Almost 5 months of football have condensed the field down from 134 to 2. It’s ironic how the people who were proponents of and lobbied for a revamped 12-team CFP had the final laugh. All that aversion to change was futile. The two Natty finalists likely wouldn’t even have made the playoffs in its previous iteration. Ohio State HC Ryan Day is more than aware of the opportunity he has. Now that he’s here, playing for all the marbles, he’s not trying to leave any stone unturned. No regrets.

You ever have a download bail on you at 99%? It’s the worst thing ever. All that time, all that effort. Vanquishing in thin air with nothing to show for. Ryan Day suggests he’s trying to avoid a similar fate for his Buckeyes. Not just because falling one step short of eternal glory will be terrible. But because his team has been through that “so close yet so far” type feeling at one particular juncture already this season.

Before they blew the doors off Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State faced their B1G foes in their own backyard. That game in Eugene transpired differently. The Buckeyes trailed 31-32 with 6 seconds on the clock, but were inside field-goal range. Seeking to gain a few more yards for a more secure attempt, Ryan Day ran another play. What ensued was a QB scramble where Will Howard slid a little too late, and time expired. The game was right there to be won. From 99%, into an error 404. In the lead-up to the Championship game, Coach Day is preaching a lesson that stemmed from this exact ordeal to his players.

“It’s something that we talked about all year. Don’t leave it to one play, don’t leave it to one decision. Leave no doubt,” said Ryan Day. The Buckeyes have lost two games all season, both 1-score games. It’s not difficult to see why coach Day wants his team to take care of business with room to spare. Which is exactly what they’ve done every step of the way through these playoffs. The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory through the CFP is about 20 points. Talk about practicing what you preach. That said, Ryan Day may have been alluding at an underlying facet to this matchup. One that, if he stated directly, would’ve prompted a fine.

With the National Championship beckoning, the scrutiny around the CFB realm is on 11. As part of the discourse, an unfortunate reality has become conspicuous. Whatever your persuasion and rooting interest, everybody has an opinion on officiating in this sport. With no singular standard across every conference, the problems with refereeing in College Football are deep-rooted. Prevailing wisdom will tell you it’s the perceived “big” schools that get the most help. Turns out, one all-encompassing data point suggests the opposite. When Ryan Day says “don’t leave it to one play, don’t leave it to one decision”, he may have been talking about those in monochrome being just as much of a hinderance to OSU as those in blue and gold.

Ryan Day will not want his team to leave it’s fate to the referees

The Ohio State Buckeyes are irrefutably one of the biggest draws in the sport. A blueblood program of the highest echelon. Surely they get help from the referrees? The exact opposite, actually. National analyst Josh Pate took to X and said, “It’s legitimately insane how badly Ohio State gets screwed via officiating. There are 134 teams in FBS…Ohio State is 134th in opponent penalization.” We talk about superstars in the NBA getting a favorable whistle. This situation sits on a completely contrasting spectrum. Ryan Day deploys the most expensive roster in the history of CFB. One that’s brimming with superstar talent. Yet, the Buckeyes are quite evidently receiving some prejudiced officiating. One particular wrinkle drives this home.

The Buckeyes haven’t had a single holding call in favour of them since week 1. D-Lineman and Cotton Bowl MVP Jack Sawyer hasn’t had one since his freshman year. He’s played about 50 games since. It’ll be disingenuous and borderline delusional to say that’s correct and that opposition players aren’t holding them. 

Ryan Day has often had the world against him at multiple stages during his stint in Columbus. Turns out he’s been fighting more than just his maize and blue demons from Ann Arbor. However, all of this goes out of the window. 60 minutes stand between Ohio State and the epilogue to the story of the 2024 season. It’s up to them to make sure it’s not one of regret. Ohio State played within themselves in their previous biggest game this season and lost to their nemesis, Michigan. This time around, a different approach is requisite.