Ohio State’s 24-6 road win at Washington was a masterclass in destroying defenses and defending like your life depends on it. First-year starter Julian Sayin handled the game with veteran maturity and minimum unforced errors. But that statement win also nudged head coach Ryan Day towards a legendary milestone in the record books. While OSU snapped the Huskies’ 22-game home winning streak in front of a packed Husky Stadium crowd, Ryan Day’s career ledger also reached 74-10 with an .881 winning percentage. It sets him up to break one of the biggest milestones in college football this week.

“Heck of a note from Ohio State: Ryan Day’s head coaching record is now 74-10 for a winning percentage of .881, best among all active head coaches,” Tony Gerdeman posted on X. Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State has been one of consistent domination, which has found him near the top of all active FBS coaches by win rate. Although Day’s sample size is smaller right now, when we compare him with Urban Meyer’s overall record of 187-32 (.854), Day outshines him. Now, mind you, Meyer served as a head coach in college football for 17 years versus Ryan Day’s eight years. So, Day’s sample size is small, but the trajectory is still up.

Moreover, Gerdeman’s tweet also captured the historical angle. “A win next week vs. Minnesota will raise Day’s winning percentage to .882, topping the all-time best career win percentage in major college history: .881 by Knute Rockne (Notre Dame, 1918-30),” his post read.

Rockne’s 105-12-5 (.881) set the golden standard in college football, which has been untouched for almost a century. Rockne was at the pinnacle of the sport. Others like Frank Leahy of Notre Dame, with .864, also come close, but in the modern context, Ryan Day is the one who can potentially top that record.

“Day won’t have 10 years in yet as a head coach – the NCAA threshold for best career winning percentage – but simply topping Rockne at any point in a coaching career, much less 85 games into a career, is certainly significant.” The NCAA uses a 10-season minimum to register a coaching record for all-time percentage leaderboards to have a smoother comparability while taking into consideration the sample size.

Even so, Day’s trajectory with a national title and yet another in the making shows that he can topple the mammoth and sit at the top of the mountain. Clearing Rockne’s mark this season, even if provisionally, is less about claiming the crown and much more about proving that Ryan Day has been the best decision that OSU has made in a while.

This season, then, is about the past, the present, and the future simultaneously. Day inches closer to a century-old record by being unbeaten, so that he can claim yet another national championship this year. Urban Meyer still holds the best OSU coaching record with a .902, but seeing how Day’s been handling his business, that record won’t hold for much longer either.

Buckeyes’ defensive statement

OSU has continued this season from where they left off last year. The championship afterglow is still in the locker room with a 4-0 start and a consistent chokehold at the No. 1 position. In its first true road game of the season, the Buckeyes settled in a little later than usual. Washington gave them some problems within the first few minutes, but after the Huskies failed a fake 4th down punt, Ohio State took over and never backed down the entire game.

But if one fact had to summarize the defensive prowess of Ohio State so far, it’s this. OSU has not surrendered a rushing touchdown this season. The red zone ledger has had only two scores in seven trips, and unsurprisingly, both of them were field goals. That’s absolute dominance from Ryan Day’s side. In this light, the AP Polls ranking looks so much better because the defense has been uncompromising until now.

There is, however, a caveat beneath all this grandiose statistic. It’s penalties. Ohio State has been a cleaner team throughout this season, but the game against the Huskies got them surrendering 60 yards in 5 infractions, which is a bit too much for an elite team. If they can correct this and polish some other rough edges, there is no way any team in college football can stop the Buckeyes from getting another Natty under their belt.