It's hard to overstate the gravitas of "The Game" this year, with two undefeated titans meeting in Columbus after Michigan snapped an eight-game losing streak last season.
The talk this year was that Ohio State would take last season's loss "personally." But the Buckeyes went down not with a bang, but with a whimper a 45-23 loss that saw Michigan run roughshod over Ohio State in the second half.
The loss dropped Ryan Day to 1-2 against the Wolverines, and made him the first Ohio State coach to drop two in a row to Michigan since John Cooper in 1999 and 2000. It was Michigan's first win in Columbus since 2000 when Drew Henson was at quarterback. And it came at a time where winning meant representing the Big Ten East in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship next week.
All of this to say: There are a lot of question marks surrounding Day and the Buckeyes right now. Day is 45-5 as head coach of the Buckeyes, but when two of those losses are to That Team Up North, Ohio State fans are going to forget about the 45 wins in a hurry.
After the game, Day immediately began campaigning for Ohio State to stay in the top four with this week's pivotal CFP rankings.
“If we were able to get a shot in the top four, we’d be a dangerous team," he told reporters after the game.
MORE: What Ohio State's loss to Michigan means in latest CFB rankings
When asked about moving forward, Day acknowledged the importance of this game in particular.
"We'll figure out what's next -- I don't know exactly what is next right now," he said. "But that's life at Ohio State. And I certainly know what this game means to everybody. And so when you lose, it all comes back to me. I'm the head coach. And that's what probably hurts the most."
Perhaps the biggest issue for Ohio State in this game: Discipline. Whether it was a horrible unnecessary roughness penalty that put OSU in first-and-35 or the third down pass interference that led to a Michigan touchdown, the Buckeyes just couldn't get out of their own way.
"It all goes into the game," Day said. "When you feel like you're playing good defense -- you feel like you're playing the ball control game, and you go back and forth a little bit -- when you feel like you've given up some ground and you feel like you've gotta catch up quickly and try to get it back a little bit faster because the game's getting away from you."
For the Buckeyes, this loss leaves them in a weird place with Day. Having a losing record against Michigan won't be considered acceptable in Columbus. Frustration will boil over, but as always, all can be forgiven by winning. Ohio State is undoubtedly hoping that will begin in the playoffs this season. If it doesn't, next year is going to be pivotal in Day's tenure.
