Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Wednesday that, despite losing to Michigan, the Buckeyes have a team capable of bouncing back and winning the national championship.
"That's all in front of us," Day said. "And we have plenty of good enough players to go do that."
The unranked Wolverines won their fourth straight in the rivalry Saturday, stunning Ohio State 13-10 at the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes were 20.5-point favorites, the second-largest spread in the series since 1978, according to ESPN Research.
Despite the upset, Ohio State (10-2) remains a virtual lock to advance to the playoff, falling just four spots to No. 6 in the selection committee's rankings. The Buckeyes are also projected to host their first-round playoff matchup.
"As much as [the Michigan loss] hurts, we get a chance to go play for the national championship," Day said. "You think about the teams who are in the [NFL] wild card. They get that first win and they can get some momentum going and win the whole thing."
As Ohio State's coach, Day is 47-1 against other Big Ten opponents, but just 1-4 vs. the Wolverines.
Day said he and his coaching staff deserved some of the blame after the Buckeyes failed to score in the second half for the first time since 2011.
Jeremiah Smith, the Big Ten Freshman and Receiver of the Year, had only one catch for 3 yards on just two targets after halftime, both coming in the third quarter
"When you look at the offensive side of the ball, it was not a good day," Day said. "It wasn't a good day across the board on offense. And some of that had to do with the coaching and some of the game planning that went on. There's no question that we could have done a better job getting the ball to [the receivers on] the perimeter. ... Ultimately, that comes back on me as the head coach, whether it's the right guys being in the right spot, the recruiting part of it, the scheme, the coaching. That's on me."
Day said that he expects to be back in Columbus in 2025, adding that he believes he is still the right coach for the job.
"I think the culture is as strong as it's ever been [at Ohio State]. ... I think we have great players. I think we have great coaches," Day said. "It was a bad day. So, we have to go forward -- and the mindset is, go win the whole thing now."