One of college football’s greatest questions may finally get an answer on Monday night if the Ohio State Buckeyes take down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That question? Would Buckeyes fans really rather beat the Michigan Wolverines than win a national title?
It’s the ultimate college football thought experiment put to the test. Given the discourse surrounding Ohio State head coach Ryan Day (and his four-straight losses to “that team up North”), it’s not crazy to suggest that there will still be a cohort of Buckeyes fans unsatisfied with their head coach even if they lift the trophy on Monday.
One coach that has a bit of experience winning national championships thinks that line of thinking is flat-out ridiculous. Prior to kickoff, seven-time national championship winning head coach Nick Saban took direct aim at Day’s critics.
Nick Saban: “I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Ryan Day has been criticized the way he has…” 🏈🎙️ #CFP pic.twitter.com/EILHFTRtxo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 20, 2025
“I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Ryan Day has been criticized the way he has,” Saban said. “Having been a coach, having coached Ohio State and having lived in the state for 12 or 14 years, I’m telling you, when the fans are negative and the media gets negative, it affects so many things.”
“You know, you got to give the guy credit, he built the roster,” Saban continued. He’s built the roster for three years, and it’s gotten better. His coaches have made the players better. And they’ve made a lot of improvement, and they’ve overcome adversity. Especially in the Michigan game. So, we should be giving the guy credit and being positive because every time you’re negative it affects recruiting, it affects everything that you do. And he’s been able to overcome the naysayers and still get to the national championship game. And win or lose, that guy deserves respect.”
Anyone with common sense would agree with Saban, but Ohio State and its “lunatic fringe” fans may have a different opinion.
Of course, there is some level of nuance to the Day debate. He hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2020 and still hasn’t taken home a national title. But most can agree, if a coach leads a team to the national championship game, win or lose, they shouldn’t be facing the level of criticism that Day gets.
It’s a testament to how heated the rivalry between the Buckeyes and Wolverines really is. But to the rest of the college football world, calling for Day’s head seems rather entitled given he’s led Ohio State to the College Football Playoff in four of his six seasons at the helm.
Whether Ohio State truly has a “lunatic fringe” portion of its fan base will be tested if they win on Monday. Will there still be fans bold enough to criticize his results?
Nick Saban may call those people deluded. But what would he know about what it takes to win a championship?
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.