Ryan Day feeling pressure of the noise surrounding Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 5-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation. No matter how you slice it, that’s pretty good. Except it isn’t.

Not in Columbus, anyway.

It’s been almost two weeks since the Buckeyes lost their first game of the season — a 32-31 thriller to then-No. 3 Oregon (now ranked No. 1) in Autzen Stadium — but Day shared earlier this week that he knows there’s significant “noise” around the team after the loss — and not in a good way.

Although most coaches preach focusing on the task at hand and tuning out the noise, Day doesn’t seem to believe it helps to ignore it, either.

“It’s easy for everyone to say just ignore everything,” he said, according to Andy Backstrom of On3. “Well, your players are reading it, your players’ parents are reading it, recruits are reading it. So you got to be aware of what’s going on out there. But, at the end of the day, you have to focus on what’s right, what you know your team’s about, and that’s really what it comes down to. And I think it’s important for our guys to understand that.”

Day explained that part of being the head coach at a place like Ohio State is dealing with the pressure of championship expectations. Sure, the college football landscape is much different in 2024 with the new 12-team playoff format — so the Buckeyes’ championship aspirations are still well in front of them — but losing is not taken well at some schools. Just ask Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer how he’s feeling in Tuscaloosa right now.

“A lot of people care, and I understand that, and it’s my job as the head coach to make sure that when we get in that situation again, we win the game,” Day said. “So trust me, nobody’s working harder, and nobody felt worse coming out of that game than I did so I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure it’s right.”

Day is hoping to get the Buckeyes back on track against a 5-2 Nebraska team that’s coming off a 56-7 beatdown at the hands of Illinois. The Huskers will be a tough out because they’ll be playing for pride and to try to get the sour taste out of their mouths, but the game is in Columbus, so this is one that OSU should be able to easily come away with.