Stephen Leonard
Ohio State Writer
Head coach Ryan Day’s legacy at Ohio State now has a firm foundation, but it was carefully developed brick by brick. He wasn’t “born on third” as some may want you to believe; he’s earned the quick ascent, defined by both mountain tops and valleys of extreme emotions. His 70-10 record, national championship, and academic achievements illustrate a culture and a brotherhood fostered by excellence. Now, even if you say he was born on third, you’d have to admit he’s hitting home runs.
A national title achievement can have one of two effects on a coach: it can be the defining success of their career or propel the coach and the program into dynasty mode. What should have been a year with a complete rebuild, Ohio State has shown it has reloaded. And the Buckeyes are building the bricks toward that dynasty mode.
With 14 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and both national championship coordinators gone, Ohio State could and should be descending into mediocrity. They should be looking at, I don’t know, an 8-5 record like the last school to be depleted after a national title. The inverse seems to have occurred. This team is riding the crest of the wave along the banks of the Olentangy River, but the wave is not dying out as it did up north. It continues to roll on; can it resemble the tide of a past dynasty? There is a different vibe in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, something organic, something palpable, and something powerful.
Yet, Michigan, there are still those Michigan losses, hiding in the background like a lion ready to pounce. It seems as though there’s a perfect amount of confidence for the team up north, but like previously mentioned, something is different about Day and this team. It’s a long season ahead, and with each win, the repeat talk will grow louder and louder and louder. Never in Day’s tenure have the Buckeyes trotted out a first-year starting quarterback with as much success in game one as Julian Sayin. In his first start against the number one team in the nation, he graded out like a champion. Sayin, the California kid, just needs to ride the wave as the season progresses. At the conclusion of Thanksgiving weekend, my sense is the college football world will be referring to dynasty mode with a win over Michigan.
Dynasty isn’t a word that should be thrown out easily, but hear me out. Ohio State is a storied program, but it has never won back-to-back national titles. But this year, this time, with this team, there is the sense of edginess and grit needed to push to new levels never before achieved. This week, we saw that Ohio State has all the pieces to be the attacking national title team Day mentioned at Big Ten Media Days. This team is not defending, they are attacking and it’s time to start talking about the possibility of going back to back.
Look at the string of top ten teams Day has put to bed. They faced 5 consecutive teams ranked in the top 10 with zero blemishes. If you want to take it a step further, Day is also 7-0 in his last 7 top ten matchups.
It is getting to the point where you can just expect Ohio State to come away victorious against top 10 teams. The bricks of the foundation are being built for a dynasty, and back-to-back national titles will go a long way toward building that dynasty.
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Adam Hicks
Author
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Adam Hicks
Author
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