COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day hails from Manchester, New Hampshire, a town of about 100,000 with four public high schools that played each other each year. Day played at quarterback and defensive back for Manchester Central High School, and with the entire town coming out for these rivalry games, he's no stranger to big game atmospheres between bitter rivals.
Day has dealt with rivalries at Manchester Central High School and at the University of New Hampshire, but there's little that could have prepared him for what the rivalry is like between Ohio State and Michigan.
Previous Ohio State coaches like Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer who have helped to turn the rivalry in favor of the Buckeyes in recent years were born in Ohio and were raised with Scarlet and Gray in their blood.
Having grown up in New Hampshire, Day was aware of the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, but unlike previous Ohio State coaches, he watched dispassionately, more focused on his pro teams in the Red Sox or the Patriots rather than what was going on in college football.
Now having spent three years enveloped in Ohio State's culture and nearly a full season as head coach under his belt, Day fully understands the rivalry and what it means to Ohio State fans and the state of Ohio.
"Well, yeah, I think for me to see what this means to the people of Ohio, the Buckeye Nation, that's to me where it really hits home to me. It strikes in my heart strong. I just see this is everything," Day said. "I just know the Ohio State football team means everything to the people of Ohio. It runs deep in their blood. It's who they are, it's their identity, their pride. To be the head coach of the football team, that's an unbelievable responsibility."
Ohio State is coming off of a big win over Penn State, but this week's film sessions looking ahead to Michigan wasn't the first time Day and the Buckeyes have looked ahead to the Wolverines this season.
Day has said all season that the rivalry is something Ohio State lives every week. There are 'Michigan' periods during practice and the signs scattered around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center reminding players and coaches of what's at stake. Whether it's a spring practice, fall camp or the night before The Game, the rivalry is not something that anyone can forget.
The year-long preparation for Ohio State not only means that they'll be prepared come Saturday, but that they don't overdo themselves trying to fit a years' worth of preparation into just one week at the end of the season.
"Again, if you're working on it all year, then you're prepared, whether you've worked on it the spring, the pre-season, certain periods that you set aside just to work on the team up north," Day said. "You talk to guys all the time about what it means, so they understand coming into the game what to expect. It's always on the schedule that way. We have the countdown in the building. I think everyone understands the importance of it, that's the first thing."
Given the nature of the rivalry, the talent level on each team has never seemed to matter much with great Ohio State teams losing to worse Michigan teams and great Michigan teams losing to the Buckeyes in a down year.
It's a given that Michigan will put up a fight against Ohio State, especially so since they can play spoiler to an undefeated Ohio State season, and Day said that the Wolverines are the most talented team the Buckeyes have seen this year.
"It's the most talented we'll see. I mean, they have the ability to be as good as anybody in the country when they're playing well," Day said. "I think they're playing their best football now. Certainly we're going to get their best shot on Saturday."
Ohio State has been preparing for The Game since the day that Ryan Day took over as head coach, but the Buckeyes are in an interesting position where the Big Ten East is already clinched.
Conventional wisdom with consideration to the national scene tells you that the outcome of Saturday's game will likely have no impact on Ohio State's ability to make the College Football Playoffs. This isn't something that Day wants to hear, though.
Regardless of who Ohio State plays in the Big Ten Championship Game or in the College Football Playoffs, all that matters to Day and Ohio State is the next game. Day's journey from Manchester, New Hampshire to the podium as Ohio State's head coach during Tuesday's media availability has been a long road that's shown him how much the rivalry means to Ohio, so regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, the only thing on Day's mind is winning The Game.
"I don't know. I just know we're focused on this game. I don't know. I mean, a lot of people do a lot of what if scenarios and everything," Day said. "I know that this game means everything to us. Nothing matters if we don't win the game. That's the only way I look at it, we got to win the game."
