Ryan Day got the Michigan monkey off his back last season with the 27-9 win by the Buckeyes over the Wolverines.
That ended a four-game winning streak against Michigan football, which dated back to the 2019 season. Yet, there is still one thing Day hasn't done in "The Game," which is beat the Wolverines at home.
The 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State in 2022 and 2024. Now, Day seems determined to end that losing streak, even if it means taking unusual steps.Â
The latest move by Day is shifting Senior Day, a celebration that is normally held at the end of the season, both in high school and at the college level, to the first game of the season against Ball State on September 5th.
Michigan football fans poked fun at Day for doing it, guessing that he is scared of losing to the Wolverines in Columbus for the third straight time at home.
Day admitted that Michigan was on his mind when he made the move, saying that he wanted to remove every distraction possible before "The Game" on November 28.
Ryan Day's strange Michigan decision didn't alleviate any pressure
“When we look at all the things that go on that (rivalry) weekend, the way things have changed, there are some things that we thought about. The first thing was, we want to keep much of the focus on The Game, and the more distractions we have — there’s already enough distractions during that week — so this was just one more thing that we felt like we could move," Day said via Dillon Davis of the Delaware Gazette.
It's an interesting decision. If it works, Day will be praised. If it doesn't, it will just be another joke, sort of like how Ohio State fans will mock Bryce Underwood for saying the Ohio State game is just another game.
It's not. We all know it, just like we know that moving up Senior Day isn't going to have an impact on the outcome, despite some wishful thinking from Ryan Day. That game is built on pressure and who can handle it. Ohio State was better last season. We'll see about 2026.
Moving Senior Day seems like a weird place to start.
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