Greg McElroy: Ryan Day is not overrated

Coming into the 2024 college football season, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day is in an interesting position. He’s had plenty of success and expectations are high, but to this point, he’s struggled to get over the hump late in the season.

As ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy explained on Always College Football, he doesn’t believe that Ryan Day is overrated, as some fans might think. However, the Michigan game in particular is posing a problem for him.

“He’s already being labeled that by some,” Greg McElroy said. “I think it’s a little backwards. We all know that every game is weighted differently. No one is gonna try to sit here and tell you that the Michigan game is the same level of importance to Ohio State fans as a game against Maryland. No one is gonna try and compare the two. No one is gonna sit there and say, ‘Yeah, you lost to Michigan but, hey, you beat Iowa. So, you’re good with us.’ [The] Michigan game means more.”

In his five full seasons as the head coach at Ohio State, Ryan Day has played archival Michigan four times. He only has a 1-3 record against the Wolverines in those games. That includes three losses in a row while the Wolverines were able to win a national championship during that time.

“So, he has to beat Michigan really more than anything else, but I don’t how you could call a coach overrated when he has eight losses and we can name them off the top of our heads. Like, when you can name the guy’s losses in five or six years, you know the guy is doing pretty well,” McElroy said.

“Alright. He’s lost to Michigan three times. I get it. That’s tough. He’s also lost in the national championship game to Alabama, he lost in a semi-final game to Clemson, he lost in another semi-final game to Georgia, he lost to Oregon in the game in Columbus, which was a while back, and I’m blanking on one other game but the guy hasn’t lost very many games. I think he’s lost eight in his career as a head coach.”

During his time as the Ohio State head coach, Ryan Day has a record of 56-8 overall. He’s taken the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff three times. Now, in an expanded Playoff format, he’s expected to consistently be back and competing for national titles.

“So, no. He’s not overrated,” McElroy said. “It’s just people are frustrated because he did not beat Michigan the last three times out. It’s fair. It’s understandable, but the guy is not overrated.”

The post Greg McElroy: Ryan Day is not overrated appeared first on On3.