Ryan Day beats Dan Lanning, Sherrone Moore and more as analyst ranks Ohio State HC as No. 1 in the Big Ten

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day was ranked as the top coach in the Big Ten by one college football analyst.

Day is coming off winning a national championship with Ohio State, and college football analyst Trent Knoop of SI ranked Day as his top coach in the Big Ten.

"Most people, including me, thought Day was on the hot seat entering 2024 with three straight losses to Michigan," Knoop wrote Monday. "With a fourth? He would be gone unless Ohio State would run the table. And that's exactly what happened. The Buckeyes lost to Oregon and Michigan in the regular season but dominated when it mattered. Day has a proven track record of success."

Knoop has Oregon's Dan Lanning as his second-ranked coach and Penn State's James Franklin as his third-ranked coach. Rounding out his top five are Kirk Ferentz of Iowa and Lincoln Riley of USC. Michigan Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore came in at eighth.

Knoop's full ranking of Big Ten coaches is as follows:

Ryan Day, Ohio State
Dan Lanning, Oregon
James Franklin, Penn State
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Lincoln Riley, USC
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Brett Bielema, Illinois
Sherrone Moore, Michigan
PJ Fleck, Minnesota
Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Jonathan Smith, Michigan State
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Jedd Fisch, Washington
Mike Locksley, Maryland
Barry Odom, Purdue
David Braun, Northwestern
DeShaun Foster, UCLA

Ryan Day and Ohio State will be tested in Week 1

Although one college football analyst ranks Ryan Day as the best Big Ten coach, he and the Ohio State Buckeyes will be tested in Week 1.

Ohio State is the reigning national champion but will open its season at home against Texas in an intriguing contest. Heading into the game, Day knows he needs the Buckeyes clicking early, or it could be a bad start to the season.

"Last year, if we miss a few tackles in a couple of those games in Game 1 or 2, you get it on film, you grow and you build working into the next week," Day said, via 247Sports. "You can't afford to do that in your first week against Texas. You gotta be on your game. So it certainly makes for a more amped-up summer."

Despite opening the season against Texas, Day and Ohio State enter the season as the betting favorites to win the national title at +500.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton