"We want to write one of the best stories in Ohio State history": Ryan Day recalls how destiny had poetry in motion for OSU in 2025

It was a perfect poem that destiny had written for Ryan Day & Co. in the 2024 season, where they managed to get past all the opponents effortlessly in the College Football Playoff. Despite facing a lot of hate and criticism following the Michigan loss, it was unexpected how Ohio State managed to bite the bullet and trust their process.

Even today, when he recalls the moment, Day credits the synergy that he enjoyed with his coaching staff and players. While speaking to Nicole Auerbach of ESPN on Thursday, the Ohio State coach mentioned that it was the perfect schedule for him personally.

“When the seeding came out and we were, you know, faced with the road that we were on, it was almost like a part of me was like, this is what we deserve," Day said in the interview on Thursday. "If we're going to do this, and we want to write one of the best stories in Ohio State history, or in college football, like, let's make it really hard.”

He dug deep into the scenario, sharing that Tennessee - who was dominant throughout the 2024-25 season - turned out to be their first-round opponent. After taking them down, it was the Oregon Ducks who again were defeated and almost on the verge of punching a national championship.

“That's what it was, you know, you had a really good Tennessee team who had a great season. In the first round of the playoffs coming from the SEC and then we had to go out to the West Coast to play Oregon in the Rose Bowl."

Defeating them was quite a challenge, but Ohio State - known for thriving in clutch moments - did not disappoint. Similarly, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were another challenger waiting in the finale but the Buckeyes' early lead helped them maintain the momentum.

"The number one team in the country was undefeated at the time, and a really good team, and at the time, when it first came out, you know, we thought maybe we were playing Georgia and Atlanta back to where we had the Peach Bowl in 22 so we knew the road was going to be that way. But that's kind of what we wanted,” he added.

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Ryan Day recalled a story from his ex-Navy SEAL friend

Ryan Day sharing his mindset on playing with the most formidable opponents and then winning the game effortlessly was something that resonated with former NFL star Clint Bruce's story.

Day mentioned that he had an interaction with Bruce - an ex-Navy SEAL - and shared how, in a mission, everything looked seamless despite being in an enemy territory and tough rivals.

The 46-year-old coach said that things were falling in place for Ohio State in the Playoff. Everything they had planned for execution went perfectly well. It was quite poetic. Heading into 2025, the expectations have gotten a lot bigger and Ryan Day is hopeful about his team's capabilities to defend the title.