One thing Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has done since taking over the Buckeyes is win. He's won almost 90% of his games and has a national title now. With a repeat chance on the horizon, there are plenty of villains who could stand in the way of his ascending into the true upper echelon of coaches. The CFP field will be full of those who'd like to end a repeat bid. Week 1, the Buckeyes face Texas, and that could loom large.
According to ESPN insider Adam Rittenberg, however, the biggest villain is none of that. It's their rival's head coach, Sherrone Moore. He's already been a bit of a villain in the short time he's coached the Michigan Wolverines, and that is highly unlikely to end even with OSU looking to win a second straight national title.
"He might not wear the villain outfit quite as well as predecessor Jim Harbaugh did, but Moore's rise in coaching -- as Wolverines offensive line coach, offensive coordinator and now head coach -- has coincided with Ohio State's longest losing streak (four games) to its archrival since 1991," Rittenberg began.
Moore was acting head coach during Harbaugh's infamous suspension in 2023, when Michigan got to the Big Ten championship game. "He then earned the permanent role and pulled off one of the more stunning upsets in the history of The Game in November in Columbus," Rittenberg added. "The story of Moore's coaching career at Michigan is really just beginning, but he has already demonstrated his ability to win the biggest games."
Moore has been a thorn in the side of Day and Ohio State ever since he began, and that includes a shocking win last year. The Buckeyes didn't lose much in 2024, but they did lose to Michigan. That began more calls for Day's job, but he eventually turned it around. If he continues to lose to Moore, though, questions will be asked.