Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan football going back to November 2019 (though the two teams didn’t play in 2020), as the Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes in two-straight games. Ryan Day, the head coach of the team down in Columbus, is currently 1-2 against his rival after Urban Meyer went 7-0 against the maize and blue.
So, if Michigan were to beat Ohio State for a third-straight year would that be enough to oust Day out of his job?
Not so fast, one analyst says.
Our friend Mike Farrell, formerly of Rivals, opined on his ‘fact or fiction’ column on Saturday that Day would still retain his post if he were to lose to Michigan for a third-straight time, bringing his record to 1-3 in the rivalry. At this stage in the offseason, given the personnel that the Wolverines have coming back, we predict that will be the case, that Michigan will make it three in a row. But Farrell doesn’t believe that if that were to happen that Day would lose his job.
It’s odd timing for this question in June, but what do you want from me? It’s slow. Day has lost to Michigan two years in a row, and we all know that’s unacceptable in Columbus. John Cooper went 2-10-1 against Michigan, and despite a 111-43-4 record at Ohio State, it’s all he will be remembered for. But let’s be real. Day is 45-6 overall and has been to the playoff three of four seasons, and if Ohio State got rid of him next season for another loss to Michigan, it would be an insanely dumb move. Short of Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel becoming available, who else would be an upgrade? No one. Day needs to beat Michigan for sure, but not to save his job.
While that would be a level-headed analysis, we don’t agree, because we don’t believe that the brass in Columbus would be level-headed about it. Sure, Jon Cooper was an epic failure against Michigan, but the times have changed. Ohio State fans, by large when it comes to Michigan, are unhinged. Should Day lose a third-straight, he would have gone from hero in 2019-20 to persona non grata in the state of Ohio.
OSU is desperate to avoid another Jon Cooper era, and thus, we believe that the Buckeyes would can Day if there’s another loss to U-M in 2023 and attempt to either lure the aforementioned Vrabel to the top post or promote someone like Brian Hartline, the current offensive coordinator, given his success in the rivalry as an assistant (before the last two years) and as a player.
So, don’t expect sanity from people in Columbus, because when it comes to the Michigan rivalry, they’re anything but.
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