Week 5 of college football brings plenty of banger matchups. Oregon at Penn State (Whiteout edition), Bama vs. Georgia, and Ohio State vs. Washington’s scary offense, which happens to be averaging 55.8 points per game in their first three outings. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS from Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. Despite all the elite showdowns, wherever Ryan Day goes, the Wolverines factor always comes up. It’s pretty much inevitable at this point. They don’t even play until Week 14 (Rivalry Week), but the tea is too much to wait for. Despite going 1-4 against Michigan, Ryan Day doesn’t seem too worried about settling the score right now. He believes they’ve got bigger fish to fry.

On September 26, the Ohio State head coach sat down with CBS Sports ahead of their matchup against the Washington Huskies. The host, a Cleveland native fed up with losses to Michigan, obviously had an anti-Wolverine question loaded up. He asked Day whether Michigan stays on his mind daily and how often he thinks about them.

“Well, I think we all understand that, you know, the rivalry is something that we live every day, but it’s important to make sure, you know, for all of our players that we stay focused on the present. We know what our goals are. But I think at Ohio State, it’s important to make sure our players and coaches stay focused because it’s easy to get distracted with a lot of different things, and all of our focus has to be on beating Washington and getting better every week so that when we get to whatever opponent we’re playing, we’re at our best. Because in the end, you don’t just show up to a game and play. It’s a building of a foundation throughout the season, and if the foundation is strong and we put in these days and stack these games, we’ll be best prepared for the rivalry game when it’s here,” the Buckeyes head coach said.

Ryan Day explained that while the rivalry is something Ohio State “lives every day,” it’s not important or relevant right now. Buckeyes can’t be looking too far ahead. Right now, it’s all about locking in on Washington and stacking wins week by week. Day said that stacking up a solid foundation throughout the season is what best prepares Ohio State for the rivalry game when it arrives.

The whole college football realm knows the trouble Michigan has put Ryan Day through. After getting his first laugh against Michigan in his debut year, it’s been downhill since, with the Wolverines ripping off a four-game winning streak. After every loss, it gets harder for Ryan Day. But the 2024 season’s loss was peak suffering. Even Ohio State’s “Lunatic Fringe” went as far as threatening his kids and family. Like Day admitted, the rivalry is always at the back of his mind. The only thing the Buckeyes need to focus on now is taking it one step at a time, one win each weekend—but when the moment comes, they’ll be ready to settle the score.

Ryan Day on the Washington Huskies’ scary offense

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are hitting the road this weekend for a matchup against the Huskies. That’s a big fat problem. For 1) Washington is on a 22-game win streak at home. The last time they lost at home was back in 2021 against the Washington Cougars. Since then, Huskies football has been through a lot; they won the Pac-12 and made a natty appearance.

The Huskies’ 2025 offense is the closest thing to their 2023 stacked offense. When the host asked about this offense and their 22-game unbeaten home streak, Ryan Day didn’t mince words. “Yeah, I think anytime you’re playing in the Big Ten, you know you’re excited to play against the best players in the country, the best offenses in the country, or, you know, all three phases. And this is a great example of that. These are the types of teams that, you know, we got to beat if we’re going to reach our goals this season. So a great opportunity for us to, you know, see where we’re at.” Ryan Day seems pretty excited about this match-up.

The Washington Huskies offense is putting up some seriously impressive numbers this season, ranking 10th-best nationally in total offense with 536.0 yards all weekend. They’re literally averaging 55.8 points each game, which is like the second-best mark in the entire country. Demond Williams Jr. has turned into a legit Heisman contender, throwing for 778 yards and six touchdowns without a pick so far, and he’s also a threat on the ground, adding 220 rushing yards and two more scores. The running game is also carrying its weight, ranking ninth-best in the FBS with 260.0 rushing yards per game.

With all due respect to Washington’s offense, the Ohio State defense might still have the edge if we compare them band for band. The Buckeyes have the best scoring defense in the nation, allowing a stingy 5.3 points per game, according to ESPN. They’re also holding opponents to 227.7 total yards per game, good for 11th in the country. The defense is diabolical against the pass, ranking 6th nationally by giving up just 118.3 passing yards per game.

However, Ryan Day gave props to their streak: “And you know, for our team, we need to get our first road win in conference. And what a great challenge going against a team that’s won 22 straight at home.” Ryan Day’s all about getting that first road W of the season.