Ohio State’s 9-0 record is not only blowing up the charts but also putting Ryan Day’s name in the elite coaches’ category. It prompted ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky to suggest Day’s name alongside Kevin Stefanski for the New York Giants head coaching job. But just hours after pushing in his name, Orlovsky dropped a bombshell on his team’s no. 1 status in the league.

Ohio State leads the AP and Week 11 playoff ranks, holding the No. 1 position since the start of the season. However, believes the real test is yet to come. “Least tested, number one team in the history of college football,” Orlovsky said. “They played nobody. Week 1 Texas, and ever since then, they haven’t played anybody. I don’t know. They played a team that’s ranked right now since Texas.”

Moreover, Bucks did just go up against Texas, and all their other wins are against unranked teams. Now, the win against Penn State would have meant something if their score had not been 3-6 in the season. That’s precisely what Orlovsky is pointing at: “They have been trailing for one second in the second half this year. We have no idea, this Ohio State team is—a very good team with quarterbacks and a really good player. Jeremiah is the best player in college football. We have no idea how Ohio State is like down four and a fourth quarter.” 

The only game that can prove Ryan Day’s team dominance is their win against Michigan, where he’s 0-4 right now. Orlovsky’s plea makes sense; their schedule doesn’t really feature tough teams, and even if we consider Texas, they might not even make the playoffs, as it depends entirely on their win against Georgia. Even ESPN’s FPI ranks their current strength of schedule at no. 33 and the remaining strength of the schedule at no. 39. Despite being untested in the Big Ten, they carry a 96.6% chance of making it to the playoffs.

It looks like Ryan Day is emerging as Curt Cignetti from last season. Fans are going crazy over their easy schedule in how they made their way through the championship. Well, that’s precisely why their loss against Ohio State last season sparked so much backlash. However, let’s not forget that even Penn State had weaker teams on its schedule, despite losing two teams like UCLA and Northwestern.

Despite an easy schedule, Ryan Day’s team made sure they thrived on both sides of the ball. Their defense ranks no. 1 in the nation, allowing just 1,904 total yards on 502 plays through nine games. This takes them to 211.6 yards per game and 3.79 yards per play. Plus, even the offense looks strong with Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith backing it up. Now, the only concern remains their running game, which they need to improve before facing UCLA.

Ryan Day’s team’s primary concern

Ryan Day’s team might finally unlock that explosive factor against UCLA after weeks of trouble in their running game. After weeks of focusing on improvement, this is their chance. Now, the Bucks rely on a four-man rotation of Bo Jackson, CJ Donaldson, James Peoples, and Isaiah West, which gives RB coach Carlos Locklyn a lot of flexibility.

On top of that, the timing couldn’t be better, as UCLA defense sets up a perfect stage for them, ranking 17th in the Big Ten and 121st nationally in allowing just 5.3 yards per attempt, which is one of the weakest defenses in the country. After their success against Purdue, UCLA might be another stop.

“That has been an emphasis point,” Day said. “I think the short yardage, where there was a free guy in the hole and he (Bo Jackson) brought his own blocker, kind of reminded me of Quinshon Judkins last year. That was a good step in the right direction for him.”

Now, that’s the opportunity Ryan Day and his team were looking for so long. Let’s wait and see how they take up the reins against them.