Everyone knows about Ryan Day’s Michigan problem. Four straight losses to the Wolverines have defined his tenure at Ohio State more than anything else. But there’s another streak haunting the Buckeyes that doesn’t get nearly as much attention, but stings just as much.

Ohio State hasn’t appeared in the Big Ten Championship Game since 2020, but this year, the path is clearer than it’s been in a long time. The drought is poised to finally end, and Day showed some extra enthusiasm when describing what the Rutgers game means for Ohio State.

“We don’t take anything for granted. We don’t make any assumptions. Every week, every Saturday, an opportunity to get to Indianapolis is on the line. That’s the way it is here right now. We want to get to Indy. We haven’t got to Indy here. There’s nobody on this team that’s been to Indy right now, and they know it. That’s the edge. Wake up in the morning every day looking to reach our goal.” The urgency in his tone shows that getting to Indianapolis is an obsession.

The fact that no one on the current roster has experienced playing in Lucas Oil Stadium for a Big Ten title is genuinely stunning. The Buckeyes last made the trip to Indianapolis in 2020, when they beat Northwestern 22-10 to claim their fourth consecutive conference championship. That was Day’s second season as head coach, and everything seemed to be trending upward. He had back-to-back Big Ten titles. But then Michigan happened.

Day had four straight losses from 2021 through 2024. And it resulted in three straight seasons of watching Jim Harbaugh (and then Big 10 rookie Dan Lanning) hoist the Big Ten trophy. The Wolverines went to Indianapolis in 2021, 2022, and 2023, winning all three championship games. They became the first program to capture three consecutive outright Big Ten titles in the division era. Meanwhile, Ohio State seniors like C.J. Stroud graduated without ever beating Michigan or winning the Big Ten. Day is dead set on changing both streaks this season. And the Rutgers game represents another crucial step in that mission. The Scarlet Knights come to Columbus with a 5-5 record and a 2-5 Big Ten mark.

The plan is to beat Rutgers, then beat Michigan on November 29 in Ann Arbor. And Ohio State is heading to Indianapolis for the first time since 2020. The way they’ve been rolling through opponents this season suggests they’re going to break every streak standing in their way. Getting to Indy would exorcise one long-standing demon. Defeating Michigan would silence the loudest one. And winning it all again? That would make Ryan Day’s redemption arc complete. 

Connor Stalions takes his shot

While Day is busy trying to break two separate streaks, at least one person isn’t buying into the narrative that this year will be any different. Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of the sign-stealing scandal, decided to twist the knife. Chase Brown posted what Brandon Inniss said on X, with the receiver explaining, “A lot of people see it. I just feel like ever since that Team Up North loss last year, it’s been a different Coach Day.” That’s when Stalions chimed in with a reply that perfectly captured Day’s four-game losing streak against the Wolverines.​​

“You know what they say. ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times, shame on you. Fool me four times, shame on me.'” Stalions wrote, adjusting the old saying to fit Day’s misery against Michigan like a glove.

He famously posted after last year’s win in Columbus, “They said I wasn’t allowed in Columbus this year. Just checking in on my buddy Ryan. Everything good???” But this time, the trolling feels more like desperation than confidence. Stalions is taking his shot at Day precisely when Ohio State looks most dangerous, when Michigan is limping into The Game without their leading rusher, Justice Haynes, and when the streak feels most likely to end. 

Maybe that’s the point. Stalions want to get one more jab in while he still can, because Saturday at noon in Ann Arbor might finally be the day Ryan Day breaks both of those streaks that have haunted him and ends the debate once and for all.