What makes a winning team different from a team that doesn’t taste success? Is it the star players in the squad? Or the experienced coaching staff working tirelessly? Or are the top-notch facilities and infrastructure in the background playing their part? To be fair, they all play their part. But, the thing that matters the most is the mental determination and self-belief in individuals in crucial moments. It is one thing to know how to play well and execute the predetermined strategy on the field. Most professional players and teams know how to do that. But it becomes a different ball game overcoming setbacks and rising above the occasion. That’s when individual and collective mental toughness comes into play. And Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes was one of the teams this season to do exactly that. But what did they do differently?

Well, they won the championship final against Notre Dame earlier this week after 10 years. But everyone knows that. The thing that is special about them is their sheer grit and willpower to come from their defeats. For context, they lost their regular season game in week 7 against Oregon by 32-31. Later, they also lost to Michigan Wolverines by 10-13 in the week 14 game, which was also their 4th consecutive loss to the team. So, how did they turn these setbacks around? Well, we’re getting there.

Well, former OSU linebacker Joshua Perry, who also won the title with Ohio State in 2014 and was also an insider to the team throughout the season, revealed just that. He said, “I think there are moments in the season that happened that force you to tell the truth. People talk about the meetings the Ohio state had (after the losses). I had been the part of them…after Oregon, defense got together and said we need to get better, and they played phenomenal defense from that point on.”

Not only that, but he added that the team got together after the Michigan defeat as a group and figured out the course forward going into the postseason. The most important aspect, according to Joshua, of OSU’s success was “the honesty and leadership from Ryan Day… and he did a phenomenal job with that.” Well, that speaks volumes about the team’s determination when faced with adversity and turning it around in their favor. Well, let’s get on to what Ryan Day, the man himself, has to say about overcoming the defeat.

Ryan Day, speaking after the semifinal against Texas Longhorns, elaborated on how his team coped up after the loss. He said, “I think when you look at the guys that we have in our program, you see guys that are tough. You see guys that are resilient. You see guys who care about each other. You see guys that love being Buckeyes“. He also added that his team had gone through adversity and was only focused on what was coming ahead instead of looking back. Well, it is rightly said that ‘fortune favors the brave’. And OSU’s fortunes may well have changed drastically after incredible season performance. So, let’s dive into that.

What changed for OSU after the season?

Well, it’s no secret that OSU spent heavily on building their roster, which is close to $20 million. However, now that their gamble has paid off apart from the $46 Million paid to them by Big Ten. They will also gain a significant increase in their athletics budget, which currently stands at almost $300 Million. But what will the team look like going into next season?

Well, Ryan Day would need almost $13 Million to keep his current roster in the next season. Apart from that, it is being widely reported that QB Lincoln Kienhold could leave OSU soon. Furthermore, offensive tackle Junior Josh Simmons has declared for the draft. However, for next year’s squad, it would be easy to guess that the confidence they gained this season and Ryan Day’s exploits will certainly play a big part in their success.