Buckeyes coach Ryan Day gets real about the pressure at Ohio State even after natty win
Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship on Monday after beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23. It was the Buckeyes' first national title in over a decade and gives fans a reason to celebrate after a few devastating losses this year.
After the game, Day was asked by a reporter if the pressure would be any different next season after the championship this season. He laughed, telling reporters he still thinks there will be pressure to win.
"Yeah, try losing the first game and see how that goes at Ohio State," Day said.
Ryan Day will still have pressure next season despite his national championship win
Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship over Notre Dame on Monday, but that does not mean they have a free pass from fans to have a poor season next year. The Buckeyes' standard is to be excellent every season, and that does not go away after winning the natty.
The biggest pressure point for Day and his squad will be to end their losing streak against the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines are the biggest rival of the Buckeyes, and they have lost four straight games to them.
The Buckeyes were defeated 13-10 at home by Michigan in the regular-season finale this year. The loss eliminated them from Big Ten championship contention and forced them to play a first-round matchup in the playoff.
After the loss, many fans and media members were calling for Ryan Day to be fired if the Buckeyes were eliminated early from the College Football Playoff. That obviously did not happen as the Buckeyes went on to win the national championship.
However, that does not mean that he has been forgiven by all fans. For a significant portion of the fanbase, beating Michigan is more important than winning a national title. The team has been largely unsuccessful at doing that in Day's tenure and would want that to change.
Ohio State is not accustomed to losing to Michigan. Before this four-game losing streak, the Buckeyes had won eight games in a row against the Wolverines and 15 of the last 16 games. A return to winning form against Michigan is essential for Ohio State. So, it is safe to say that Day will still have pressure next season.