Seven seasons into his Ohio State run, Ryan Day has made the Buckeyes one of college football’s most consistent teams. But one number still follows him everywhere. Four of his 12 losses have come against Michigan, and in Columbus, that kind of scar does not fade fast. So when the rivalry came up again at Big Ten Media Days, the question was obvious. 

Was getting the conference title back to Columbus now the top job? Ryan Day didn’t spend even a second thinking and answered without hesitation.

“To me, it’s always about winning the rivalry game first and then winning a national championship,” he said via The Triple Option. “Now, we wanna win the conference, but we wanna win the conference to put us in the best position to win the national championship. That’s, to me, what the most important thing is, and everything matters. Every single seed matters, every ounce matters, every inch matters. So we are very motivated to win the conference.”

At Ohio State, a national championship is great, but it doesn’t erase a loss to Michigan. That’s why 2024 was a season of mixed emotions. The Buckeyes dominated the playoffs and took out four powerhouses to win it all. Still, that loss against the Team Up North hung around like unfinished business.

Inside Buckeye circles, one question still lingered. Michigan beat Ohio State again before that playoff run, stretching Ryan Day’s losing streak in the rivalry to four games. The frustration reached an ugly level. Reports surfaced that the Day family required police protection after receiving threats following the defeat. 

The weeks that followed weren’t normal. In an interview with The Athletic, Ryan Day’s son, R.J., admitted the family mostly stayed inside until Ohio State opened the playoffs. That’s how ugly things became after the Michigan loss. Maybe that’s why Day refuses to treat The Game like just another stop on the schedule. In his mind, everything else starts there. He shared the same views earlier this year when speaking with On3’s Chris Low.

“The expectation isn’t just to win the game,” he said during his April interview. “The expectation is to win the game and win the rest of them. I’ve always tried to make sure that everybody in the building, from the day that I took this job to now, accepts that expectation. That’s what we all signed up for.”

Last November finally gave Ryan Day a little breathing room. That win over Michigan did more than fix a stat. It finally got people off his back. Four straight losses had turned every conversation into the same tired debate. The 27-9 result shut that noise down. Now there’s something else staring Ohio State in the face. 

The Buckeyes haven’t brought the Big Ten trophy back to Columbus since 2020. Ryan Day isn’t pretending the priorities have changed, either. Around that program, there’s an order to things. Beat Michigan first, handle the conference next, and then chase the biggest prize. Skip the first step, and nobody really cares how shiny the ending looks.