Joel Klatt describes what another loss to Michigan could mean for Ryan Day at Ohio State

Ohio State hasn’t lost three straight games to arch-rival Michigan since the mid 1990s (1995-1997) during the Jon Cooper years. With a loss to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 2023, a real possibility, current Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day would join that infamous Ohio State company.

Michigan thumped Ohio State in 2021 and 2022, only adding to the ignominy for Day and Co. — despite losing just a handful of games as head coach. A third loss in a row could turn up the pressure on Day in a big way according to Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt.

“I mean, listen, he would fall under a lot of heat,” Klatt said on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. “He’s fallen under a lot of heat. Even last year losing you know, the second time was even under a lot of heat.”

The complicating factor for Day is that Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced his retirement, effective at the end of the upcoming academic and sports calendar. A new athletic director who won’t have the same sway and institutional wealth of knowledge might mean Day feels the heat more directly as a loss to Michigan makes a new ADs job harder.

“The problem for Ryan Day would be working for a new AD with the heat of the fan base as the AD is trying to fundraise in the midst of a challenging environment within NIL when he still has to go fundraise for things like facilities and scholarships and so on and so forth,” Klatt said. “When the fan base isn’t happy, then the AD would feel that and if the AD doesn’t have the equity that Gene Smith had, then it becomes a little bit more tumultuous.”

Klatt added that Day is aware of the dynamics at play. Not that the head coach spends any time thinking about it, but it’s undoubted that a win in Ann Arbor would soothe plenty of ruffled feathers around Columbus.

“He knows that there’s pressure, he knows that they have been close and that they have fallen short in the worst times, namely against Michigan and in the playoff and that has to change and I think that they’ve done some things and in particular in development of their defense that they hope will change that,” Klatt said. “But I would be remiss if I didn’t say with what Michigan is bringing back this year on the offensive line in the backfield at quarterback on the defensive side. Michigan’s a favorite in the Big Ten, and rightly so. And they host Ohio State in Ann Arbor to end the year.”