Ohio State’s Day will face doubters
Welcome to Jim Harbaugh’s previous life, Ryan Day.
This is the way things go at the top of college football’s food chain. If you can’t win the most important game on your schedule, there will be questions about whether you are the right man for the job.
For the second straight season, Harbaugh’s Michigan team pummeled Day and Ohio State.
Day is 45-5 at Ohio State as Urban Meyer’s replacement, but he is 1-2 against Michigan.
“We’ll figure out what’s next. I don’t know exactly what’s next right now, but that’s life at Ohio State,” Day told reporters. “When you lose, it all comes back to me as head coach. And that’s probably what hurts the most.”
What hurts most for Ohio State fans is The Game played out in a way that was supposed to be the secondranked Buckeyes’ advantage, a back-and-forth affair in which the quarterbacks needed to be differencemakers.
With star running back Blake Corum, the thirdranked Wolverines were able to transform from groundand-pound into a big-play machine, ripping off five touchdowns that covered a total of 349 yards.
Meanwhile, Day was punting on fourth-and-3 from around midfield.
“In games like that, you have to play the field position game,” Day said. “I just feel like you’re not in those situations if you’re converting on third downs.”
Ohio State was 5 for 16 on third down.
Under Day, Ohio State has become a quarterback and wide receiver factory. C.J. Stroud almost certainly will become the third straight Buckeyes passer to be a firstround NFL draft pick next April.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best receiver in the country. He is part of a room full of blue-chippers that produced two first-round picks in the last draft.
The talent doesn’t stop there. According to 247 Sports composite rankings based on recruiting stars, Ohio State has the third-most talented roster in college football behind Georgia and Alabama. Michigan? No. 14.
So, of course, it must be the coaching, right? And whether it truly is the coaching is not the point. Michigan (12-0) planted its flag right in the middle of Ohio State’s block “O” at the 50-yard line after the game. Somebody is going to be held responsible for letting that happen.
Meyer never lost to the Wolverines. Before that it was Jim Tressel who flipped the rivalry the Buckeyes’ way, going 9-1 against Michigan.
Ohio State fans have grown accustomed to the dominance over That Team Up North.
When Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from the NFL as a potential savior for his alma mater’s wayward football program, Wolverines fans hoped he could change their fortunes in The Game.
Instead, Harbaugh went 0-5. No matter that he rebuilt the program and pulled Michigan out of its greatest depths. At the top of his resume: can’t beat Ohio State. And he was pilloried for it.
Not anymore. Michigan might not be the more talented team, but it certainly looks like the tougher team, the team that better handles adversity.
“This is a spiritual team,” Harbaugh said. “They’re happy. They’re celebrating, but they see bigger things.”
Next week, the Big Ten championship against Purdue awaits. Win that and Michigan makes its second straight College Football Playoff.
There is still a chance the Buckeyes can back into the CFP and maybe find redemption there. The selection committee seems to be running out of good options after Clemson also lost on Saturday.
HAND HIM THE HEISMAN
After a second straight brilliant performance on a big stage, Caleb Williams has the Heisman Trophy within his grasp.
USC’s quarterback ran for three scores, made several amazing escapes and even dropped a Heisman pose as the Trojans beat No. 13 Notre Dame.
“My teammates told me to do it, and I did it after one of the touchdowns,” Williams said of flashing that familiar stiff arm.
The victory makes USC’s path to the playoff straightforward. If the Trojans win the Pac-12 championship game, they’re in. From 4-8 to 11-1 in coach Lincoln Riley’s first season.
USC gets a rematch against No. 14 Utah next week after an epic meltdown by No. 10 Oregon at No. 22 Oregon State kept the Ducks from clinching a spot in the title game.
No. 12 Washington beat Washington State in the highest-scoring Apple Cup ever to send the Utes to Las Vegas.