Ryan Day understood the importance of ‘The Game.’ He made that much clear in a pre-match address, comparing the feeling of losing to Michigan to the demise of his father. But a fourth defeat in a row to Michigan has raised questions about his ability to lead the program to greater heights. Day remained defiant in the aftermath of yet another painful loss, but for how long he can bear the emotional toll of managing a high-profile program like OSU?

Last week’s defeat to the archrivals compounded Day’s misery as he seems unable to get the better of Michigan. Being connected to a program with a highly passionate fan base means there are overbearing consequences to deal with if things don’t go your way. It has been reported that people close to Day have talked privately about how emotionally hard this had been for his wife and young children and Bruce Feldman believes it might be time for him to reassess his position.

On December 3, veteran college football analyst Feldman dropped some heavy truths on The Rich Eisen Show about Ryan Day’s spiraling situation. He didn’t mince words: “Ryan Day, at some point, is going to need to do some evaluation of everything around him with his family. From everything I’ve heard, it has been a really, really tough time for them dealing with a lot of what they’ve been going through the last couple of years.”

Coaches have to often bear the brunt of fan anger if the season doesn’t go well or you keep losing to your major rival. While OSU’s season isn’t over yet, the defeat to Michigan is a sore point that will only worsen the fan discontent. Day and his family find themselves in the middle of a storm and getting out of it will be a challenge.

Feldman added, “And that was before Saturday. I think it’s only going to get worse after losing because, you know, the team they lost to before—like last year—they lost to a team that won the national title.” This particular defeat would hurt as the game represented Ryan Day’s best chance to end his winless run.

“This was not a great team and they lost to them and they were home and they spent $20 million on guys in the portal for this year. So I think that’s the part where he sits there and look we know Ryan Day being very candid about his own life story and some of the things that he and his family had to deal with and I think he has a great awareness of the importance of mental health. I wonder if when he sits down after the season and thinks ‘Do I want to keep doing this here? Is this the best thing for me and my family?'” Feldman said.

In previous years, the Wolverines have come into the rivalry game as one of the top contenders in college football. But this season they have been less than impressive. and just about managed to become bowl-eligible. A team that has lost almost its entire offense and its defensive leaders was there for the taking, but OSU couldn’t pounce.

This also draws scrutiny over the $20 million OSU spent in hopes of toppling Michigan and being seen as a force in the college football landscape. Despite what has been a decent season, Day will be feeling the heat. Against the Wolverines, OSU managed to put just 10 points on the board, their lowest output of the season.  They went scoreless in the second half and rushed for just 77 yards, a bleak reading for Day and his team.

Day’s tactics and planning in the game were also questionable.

While there will be clamor for a change and as Feldman suggested Day might have to consider the effects of such defeats on his family, he isn’t backing down.

On Wednesday, Day came out and said that he intends to remain in the role for the foreseeable future and has no plans to leave. “This is a wonderful place. I have one of the best jobs in America. I’m disappointed more than anybody. We’ll continue to move and figure out what it is and overcome this obstacle.”

It seems Ryan Day wants to keep fighting and perhaps get another shot at ending Michigan’s dominance. The OSU head coach has been clear about what beating Michigan means to him and it seems his obsession isn’t going away.

Ryan day’s obsession with Michigan

Ryan Day’s tunnel vision on beating Michigan has turned The Game into a toxic saga for Ohio State. Losing 13-10 to a quarterback-less Michigan team in Week 14 wasn’t just a grim look—it was humiliating. What made it worse was the head coach’s comments coming into the game. His response to his 1-3 record with all 3 of those losses coming consecutively said everything you need to know about his level of obsession:

“It’s one of the worst things that’s happened to me in my life, quite honestly. Other than losing my father and a few other things, it’s quite honestly for my family the worst thing that’s happened. So we can never have that happen.” But it happened again, and it’s clear that Day’s obsession with Michigan is leading the program OSU.

Rece Davis said it best, “They’ve taken this game so far that they are not close to neutral. They’ve lost their mental approach to this game. It’s a mental block, pure and simple. They need to get back to neutral about Michigan.” With 4 straight losses to Michigan, a fanbase crying for results, and personal stakes higher than ever. Now, the question isn’t whether Day can win The Game. It’s whether he can break free from its grip—before it creates more problems for him.