3 reasons why Ryan Day will be a bust in 2024 college football season
The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for their fifth full season under Ryan Day in 2024 with tremendous pressure on the team. Ohio State has landed a number of top recruits and top transfers for the upcoming season and has built a squad loaded with talent from top to bottom.
The Buckeyes' last trip to the national championship came in 2020, but this season already has championship expectations. The pressure is on Day to bring the championship title to Columbus.
Here are three reasons why Day will be a bust at Ohio State in the 2024 college football season.
3 reasons why Ryan Day will be a bust in the 2024 college football season
#1. Poor record against top-five teams
The Ohio State Buckeyes have an overall record of 56-8 since Ryan Day took over as the interim head coach for three games in 2018. He has proven he can be successful in the Big Ten with just three total losses against conference opponents.
However, Day has shown struggles when matched up against top-five ranked opponents. Five of Day's eight losses in charge of the Buckeyes have come against top-five teams, giving him a record of 2-5.
For a team that has been ranked inside the top 15 each week of the season since Day took over, he has yet to prove that he can consistently keep Ohio State competitive against opponents ranked within the top five.
#2. Recent inability to beat Michigan
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is one of the most intense matchups in each college football season. Typically, these matchups happen late in the season and have major College Football Playoff implications, making them a must-win.
One of Ryan Day's biggest criticisms lately has been his failure to beat one of the Buckeyes' biggest rivals. Ohio State has lost their last three consecutive matchups, with the Wolverines going back to the 2021 season. In all three of those losses, Ohio State was the higher-ranked team.
Day had a promising start to his Ohio State tenure when he defeated Michigan in the first two meetings as the Buckeyes head coach. But the three straight losses bring his overall head-to-head record to 2-3 against the Wolverines.
The next meeting between these two teams is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30, at 12 p.m. ET from Columbus, OH. This matchup could be a season and career-defining game for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.
#3. Poor record in bowl games
The Buckeyes last won the College Football Playoff national championship in 2014 under Urban Meyer. Ohio State have yet to match that postseason success with a record of 2-4 in bowl games under Ryan Day.
Day led the team to the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship game after defeating Clemson 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl. In the title game, they were stomped by the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 52-24.
Ohio State returned to the CFP in 2022 but lost to the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs 42-41 in the Peach Bowl. After going 11-1 during the regular season in 2023, Day and the Buckeyes were left out of the CFP and lost the Cotton Bowl against Missouri by 14-3.
If Day can't start consistently winning bowl games after successful regular seasons, he could find himself on the hot seat in the near future. With the 2024 season already being viewed as a championship or bust season for the Buckeyes, the pressure is on for Day to bring a title back to Columbus.
What do you think the Ohio State Buckeyes record will be this season? Let us know in the comment section.