Forecasting a national championship in the offseason was the easy part.
Predicting the actual journey this roster and Ryan Day had to navigate to hoist Ohio State’s first national championship trophy since 2014? Hollywood scriptwriters would have laughed you out of the room for being too overdramatic.
Nonetheless, the dream that went from attainable in the eyes of respected analysts in April to borderline fantasyland by those same pundits after Nov. 30 was realized on Monday. Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34-23 in Atlanta, completing a monster gauntlet in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and defeating its fourth straight opponent by double digits.
When OSU’s oft-discussed $20 million NIL roster was assembled in January, the Buckeyes were either labeled as the most talented team in the country or second only to the Georgia Bulldogs, depending on your outlet of choice. That $20 million figure was often the talking point of most preseason articles, though they often failed to point out context. Sure, the likes of Caleb Downs, Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard and the other players who transferred in were more than fairly compensated. But most of that NIL fund went to convincing foundational pieces already on the roster to delay their NFL dreams and reload the clip for one final run at a national title.
Based on the pieces returning to Columbus and the top-tier talent OSU added from the transfer portal, an undefeated regular season seemed not only attainable but almost expected. At the center of it all was Day, under a giant microscope even before the season began. This was the best roster in his Ohio State tenure. He received the full support of the administration and donors. If he couldn’t win a title now, when could he do it?
Of course, just like life, the season doesn’t always play out the way you envision it.
The Buckeyes’ defense was humbled on Oct. 12 in Eugene as the Ducks shredded OSU’s defense for 32 points, the most they allowed all season, which led to schematic changes after a one-point loss. Two weeks later, a Nebraska team that barely reached bowl eligibility had Ohio Stadium on the edge of its seat late in the fourth quarter. In Happy Valley, Penn State was a yard away from tying the Buckeyes in the contest’s final minutes until Big Game James went full Big Game James. Two talented offensive linemen who will hear their names called in the NFL draft this spring suffered season-ending injuries, resulting in the Buckeyes’ testing their depth at what’s considered to be their thinnest position group on the roster.
And of course, the unthinkable happened in Columbus on Nov. 30. One of the worst Michigan teams in recent memory came into Ohio Stadium and won a rock fight, 13-10. It was the fourth straight defeat to the Wolverines and by far the most humiliating.
In the week leading up to the ill-fated game, Day admitted publicly the only thing he’s endured in his life that has been harder than losing to Michigan was the tragic death of his father. That’s how intense this rivalry is, and how much the agony of losing has taken a toll on Day and his family.
Then a few days later, he coached the worst game of his life and relived the nightmare all over again. He saw his children sobbing on the sidelines. He stood frozen as a good chunk of his team ran to defend the 50-yard line following Michigan players planting their flag.
His job was suddenly in question, with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork having to issue not one but two vote of confidence statements for Day before OSU’s first College Football Playoff game. If this season had transpired a year earlier under the four-team playoff format instead of the 12-team expansion, who knows what the future of OSU football would look like right now.
Instead, he and his players were given a shot at redemption. And it turned into a fairy tale.
It started with an emotional team meeting a few days following the Michigan loss where he shouldered the load of the blame for the defeat and admitted to his team that he failed them. He listened to his players’ concerns. It was an emotional, heartfelt meeting with no punches pulled, but it was also the start of a team uniting to realize its full potential.
“Our team has come together so well over the last month and a half," Day said postgame. "There wasn’t school, so all we did was spend time together. It’s like being around a family. This is the tightest group of guys I’ve ever been around."
With three weeks of preparation, the Buckeyes steamrolled Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Even more surprising, Ohio State not only avenged its loss to Oregon from earlier in the season, but humiliated the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. Jack Sawyer cemented his Buckeye legacy forever by finishing off a goal-line stand against Texas in the semifinals with a scoop and score. The Hollywood ending was made complete Monday with Ohio State’s victory over Notre Dame.
Would it have been nice if the season played out to the path of least resistance and OSU cruised to a 16-0 record with a title? Sure.
But in some ways, the story of the 2024 season is more relatable to any of us than an undefeated juggernaut run would be. We just witnessed a team and a coach face their lowest moment with humility head-on and rise from the ashes of their darkest hour to live out their lifelong dream with the whole world watching. Maybe some detractors would point out this Ohio State team is the lone squad of the eight others in program history who’ve hoisted national championships to lose twice in a season. I’d counter that they’re the only team in the history of college football to earn five top-five victories in a single season, and the only team that’s ever had to face a gauntlet like this to win a title.
"They’re going to go down in Ohio State history as one of the greatest teams to ever play at Ohio State," Day said of his squad. "After all the things that have been said throughout the year, these guys are going to be cemented as one of the best stories in Ohio State history and one of the best football teams ever.”
When Day hoisted the trophy following the victory, pure jubilation took over. He probably didn’t think about it at the time, but he had just joined his predecessors Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel, both of whom cast a very large shadow to follow, as coaches who had led Ohio State to a national title.
Who knows where Day’s Ohio State career goes from here. Perhaps he takes an NFL opportunity at some point, maybe he stays in Columbus for 20 more years and wins a handful of more championships.
But regardless of what happens, when the final chapter of his OSU tenure is written, his legacy will now start with tales of this resilient championship run and the seniors who helped him accomplish it.
Day always stresses to his team to leave no doubt. Now, there is no doubt the Buckeyes have reached the pinnacle of the college football world, and it’s a story that won’t soon be forgotten.
