On Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes fell in their annual rivalry showdown to the Michigan Wolverines for the fourth straight time even as a heavy favorite with the game played in their home stadium. And it sounds like Ohio State has made a decision on head coach Ryan Day’s future with the team.
On Sunday evening, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork announced that Ryan Day still had his “full support” despite the loss to Michigan.
Despite the loss, Ohio State will almost certainly still have a spot in the College Football Playoff, and it sounds like Bjork has no plans to fire Day before that point.
“Our full focus right now is on the College Football Playoff and making a strong run,” Bjork told The Columbus Dispatch. “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.”
Ohio State entered Saturday’s game as a three touchdown favorite before falling 13-10 to Michigan, failing to score more than one touchdown despite having one of the most prolific offenses in college football.
But Bjork praised the “stability” that Day brings the program.
“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 focus on the values of the program, focus on why we lead the young men, focus on the mission and the playoff.”
Bjork admitted that he and the Ohio State community are not pleased with the loss, but he affirmed his support for Ryan Day.
“We’re disappointed (with Saturday’s loss), but he’s our coach,” Bjork said. “I’m focused on supporting our players and our coaches and continuing to get to know our fan base and our donor base and leading through this disappointing time.”
We’ll have to see how Day and the Buckeyes perform in the College Football Playoff.
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