Ohio State head coach Ryan Day finally caught a break with a win over Michigan after four years of trials and tribulations. He did it with class. With the long-awaited debut over the Wolverines, Ryan Day becomes a dangerous man in college football. And honestly, he owes a lot of that to Urban Meyer.

In a weekend episode of David Pollack’s See Ball, Get Ball, a fan, Emaze Johnson, dropped a hot take. Pollack read it out loud: “Ryan Day era is upon us in college football. You are absolutely not wrong.”

Believe it or not, Ryan Day’s current winning percentage would make him the all-time leader in college football history if he had reached the NCAA’s 10-year minimum to qualify for the record books. The Ohio State head coach has 82 wins and only 10 losses, resulting in an impressive 89.1% winning percentage.

That’s unprecedented in modern college football.

And yes, a big reason for that early success was the foundation Urban Meyer built.

“Urban Meyer set him up to succeed. There’s no doubt about that, but like what he’s able to do and learning on the job as a first time, coach, and building it and tweaking it and making it his own,” David Pollack said.

An 83-9 record marked Urban Meyer’s tenure at Ohio State. He also won a national championship in 2014, three Big Ten titles, and led the program to a transformation from a losing season to an undefeated first year. His coaching philosophy focused on recruiting formidable, competitive players and giving them the highest coaching crash course in the country.

But you still have to give Ryan Day huge credit for not screwing it up. Plenty of coaches would crumble under the pressure that comes with the Ohio State job. Ryan Day is an exception or even the perfect prototype. He started his winning spree from the get-go.

He was the first Ohio State coach in 40 years to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year in his first season (2019) and led the team to four College Football Playoff appearances.

And now, they’ve got another strong chance to run it back – but first, they have to handle Google man, Curt Cignetti.

Ohio State’s Big 10 and postseason picture

Ohio State has a massive game coming up: they’re facing the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship this Saturday. There’s a lot at stake for both programs. We’re about to see the top two teams in the country go at it. Plus, this matchup will settle the Heisman race between Julian Sayin and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza once and for all.

Head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are slightly favored (-5.5) to win, but Indiana is Indiana. The winner earns bragging rights and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still likely land the No. 2 or No. 3 seed and grab a bye, so the pressure is more about positioning than simply getting in.

If Ryan Day gets past the Hoosiers, then it should be a reasonably smooth road to the natty. Their defense is excellent, allowing the fewest points in the nation. They have a Heisman-contending quarterback and the best receiving corps in college football.

With this much arsenal on both sides of the ball, not a single person in America would be surprised if Ohio State runs it back this year.