Ohio State's Ryan Day snubbed in latest coach rankings

Despite winning the national championship last season, coaches of major schools don't feel he's a top four head coach in the country.

Dec 6, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti shake hands after the 2025 Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

There's only so much winning a head coach can do.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had only beaten Michigan once in his tenure as head coach. The Buckeyes dominated Michigan in The Game this season. His biggest criticism before the start of last season has been the championship win that alluded him. The Buckeyes are currently the defending national champions.

Day has achieved more than what most coaches hope to achieve in any given year. No. 1 Indiana has a chance at a national championship for the first time in their program's entire history, No. 5 Oregon has never won a national championship despite appearing in the game twice in 15 seasons, and No. 4 Texas Tech has also never appeared in CFP.

Day has accomplished more than most of the coaches left in the CFP, but isn't getting the same national recognition as other coaches.

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day (left) and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning shake hands with the Leishman Trophy as a backdrop during the Rose Bowl head coaches press conference at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NY Times Coaches Poll

The New York Times published the result of a recent poll asking Power 4 and some Group of 5 coaches certain things about the CFP field of teams. The coaches were asked which head coach is the best left in the tournament.

This is just disrespectful at this point https://t.co/fYxBqCGRDS pic.twitter.com/PvNgPcQLeJ

— Official Ohio State DG (@DylanEveryday) December 17, 2025

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart took the top spot by earning 50% of the vote. Smart has won two national championships and four SEC championships during his ten-year tenure as head coach of the Bulldogs. While accolades shouldn't be the only component used to measure how good a head coach is, the other coaches voting aren't in the locker room with Day or Smart on a daily basis.

They can only use common relationships, what they've heard, the players a coach has developed, few in-person interactions, and team success to answer this part of the poll.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti received 38% of the vote after leading the Indiana Hoosiers to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and another season with more than 11 wins. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning followed with 8% of the vote and Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire rounded out the top four with 4% of the vote.

What Ryan Day has accomplished and what's next

Ohio State head coach has nothing to prove to his peers, but it does pose interesting questions about what matters most to other Power 4 and Group of 5 coaches. Day has appeared in two national championships and has won one of those games. He's won the Big Ten conference twice and appeared in the CFP tournament five times since being hired in 2018. Ohio State's championship campaign last season was a dominant one.

It hasn't even been enough for his own peers. Day will have to lead OSU to back-to-back national championships this postseason just to appear in the top two of a poll like this next season. Ohio State currently waits for the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami Hurricanes this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC/ESPN.