Ryan Day's legacy at Ohio State looks solid ahead of Big Ten title game

Ohio State coach Ryan Day may have one of the greatest perseverance stories in college football today.

Thirteen months ago, it all but appeared Day's tenure reached a screeching halt following a fourth-straight loss to the Michigan Wolverines to end last year's regular season without a berth in the Big Ten title game and still searching for answers.

An unthinkable playoff run followed, beginning with an unlikely win in Columbus against the Tennessee Volunteers before shaking up the college football landscape with a Rose Bowl stunner against the Big Ten champion Oregon Ducks on New Year's Day.

The Buckeyes' quest to seek validation that they again belonged amongst the elite teams in college football only continued with a Cotton Bowl thriller against quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns to advance to their first national title game in a decade.

There, they met the surging Notre Dame Fighting Irish who are still led by coach Marcus Freeman. They had a boatload of talent themselves, spearheaded by running back Jeremiyah Love. None of the Fighting Irish's hype mattered, however, as quarterback Will Howard and then-freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith took care of the would-be hype train that was Notre Dame's playoff run (depending on perspective, of course).

Fast-forward one year and Day is on the doorstep of becoming a repeat championship coach in about a month's time. A rare feat given the current landscape in college football, Day would not only prove the viotile nature he endurded from the college football community was unjust, but that his actions (consistent winning) have warrented a differing perspective about a coach who succeeded a legend in Urban Meyer.

The Buckeyes are going to attempt to keep their unbeaten streak afloat against the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday night in Indianapolis, which would snap a five-year title drought and likely grant them the No. 1 seed in the CFP.

Day has become more vocal in recent weeks, conveying he has more work to do before becoming "one of the legends of the game someday," as his coaching counterpart in Indiana's Curt Cignetti voiced before the game earlier this week.

Nonetheless, though, Day enters Saturday night's contest with much momentum behind him. An 81-10 record is nothing to sweat at, as he has proven he deserves his flowers as much as he keeps his critics at bay.

So, in a nutshell, Day's legacy is clear: he's a winner. But, starting Saturday and over to the next few seasons, he has a chance to become something even greater. Whatever it may be is only something he can achieve, but he's certainly right on the doorstep of something really special.