College Football HQ

Ohio State should have beat Michigan last season, Ryan Day says

"We should've won that game," Ohio State football coach Ryan Day said of the Buckeyes' game against arch-rival Michigan last season.

James Parks

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA
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Ryan Day is just 1-3 against Michigan the last four years, not the kind of record that bodes well for any coach at Ohio State, and this season he's facing major pressure to get revenge in The Game.

But Day still believes the Buckeyes should have defeated the Wolverines last season.

"That was a very good team, but we still should've won the game," Day said, via SiriusXM. "We didn't. So why was that? What do we need to do?

"It starts with making sure the right people are in the right seats, making sure the personnel is right, making sure the scheme is right, and you go from there. But yeah, those are the kinds of decisions you try to make in the offseason. Once the season goes, you're building your identity, too."

Day added: "You want to get to the point where you're playing your best football at that point."

Ohio State "should've won the game," but it didn't, falling to Michigan in a close 30-24 decision that cost the Buckeyes a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

And that Michigan used to win a third-straight Big Ten title and ultimately the national championship.

Aside from the series against "that team up north," Day is a stellar 56-8 with the Buckeyes, including a 39-3 mark against Big Ten competition.

But those three losses were all to Michigan, and having a losing record in this rivalry is the major sticking point for Day's tenure at Ohio State, even despite all the other wins.

Day got aggressive this offseason, both in the transfer portal and on his own sideline.

Ohio State brought in former Oregon and UCLA coach Chip Kelly to work as offensive coordinator in a move heralded as one of the most impactful during the most recent coaching carousel.

And the Buckeyes scored blue-chip acquisitions in the portal, including two former five-star Alabama players in safety Caleb Downs and 2025 quarterback hopeful Julian Sayin.

One-time SEC rushing champ Quinshon Judkins joined the Buckeyes after departing Ole Miss, where he ran for 2,725 yards and scored 31 touchdowns in two seasons.

Will Howard steps in as the presumptive starting quarterback after the Buckeyes lost Kyle McCord to Syracuse. The former Kansas State starter is coming off a personal-best outing in which he hit 61.3 percent of his throws for 2,643 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Those additions, combined with returning production at running back, defensive end, and wide receiver, already have Ohio State in second-place in the current national title odds.

Now, Day has to put the pieces together, so by this time next year he's not saying Ohio State should have defeated Michigan, but actually did.

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James Parks

JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.

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