2019 (they did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic).

Since then, however, Ohio State has lost three straight games to Michigan, most recently last November at the Big House by a score of 30-24.

During a recent appearance on the Joel Klatt Show, Day said he is no more motivated now than he was last year to end the losing streak against the Wolverines.

He always wants to beat Michigan.

“I don’t think you’re more or less motivated in any one year,” Day said. “I think every year, every team is a little different. But to say those games didn’t hurt – of course they did. It’s a bad week in Columbus if you don’t win that game.”

But now Day sees this year’s clash in Columbus as essentially a must-win game.

“Whether it’s guys deciding to come back or whether it’s making strong decisions in those moments, yeah, I can say you have to figure out what you need to change to win the game,” Day said. “That’s the key and that’s what we did.”

Ohio State is bringing back a ton of stars from last year who forwent the NFL Draft for a chance to play for the national championship… and get another shot at Michigan.

The Buckeyes have arguably the best roster in the country for 2024. The Wolverines, on the other hand, just lost longtime head coach Jim Harbaugh and several key players from their 2023 championship team, including quarterback JJ McCarthy.

Michigan seems ripe for conquest this time, and Ohio State therefore has a more than good chance of establishing itself as the dominant Big Ten club again this fall.