Ryan Day on immense pressure of coaching at Ohio State: 'You don't want it any other way'

Ryan Day joined The Pat McAfee Show on Friday ahead of Ohio State’s Week 13 clash with the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking on the importance of their game against Indiana, Day took a big-picture approach, putting into perspective what it’s like to coach at Ohio State, and how the goal for the Buckeyes is to win a national title year-in and year-out. A win over the Hoosiers can help them achieve that in 2024.

“I mean, every year when you come to Ohio State, you want to win it all,” Day told McAfee. “You know, you have certain goals that you set, and like — the guys who want to be here, you have to understand, like, you’re here to win every single game, and that’s the way it goes, and that’s the way you want in life. You know, you don’t want it any other way. Again, I had this article that I read, and it was just talking about how, like, you know, some people wrestle alligators, some people chew on razor blades, some people want to go to Ohio State and play football because that’s just what they want to do. They want to be in the tiger’s den, and that’s what — that’s what tomorrow is going to be like.

“I think this crowd is going to come in tomorrow, and have that edge about them. You know, it’s the top five matchup. It’s our third top five matchup this year, and we’ve got this one at home. I know this crowd’s gonna be fired up.”

Even though Indiana is undefeated entering Week 13, Ohio State is still favored for this weekend’s contest. It shouldn’t be an easy game by any means for the Buckeyes, and Day will need to have his team firing on all cylinders.

Time will tell if Ryan Day and Ohio State can deliver the first loss of the season to Indiana. If they’re able to get the job done, they’ll be one step closer to basically clinching their spot in the College Football Playoff, with a chance to elevate and get a chance at the national title this season.