ESPN analyst says Ohio State has an identity crisis under Ryan Day

Jeff Hauser

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ESPN analyst says Ohio State has an identity crisis under Ryan Day image

The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes are undefeated entering the final weekend of the regular season, riding college football’s longest active win streak.

Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) has also won 15 straight since the start of last year’s College Football Playoff, assembling a dominant body of work under sixth-year coach Ryan Day. His 81-10 record equates to an 89% winning percentage. The best all-time in major college football.

Yet the shine is tarnished by one stubborn shortcoming. Michigan owns the rivalry. 

The 15th-ranked Wolverines (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) enter Saturday’s 121st meeting holding a commanding four-game win streak against Ohio State and a 4-1 edge over Day in “The Game,” the rivalry that often shapes seasons and legacies in the Big Ten. 

Between broadcasts Friday night on ABC, ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said Day’s problems against Michigan aren’t about talent, but rather they’re about forgetting his offense’s DNA.

“Ryan Day has struggled in this rivalry mainly because, I think, in this game they’ve lost their identity,” McFarland said via On3. “When the best players on your team are wide receivers, throw the football. … The game plan has to be that of a passing team tomorrow.”

McFarland criticized last year’s strategy, when he said Ohio State tried to run between the tackles at Michigan defensive front. Once again, the game plan equaled a loss. But McFarland warned the old storyline will roar back without a rivalry win.

“If he doesn’t win … even though he won the national championship last year, the noise will still be loud,” McFarland said.

For now, Ohio State controls the stakes. Michigan still controls the narrative.

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Staff Writer