Fed-Up OSU Fans: (super interesting bits from WSJ)

[ButchPlz]

I get thinking we're only getting the extreme OSU fans, but the few I engage with normally are sick of the Michigan stuff, too.

If we start rolling early, the crowd absolutely will turn on their own team. Day looks like a dead man walking- he's talked about this is the worst time in his life, too.

I am still going into the weekend expecting us to get dogwalked because that's just how I am, but...we'll see.

 

[guido4198]

I spent a few years of my career working in Columbus, OH. The rivalry sentiment there is so ingrained that any reference to the university in Ann Arbor, MI is simply stated : “ That school up North”.

 

[coachmilo13]

The OSU fan base is obviously spoiled. They’re deserving of some years of football purgatory

Firing Day and hiring Butch Jones should satisfy that need.

 

[901 Orange]

I don't understand this line of thinking:

If we lose to Florida every year but win the natty every time. I'm GOOD.

Yeah but they're losing to Michigan every year AND not winning the natty

 

[volbound1700]

And it is becoming so again. Bama has perhaps one of its best extended runs at the exact same time we had one of our longest droughts. This series has always been streaky but the dynamics of the past 15 years are over and behind us, especially now that Bama doesn’t have the savior anymore.

The issue is that both have to be good. In the late 1990s-early 2000s, Tennessee fans (I was there) stop caring as much about Alabama and focused on Florida.

TSIO is not near as big as other rivalries and hasn't been in some time.

 

[Bigorangefan 98]

Negativity sells. It always guarantees attention.

Day is on the hot seat but it's probably not as dire as the media is making it out to be. There are a couple of things he has on his side when it comes to job security. These two things are the hefty buyout and the current pool of coaching candidates. You can get upset and fire him. But then what ? Who is going to replace him that will guarantee better results ? The market isn't exactly flooded with quality candidates right now.

IMO, if Day loses this game, he isn't getting canned. What it will do is start some clandestine activity to send out feelers to potential candidates to see what options there are. Then if we are having the same discussion next season, you are in the position to make change. What a loss will do is put Day in the position of coaching for his job next season.

I say we go up to Columbus and beat them , he is a goner .

 

[bubbag]

I say we go up to Columbus and beat them , he is a goner .

It would probably take a totally embarrassing loss worse than the game with Michigan for him to be immediately shown the door.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

This is the risk of hiring someone without HC experience to run a program like OSU. It's not about football acumen or X's and O's. Day has all that. He just has trouble dealing with the stress of the position and it is taking him longer to acclimate.

Being the HC of an elite program is nothing like being a coordinator. You have the weight of the entire program on your shoulders. Not everyone has a personality suitable for that type of role. Day is a great recruiter and a good offensive coordinator. He just has not handled the stress well. He looks like he has aged ten years. After the loss to Michigan, he was just staring blankly into the distance. When he gets stressed, he goes into a shell and plays to not lose instead of going for the jugular. IMO it was a mistake for him to take this kind of role this early in his career. Personally I do not think he is happy here in this role and if he could do it over, he would probably chose a different schedule or path to a HC role. He is wrapped too tight and he burned himself out.

If I recall (and not to insult) you're a tOSU fan?

I thought Urban groomed and chose Day to succeed him? Maybe he didn't get enough seasoning when Urban was suspended or maybe the transition came too quickly?

I had thought Day was "The Chosen One." I do agree that running a machine like Ohio State would be more than most coaches could handle as a first HC job.

I've felt Day "freezes" in a game crisis like he's waiting on his weekly staff meeting to iron out a decision and a path. He's probably a good CEO of the program but he's pretty useless in the crunch of a game.

 

[bubbag]

If I recall (and not to insult) you're a tOSU fan?

I thought Urban groomed and chose Day to succeed him? Maybe he didn't get enough seasoning when Urban was suspended or maybe the transition came too quickly?

I had thought Day was "The Chosen One." I do agree that running a machine like Ohio State would be more than most coaches could handle as a first HC job.

I've felt Day "freezes" in a game crisis like he's waiting on his weekly staff meeting to iron out a decision and a path. He's probably a good CEO of the program but he's pretty useless in the crunch of a game.

Yes. tOSU side here.

It depends on whom you believe. Urban has come out recently stating that he never recommended Day to succeed him and only recommended that he be included in the pool of candidates. From the fan perspective, there was a bit of skepticism when he was hired due to his lack of any HC experience. Below is his resume. It is extremely rare for someone without prior HC experience to be chosen to lead a top-ten program. It's not that it can't work. But without any prior HC experience to gauge how someone handles the pressures and demands, it's always going to be a gamble. Programs like Ohio State and Tennessee are not like Appalachian State or Akron. The pressures and demands on your time are magnified tenfold. You also are going into a pressure cooker where you are expected to be competitive from the getgo.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

You’ll likely never understand. A lot of people have pure hatred for their rivals. Before national title games were even a thing you were measured on success against your rivals. A lot of that was bc you had to hear from those mofos for a whole year talk trash about how they beat you.

sounds like our political system…..

 

[bpalmer28]

Social Media is making us think that Ohio State is a sinking ship. However, social media is rarely in touch with reality so we will see.

The impression I've gotten is that Ohio State fans and media think OSU has the best defense in the country, fully capable of stuffing the run against Tennessee, and possibly holding us to 0 points.

 

[bubbag]

Fans aren't questioning whether we are on a sinking ship. They are wondering if the person at the helm is competent enough to command the ship.

Here is the mood as the clock hit zero against Michigan. Fans were incredulous and going ballistic on day.

 

[Evol]

I know this is behind a paywall but a couple highlights shocked me and I wanted to share. Maybe this animus actually will work in our favor after all:

- "There is now an entire graduating class who spent four years on campus without ever seeing Ohio State defeat Michigan. And many of them hold Day personally responsible."

- "Perry (Joshua Perry, a linebacker on Ohio State’s championship team in 2014) has spoken with alumni who say they don’t care if the Buckeyes win the title. To them, Perry said, losing to a mediocre Michigan squad “should be disqualifying.”

- "Maxx Crosby, a star defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders that belongs to that camp...declared on a recent episode of his podcast that he won’t watch the Buckeyes again until they cut ties with Day, echoing a popular sentiment among a portion of particularly bloodthirsty OSU fans."

These people might be more insane than we are.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Yes. tOSU side here.

It depends on whom you believe. Urban has come out recently stating that he never recommended Day to succeed him and only recommended that he be included in the pool of candidates. From the fan perspective, there was a bit of skepticism when he was hired due to his lack of any HC experience. Below is his resume. It is extremely rare for someone without prior HC experience to be chosen to lead a top-ten program. It's not that it can't work. But without any prior HC experience to gauge how someone handles the pressures and demands, it's always going to be a gamble. Programs like Ohio State and Tennessee are not like Appalachian State or Akron. The pressures and demands on your time are magnified tenfold. You also are going into a pressure cooker where you are expected to be competitive from the getgo.


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Fans here were skeptical of Heupel, even with HC experience, because the SEC like the B1G is a different animal than elsewhere. We've done well with Heupel, though folks like me are still hypercritical of his playcalling and field decisions, and to be honest Day has won a helluva lot of games for y'all ..er... you guys.

I get that not beating MI is bad but he got a cheating pass from me until this year. This year the scheme he put out against MI was crap, high school level at best, and no adjustments seemed to be made.

Conspiracy lovers could think he got generational wealth deposited into a Cayman Islands account by the mob. He sucked on a "Do they have pictures of him with an underage pygmy goat?" level.

 

[volbound1700]

Yes. tOSU side here.

It depends on whom you believe. Urban has come out recently stating that he never recommended Day to succeed him and only recommended that he be included in the pool of candidates. From the fan perspective, there was a bit of skepticism when he was hired due to his lack of any HC experience. Below is his resume. It is extremely rare for someone without prior HC experience to be chosen to lead a top-ten program. It's not that it can't work. But without any prior HC experience to gauge how someone handles the pressures and demands, it's always going to be a gamble. Programs like Ohio State and Tennessee are not like Appalachian State or Akron. The pressures and demands on your time are magnified tenfold. You also are going into a pressure cooker where you are expected to be competitive from the getgo.


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I would argue that Ohio State has even higher expectations than Tennessee due to their history and somewhat easier conference schedule (B1G is still a solid league but seems like there are not as many teams there that recruit near to tOSU's level of recruiting. Michigan is one of them.)

 

[sami]

Pretty much. The entire offseason was preparation to beat a certain team. Success or failure was defined by that game. Scientists talk about cellular memory; I think it’s in the DNA of Vol fans to hate Bama bc that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

True. When I was at UT in the early '80's the entire season hinged around the Alabama game. I knew many lifelong fans that would say, without any hyperbole, "if we go 1-11 and beat Bama it's a great season". Experiencing the pent up tension before the '82 game and the raucous crowd all day followed by the all night celebration afterward, that was no lie.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

It might matter if we were playing the alumni, but, I'm pretty sure their team will show up on Saturday.

 

[Memphis Buckeye]

I get that not beating MI is bad but he got a cheating pass from me until this year.

I accept 2023 as a legit Michigan win. Day and staff had been on notice for some time that UM was advance scouting and recording signs. Ample opportunity to implement new signals and negate whatever advantage Michigan exploited previous two years.

 

[sami]

Negativity sells. It always guarantees attention.

Day is on the hot seat but it's probably not as dire as the media is making it out to be. There are a couple of things he has on his side when it comes to job security. These two things are the hefty buyout and the current pool of coaching candidates. You can get upset and fire him. But then what ? Who is going to replace him that will guarantee better results ? The market isn't exactly flooded with quality candidates right now.

IMO, if Day loses this game, he isn't getting canned. What it will do is start some clandestine activity to send out feelers to potential candidates to see what options there are. Then if we are having the same discussion next season, you are in the position to make change. What a loss will do is put Day in the position of coaching for his job next season.

I would agree with this, and add the quality of his recruiting as a third reason he wouldn't be fired. I honestly don't think that buyouts really matter anymore in big time CFB, as we saw with Fisher. If the fan base, alumni, and especially the donors have checked out on a coach at a program like OSU, then the coach is cooked.

The pool of candidates is a huge factor. Right now, I can't think of a single candidate who would even be entertained at OSU short of Meyer suddenly expressing interest, which isn't happening. But like you said, send out a 'trial balloon' and make the move if necessary in 2025.

 

[TennMan101]

You’ll likely never understand. A lot of people have pure hatred for their rivals. Before national title games were even a thing you were measured on success against your rivals. A lot of that was bc you had to hear from those mofos for a whole year talk trash about how they beat you.

Yep. They say General Neyland was hired just to beat Vandy.

 

[WiseOlVol]

Nobody plays up tempo in the B10.

Will Day coach up his players on how and where to flop?

 

[VolJarhead]

Pretty much. The entire offseason was preparation to beat a certain team. Success or failure was defined by that game. Scientists talk about cellular memory; I think it’s in the DNA of Vol fans to hate Bama bc that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

Don't forget Auburn...

All things Alabama...

 

[bubbag]

I would agree with this, and add the quality of his recruiting as a third reason he wouldn't be fired. I honestly don't think that buyouts really matter anymore in big time CFB, as we saw with Fisher. If the fan base, alumni, and especially the donors have checked out on a coach at a program like OSU, then the coach is cooked.

The pool of candidates is a huge factor. Right now, I can't think of a single candidate who would even be entertained at OSU short of Meyer suddenly expressing interest, which isn't happening. But like you said, send out a 'trial balloon' and make the move if necessary in 2025.

I agree. It's easy to get mad and want someone fired. But you might make it worse if you are guided by rash decisions in the heat of the moment. Depending on the outcome of this post-season, I might just start jumping on the bandwagon that says we need to start seriously consider Day's future and the idea that this just isn't going how we expected it to. But that doesn't mean you go out and Tarmac him.

If we flame out, the front office should just step away and mull over things during the winter. But until you have someone in mind that can guarantee better results, I would not go out tearing stuff apart. But I will say this - no more rookie head coaches here. You may be getting a sleeper but you just don't know how they will handle being in the limelight with all the pressure. It's not about football acumen. This is a brutal place to coach. There is no forgiveness for anything with the fans and it is not a place for the timid personality. You would go nuts. IMO Day has been folding emotionally under the pressure. You can literally see it on his face. He used to look all smiles and happy and now in year five he has huge bags under his eyes, has a catatonic glaze when he gives interviews etc...At the end of the Michigan game, everyone was wondering what he was staring at. He literally looked like he was about to have a breakdown. I do feel bad for him. But he probably took this job to soon IMO.

 

[Firebirdparts]

I don't envy them trying to replace him. He's lost 5 conference games in his entire life. There is certainly somebody out there much worse if they can find him.

Careful what you wish for.

 

[GoDucks349]

I don't understand this line of thinking:

If we lose to Florida every year but win the natty every time. I'm GOOD.

They are a different breed that's for sure. I started checking out Ohio St forums once we were headed to the B1G 10. They have a very unhealthy perspective when it comes to Michigan. I will say the ones that I met in Eugene this year were respectful and pleasant... of course we aren't Michigan in their eyes.

Before the season we got a lot of chatter about why bother adding Oregon, they wanted a "blue blood" like USC or UCLA, you know the big LA schools, not the backwater programs from the Pacific NW. We were going to be just another Nebraska, filling a spot not winning anything.