I'd always thought people who said Ryan Day should be fired for losing to Michigan in 2021, 2022, and 2023 were ridiculous. The man had a record in College Football that rivaled the all time greats of past and present. Except, he was struggling with the rivalry, and he hadn't won a national championship. You know, they say that when you win, you're not as good as everyone says you are....and when you lose, you're not as bad as everyone says you are. But I have to admit, after the 4th straight loss to Michigan in 2024, I was in the same head space that I was in when I said it was time to move on from John Cooper, another highly successful Ohio State coach who couldn't beat Michigan. I like Day, I told myself. And he's young, and he will go on to have a great career, a career so great that we'll probably regret cutting him loose, I continued. But he doesn't get the rivalry, and if he can't make it happen with this team, he never will. My mind was made up.
I'm here today, with my hat in my hand.
The post title is taking a cue from a Pearl Jam song here, but this isn't about them. I like the title of the song for this post and I'll get to why before the end of this post I promise. But first I have to go back to high school.
