Is the Oregon Ducks Game a Must-Win for Ohio State Coach Ryan Day?

The Ohio State Buckeyes have yet to play a down in the 2024 season and yet speculation has started regarding the status of head coach Ryan Day.

Much of the discontent with Day is his record against Michigan, better known in Columbus as “that team up north.” In four meetings, Day is 1-3 while previous coaches, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, were a combined 16-1 against the Wolverines.

In order to reach their goals of beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten title and a national championship, the Buckeyes must also deal with an explosive Oregon Ducks’ offense and one of the best defenses in the country.

The margin for error is quite small although Day has taken significant steps to improve his team. The first bit of good news for him was the announcement from 11 players who decided to return to Columbus for their senior season. The first to opt in was Ohio State defensive end, Jack Sawyer, who did not hesitate to spell out what all 11 were thinking.

“We came back with one purpose and one goal, and that’s to beat the Team Up North and win a national championship,” Sawyer said. 

One other move made by Day that stands out is the hiring of former Oregon and UCLA coach, Chip Kelly, as the offensive coordinator. Losing to Michigan last season and a desire to return to the top of the Big Ten were said to be the reasons Day gave up his play-calling duties.

Make no mistake, Day understands that high expectations are part of the job description at Ohio State.

“Now, our guys, they know what the expectation is,” Day said recently. “You’ve heard some of them say what their goals are. We’re not going to shy away from that. We want to win the rivalry game, be right in this stadium right here and win this Big Ten championship, win a national championship. We know that.”

Given his situation, a win against Oregon may not lock in a playoff spot or a Big Ten championship, but a loss could be devastating. Some of the more vocal fans and members of the media believe a failure to achieve the stated goals may mean a head coaching change. To that point, former Michigan receiver and Super Bowl XXXI MVP, Desmond Howard, offered his thoughts on a recent episode of ESPN’s “Get Up.”

“It’s like this. I think the people at Ohio State just pushed all of their chips to the center of the table,” Howard said. “They went and spent about $13 million on free agents – well, college football’s version of free agency with the portal and NIL.”

“Some fans would say, ‘Well if we got rid of Ryan Day, who will we hire?’ They went out and hired Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator,” Howard explained. “If things go awry, I think they have somebody who’s behind Ryan Day where they can say, ‘Chip Kelly can be the next coach too.”

There is little doubt that Kelly has been an offensive innovator throughout his coaching career including stops in New Hampshire, Oregon Ducks, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and the UCLA Bruins. His decision to take the job at Ohio State was a surprise to many. However, it was likely inevitable that he leave. Bruins’ fans and boosters were not happy with the results, although wins were trending higher, and Kelly was looking for a change.

When pressed for details behind his decision, Kelly told media at Ohio State that he felt at ease in coaching UCLA’s quarterbacks before the LA Bowl and this role allowed him to focus on football. As to a return to the top job, Kelly’s prior actions reveal his dislike for some of the responsibilities typically handled by the head coach.

Simply said, Kelly would seem to prefer to study the game rather than handling issues like recruiting, meeting with alumni and boosters, communicating to the press, selling the program, etc. It was said in Oregon he declined to travel to Portland to attend booster meetings, alienating some important team donors. The takeaway from this is that Kelly can excel in building an offense but may lack the desire to deal with all that is outside the football field.

Lasty, there is an odd twist relevant to Day losing or not losing his job. Many believe that as long as the Buckeyes beat Michigan, Day’s job is safe even if there is no Big Ten title or national championship. While that may seem extreme, it reflects the depth of the rivalry between these two teams. Now, with a talented Oregon team (ranked second in the Big Ten) on the schedule, there are even more challenges for Day to face.

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