One day after the Buckeyes dropped its fourth straight defeat to Michigan as an over 20-point favorites in The Game, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said that while he will examine the reasons behind the losses at a later date, he is still confident that head coach Ryan Day is the right person to lead the program
“Our full focus right now is on the College Football Playoff and making a strong run,” Bjork told the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday. “We have a ton to play for. We have a great team made up of talented players and great young men. Coach Day does a great job leading our program. He’s our coach.”
Bjork went on to tell the Dispatch that Day has built a strong foundation and culture in his six seasons leading Ohio State, creating a program that is among the nation’s best in several categories and competes for championships each season, including this 2024 campaign.
“There’s a ton of stability across the board within the program,” Bjork said. “We’re always in the top five under his leadership. We’re right there. We have great fan support, great donor support.
“There’s going to be plenty of time to dissect what happened in the rivalry game the last couple years. But right now, we have to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s (to) focus on the values of the program, focus on why we lead the young men, focus on the mission and the playoff.”
“Our program is built to last, and Coach Day has done that,” he added. “He has put us in a great spot.”
Day’s resume at Ohio State is a complicated one. Since taking over in 2019, he has turned the Buckeyes into one of the more successful programs in college football, holding a 63-10 record in those six seasons and a 45-5 mark in the conference. But that record also includes the four-straight losses to Michigan and a 4-6 record against AP top five teams, both of which have limited the Buckeyes to zero Big Ten championships and one College Football Playoff Appearance since 2021.
Day’s most recent loss to Michigan has sparked intense criticism from fans who are growing frustrated with the Buckeyes’ lack of success against their archrivals. When asked if he was concerned that Day had lost the support of donors and the fan base, Bjork said it is not the right time to address those potential developments.
“I think there’s going to be a time and a place to analyze that piece of it,” he said. “But (Day) acknowledged after the game that he gets it. He gets the reaction. He gets the intensity of this game in particular. He gets the feedback and the pushback.”
As Ohio State awaits its likely seeding in the College Football Playoff — its fourth appearance in the playoff in the Day era — Bjork indicated that it is instead time to focus on making a run at a national title, one which has not been won in Columbus since former head coach Urban Meyer graced the sidelines in 2014.
“Let’s go make a run in the playoff,” he said when asked if he could be swayed by the negative public opinion of Day. “That’s all I’m going to say. Let’s go make a run in the playoff. That’s what we have to do.”
