Ryan Day's unconditional vote of confidence from Ohio State unsurprising, but risky

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was given an unconditional vote of confidence from athletic director Ross Bjork on Thursday, with the executive saying his head coach would definitely be returning next season, regardless of what happens in the Playoff.

"Coach Day is awesome," said Bjork, per the Associated Press (via ESPN). "He's great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye. So we're going to support him at the highest level."

Bjork had more positive things to say about his head coach.

"Coach Day and I just hit it off so well," Bjork said. "I've been really, really impressed. Every single time I talked to him, I learn something. He's innovative. He recruits at the highest level. He's got a great staff."

Bjork even responded to the critics who believe Day is only safe if he wins a title.

"What we have to do is this whole 'championship or bust' mentality, you want that as the goal, but it has to be about the process," Bjork said. "To me, we've got to maybe change some conversations a little bit. I think we need to maybe just approach things a little bit differently."

It's a smart tactic to take, when staring down a fan base that's out for blood the way the Buckeyes have been the last two years; Giving an unwavering sign of support is the only way you can make sure that whatever decision you make doesn't fully alienate the boosters and fan base. If there's any room for doubt, you can believe the fans who want Day gone are going to try and leverage that margin regardless of what happens.

But, while it's the right move in this moment, it doesn't mean it's without risks in the very near future.

After all, Ohio State plays Tennessee in just over a week, in a game that figures to be one of the most fascinating and tense contests of the first round of the new playoff format.

The Vols are the chaos engine of this field; the team with the widest variance of potential outcomes, almost entirely tied to their microwave offense. If Tennessee gets hot, it could wind up being a very long day at Buckeye Stadium.

And if that happens, if the Vols find the explosive aspects of their high-octane offense at exactly the right time, where does that leave Bjork and Day? Suddenly, you're faced with what might be the most talented roster in all of college football having lost their last two games, and no title in sight.

Sure, Bjork has a point that the 'title or bust' mentality is a dangerous one to have. But for this Buckeyes team, in this particular season, it's essentially the only mentality that makes any sense. When you are the most talented team in the country top to bottom after years of almosts and nearlys and edged out of the playoff field because they lost to Michigans, this was supposed to be Ohio State's year.

This was the year that the Buckeyes would silence the critics, the year they'd beat Michigan, the year they and Day would finally get over the hump. This was a singular year when the Buckeyes deserved the expectations, when "title or bust' actually made sense.

Imagine Ohio State loses by 14 to Tennessee. It's unlikely, sure, but it's within the realm of possibility. To go from those expectations to accomplishing none of the things you set out to do, and not even coming particularly close to doing them would make this season a profound disappointment.

I would question whether Bjork would be able to stand in front of boosters and ask them to keep giving to the NIL fund and banking that they'll get them next time as long as they keep the money flowing, but it worked at Texas A&M. He kept the boosters off his back just long enough to jump to Ohio State despite their displeasure with Jimbo Fisher, and I suppose he thinks he can do it again here.

But Columbus isn't College Station; these aren't desperate fans eager to see their team find success despite decades of struggle; these are the bluest of blue bloods. Winning is their birthright, contending for titles their annual expectation, and anything less than that for as long as Day has been falling short is simply unacceptable in the modern era.

At the end of the day, though, winning cures all ills. If Day and the Buckeyes take care of business in the Playoff, that will do more for the coach's job security than any sort of vote of confidence ever could.

But given Day's performance when the lights are brightest, I'm guessing Bjork is going to spend the next few weeks sweating hard that his words don't come back to bite him.

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Ryan Day's unconditional vote of confidence from Ohio State unsurprising, but risky for AD

By Sam Westmoreland | Dec 12, 2024