College Football

Ryan Day, Ohio State and the high-stakes pressure to win The Game

Updated Nov. 25, 2023 11:33 a.m. ET

There is what one might call a shrine just around the corner from Ryan Day's office in Columbus. It's dedicated to the iconic Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, and these days, it serves as a constant reminder that Day's Buckeyes have lost the last two matchups.

The display is not small — it takes up a chunk of hallway in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that you have to walk by. In the middle, there's a countdown clock, ticking away the seconds until the next time Ohio State plays Michigan. Above that, a TV shows highlights from past showdowns, and on the side are photos and game balls marking important moments in the history of The Game.

This memorial was initiated back in the day by Jim Tressel "just as a reminder," the former Buckeyes coach told FOX Sports, "that we better use every minute so that we're at our best on that day." This isn't unusual — Texas, for example, has a countdown clock for the Red River Rivalry, and Army has one just outside its locker room counting down to the Navy game. But it's unlikely Day needs any such "reminder" about the importance of 2023's edition of The Game.

Heading into Saturday's battle between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), Jim Harbaugh's suspension amid the sign stealing scandal is front and center, but for the Buckeyes, the biggest storyline is the pressure Day is under to not lose three in a row, which hasn't happened at Ohio State since 1995-97.

[Jim Harbaugh vs. Ryan Day: A rivalry that might never reach its potential]

Day is 56-6 as Ohio State's head coach since he took over the program from Urban Meyer in December 2018. He's 41-2 in the Big Ten, the two losses to Michigan staining an otherwise perfect record. He's been to the College Football Playoff three times and has the highest winning percentage of any coach against ranked opponents. Last year, the Buckeyes were a walk-off field goal away from beating Georgia in the CFP semifinal and playing for a national championship.

But all those gold stars on Day's résumé don't sparkle quite as much these days given what's happened the last two years against the Wolverines. In 2021, the Buckeyes were 10-1 entering The Game and were embarrassed 42-27 on the road. Last year, they were 11-0 before getting shellacked at home, 45-23. Michigan went on to win the Big Ten and finish in the top four both seasons.

Ever since, Day has spoken about those "scars" this team has. He's used it as a battle cry to rally the team — from publicly calling out Lou Holtz for criticizing his team's toughness and physicality, to being able to win games in different ways. There's no Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback, but there may be one at wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. The Buckeyes have had to rely on a stalwart defense — ranked in the top three in the nation in most statistical categories — instead of a prolific offense.

Joel Klatt reacts to Ryan Day's response to Lou Holtz

"This is a great team that can get pushed and they respond well [to fieriness]," Day said earlier this season. "There's a lot riding on every game and we know that. So it's my job to bring it every week, every Saturday, and push as hard as I can.

"But for the most part, it's thought out beforehand. I'm not just flying off the handle. Although, I guess every once in a while I would. But I think the guys like to see the passion. That's part of it. So it's my job to bring that, and I'm going to continue to do that."

Before winning the last two, Harbaugh was 0-5 vs. Ohio State and fans were clamoring for his job. Then the pendulum swung and now he has all the support from his administration and fan base that he could ever want. Even though he's banned from the sideline for this game, Michigan is still a four-point favorite at home.

Saturday's victor will play Iowa in the Big Ten championship. Win that, and they will go to the playoff, so the stakes are as high as they have ever been.

Previewing No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan

FOX Sports spoke with coaches who know rivalries inside and out, what the stakes are like for Day, and what could happen next.

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Jeff Monken felt pressure similar to what Day is likely experiencing. Even though the circumstances were different, the expectation was the same: win our rivalry game.

Army had lost 12 straight to Navy when Monken first arrived at West Point in 2014, and former athletics director Boo Corrigan and university president Lt. General Robert Caslen knew there was a rebuild in store.

Nonetheless, "I felt a tremendous sense of personal responsibility to end [Navy's] streak," said Monken, who had been on the other side of the rivalry and was an assistant when that particular streak started.

His Army team was 4-7 entering the Navy game his first season and 2-9 going into it his second. The games were competitive, but Army ultimately lost both years. It wasn't until 2016 that things turned around and Army beat Navy.

Monken's bosses never looked him in the eye and told him how critical it is to beat Navy. He already knew.

"If you're the coach at Army, you've gotta beat Navy," he said. "And if you don't, you're not gonna be the coach there for very long."

So just how much does being on the winning side of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry mean?

"There's a school of thought," Tressel said, that winning a national championship is "less important" than beating Michigan.

"That's why it's easy to get your players glued in because in some of the early season games you have to convince them that it's an important game," he said. "Sometimes you had to do some selling. For that game, you didn't have to sell anything."

Jim Tressel, who was 9-1 against Michigan as Ohio State's head coach, celebrates a win over the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in 2005. (Photo by Getty Images)

That theory could actually be put to the test.

When the 12-team playoff begins next season, there's a real scenario in which Ohio State could lose to Michigan every year and still win the national title. In a hypothetical world, if the Buckeyes never beat the Wolverines but always make the final four, would that be good enough for fans to lay off?

"No," Tressel said. "There will always be an asterisk. They will say, ‘In 2027, you made it to the national championship game, but oh, by the way, you lost to Michigan.' But that's the fun of college sports."

What if Ohio State won four national championships and lost to Michigan four years in a row? Would there be less pressure then?

"That," Tressel said, "would be an interesting scenario."

Another wrinkle is that Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is retiring in July 2024 and the university recently hired a new president in Walter Carter Jr. That means Day will soon have two new bosses, and while it may seem nonsensical and even comical considering Day's stellar record, the "hot seat" narrative could pick up if Ohio State doesn't beat Michigan on Saturday.

"That's absolutely crazy," said former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who went 0-3 vs. Ohio State and is now the head coach at Jacksonville State. "I mean Ryan Day has done an unbelievable job. To say anything is in jeopardy or that he's not had success is absolutely nuts in my opinion. If they don't win, he's still done a phenomenal job and to say anything otherwise to me is ridiculous."

Other coaches also can't fathom he'd actually be on the chopping block this year.

Rivalry Week scenarios and how they affect the CFP

"It's not like you're going 2-8 or something," said former Oklahoma State coach Pat Jones, who went 0-10-1 vs. rival Oklahoma. "You'd like to think that administrators, regents or whoever has enough sense to understand that sort of thing."

Plus, history shows that Michigan's winning streak — whether it continues or ends on Saturday — won't last forever.

"In rivalry games like that, where two teams are very evenly matched and both are in the same recruiting pools and fighting for the same prospects and have all the support staff that you could ask for or need, and have competent, talented coaches who are great leaders, I don't see one of those teams winning 10 years in a row," Monken said.

"And where do you think you're going to get somebody better? That's always my question," he continued. "Who are you going to hire that's going to do better than Ryan Day?"

But die-hard fans care a lot about rivalry games and will stir things up and get in coaches' ears any chance they can get.

"That's what you're told when you first get the job," said Dennis Erickson, who coached for 47 years, including 19 as a college head coach. He won two national championships in six seasons at Miami. "When I coached at Idaho, the Idaho-Boise State game in those days was [the big rivalry]. Alumni always let you know it's important. [They would send] emails, any time you went to a booster event throughout the state you heard about it. They wouldn't ask much about any other game. You could be 3-8 but win that one and you've still got a job."

Rodriguez experienced the same.

"You would catch fans outside during the spring or whenever you're out somewhere saying, ‘Make sure you win this game,'" he said. "Yeah, we know. We know how big it is. It's important to us, too."

Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez: "Ryan Day has done an unbelievable job. To say anything is in jeopardy or that he's not had success is absolutely nuts in my opinion." (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Monken doesn't read fan mail or letters that are sent to the football offices or the emails that circumvent the system and somehow reach his inbox. "It's easy to delete and I've got a garbage can next to my desk," he said. Even if he ever does see negative chatter from fans, he ignores it.

"I don't have time for that," Monken said. "I've got a job to do. But that's what happens for coaches. You're in a job where a lot of people pay attention to the results that you produce. And it's because they care."

That level of interest can make the pressure feel even greater than it might actually be.

"You know it's funny, as you see alumni players get together or fans talk to alumni players, I've never heard anyone ask a player, ‘Did you win a national championship?' or ‘How many Big Ten championships did you win?'" Tressel said. "They always ask, ‘When you played, what was your record against Michigan?' That's all they ever ask. So our guys know, there's no question.

"In the standings it's only one game. But in your heart, it's bigger than that."

[Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr.'s long, intertwined paths to The Game]

Rodriguez pointed out that while winning The Game may seem like everything, "It's not gonna save your job."

"Winning the rivalry game does not save your program," Rodriguez added. "It can save a moment, but it's not going to save a head coach that's not winning enough and not getting all the other goals, too. That's a big goal, but not the only goal."

That depends on who you ask. Day is winning enough — his record is proof of that. If Ohio State beats Michigan, none of this matters. If the Buckeyes lose a third straight, time will tell what happens.

"He's going to be fine," said Tressel, who went 9-1 vs. Michigan (all wins in 2010 were vacated due to ineligible players). "A, I think he's got every opportunity to beat them. But B, if he doesn't, he's a quality guy, he's had great teams and he'll get it figured out. The pendulum always swings.

"It will be what it will be. Michigan is a good team. We know everyone wants us to win that game, but we also know they're very good. It's not that simple. But it is that simple."

Texas A&M interest in Ohio State head coach Ryan Day? — Bruce Feldman reports

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.