With Big Ten Media Days underway in Indianapolis, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took some time out of his schedule for an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up.
And predictability, the subject of Day’s record vs. rival Michigan was brought up, with the Buckeyes having lost each of their past three contests against “That Team Up North.”
“For our guys who decided to come back, we had about 12 guys that made the decision to come back — that was one of the big reasons why they decided to come back,” Day said. “But what we have to do is build every day and grow every day and count on the work that we’re doing on a daily basis that’s going to matter when we get to the end of the season. What we can’t do is get too far ahead of ourselves and start to focus too much on that and get distracted. That’s just the bottom line.
“But when you come to Ohio State, you’ve gotta win that game.”
ESPN went on to re-air Day’s comments on First Take. And it didn’t take much to see that they didn’t sit well with Paul Finebaum, who was seemingly beside himself as he reacted.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Finebaum said. “He’s lost that game three years in a row and he’s talking about how his players are motivated to come back and play. Well I heard that three years ago, two years ago and last year and you stunk in all three games. I mean, what are you talking about?”
Paul Finebaum was not impressed with Ryan Day talking about the Michigan rivalry on Get Up today.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about, he’s lost that game three years in a row…. you stunk in all three games.” pic.twitter.com/wQfC9p1dPl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 23, 2024
Finebaum proceeded to note that conundrum that Day’s resume presents, as the 45-year-old has amassed a 53-8 record in five seasons in Columbus, but also hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2020 or beaten Michigan since 2019.
“You look at his record — and I’m sure Mad Dog will quote it and Stephen A. [Smith] will quote it — it’s gaudy,’ Finebaum said. “Nobody has a record like him. Except, you can’t choke the biggest game of the year. To me, if he can’t beat Michigan this year when he’s got probably the best team in the country along with Georgia, after [Jim] Harbaugh leaves, after all those great players depart after a national championship, he ought to be gone. It’s as simple as that. That’s the biggest game of the year in the Big Ten.
“Quit making excuses, Ryan Day. Quit acting like your players have given up something to come back. Three years ago, they came back. Two years ago, they came back. And one year ago, they came back. And it’s been the same result.”
It’s worth noting that Ohio State did have an unusual number of NFL Draft prospects — Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Denzel Burke and TreVeyon Henderson to name a few — return to Columbus for their senior seasons. But it would also be disingenuous to imply that beating Michigan was the primary motivating factor for them doing so when the Buckeyes’ boosters reportedly spent $13 million in NIL money to put their 2024 roster together.
Finebaum’s larger point, however, is that despite Day’s impressive overall record, it’s impossible to ignore the issues he’s had beating Ohio State’s biggest rival the last three years. At this point, it would be tough to disagree, which should make the Buckeyes’ status as a national title frontrunner one of the most intriguing storylines of the 2024 season — especially come late-November.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.