After falling short of the national championship last season, Ryan Day and Ohio State are leaving nothing to chance. The Buckeyes have eliminated distractions so aggressively that they held Senior Day in Week 1, months before Michigan arrives. But while Ohio State calls it “focus,” the unusual move may have rubbed the wrong a $250 million Michigan donor, who has a history of taking issue with Ryan Day.

“Let’s talk about the real embarrassment. And that’s Ohio State having Senior Day on the first day of the season. You want to talk about embarrassing a program and a state? That’s the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen,” said Dave Portnoy in his conversation with Brandon Walker and others.

Traditionally, college football programs celebrate Senior Day during their final home game of the season, which typically takes place in November. However, for the 2026 season opener against the Ball State Cardinals, Ryan Day and the Ohio State administration decided to hold their senior ceremonies before the very first game.

Ryan Day, in his conversation with the media, asserted that this decision was made to ensure that the team would remain completely focused on the season, especially when facing their archrivals, Michigan.

“But when we look at all the things that go on that [rivalry] weekend, the way things have changed, there are some things that we thought about. The first thing was, we want to keep much of the focus on the game, and the more distractions we have — there’s already enough distractions during that week — so this was just one more thing that we felt like we could move,” Day said.

This move by Ryan Day and the Ohio State administration has drawn the ire of fans, who called them out for breaking tradition. Portnoy is one such individual, as he ripped the team for doing so. However, Brandon Walker defended Ohio State, arguing that Portnoy, being a big-time Michigan fan, will always harbor animosity toward Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

“You know who I feel bad for? You know who I feel bad for in all this? Dave’s gonna do Dave stuff. He’s gonna do the Michigan stuff. He’s gonna lie. He’s gonna do all that stuff,” said Walker.

Senior Day is traditionally the emotional culmination of a player’s college career, celebrated during their final home game. By moving the ceremony to Week 1, especially against an underdog like Ball State, Portnoy argued that Day had robbed the seniors of a meaningful milestone simply to ease his own coaching anxiety and the immense pressure surrounding the Michigan game.

Apart from Ohio State, no other major program has held its Senior Day during the very first week of the season, leaving the Buckeyes open to even more criticism. That said, as of 2026, Michigan leads the all-time series against Ohio State with 62 wins to the Buckeyes’ 53, along with six ties.

With such a history hanging over the rivalry, there is no doubt that Ryan Day is looking to leave no stone unturned this year. Last year, Ohio State defeated Michigan in a statement 27–9 victory at Ann Arbor. However, the real redemption for its 2024 loss at Columbus would be beating the Wolverines at home.

As a Michigan donor, Portnoy should be pleased that Ryan Day is taking the game against Michigan that seriously, despite the two programs sitting at different ends of the college football table at the moment. While the Buckeyes had a dominating victory in Week 1, Michigan’s 2026 season began on a rocky start.

The Wolverines came through with a 13-12 victory on the back of a Hail Mary touchdown against Western Michigan. However, the ending wasn’t without drama. The referees added one second at the end of the regulation time despite the broadcast clock showing there was no time left. Michigan used that extra play to win the game.