Ryan Day scrutinized for 1-4 Ohio State record vs. Michigan in ESPN top 10 coaches rankings

Three months separate Ohio State from a possible repeat-type national title season, which would give coach Ryan Day further validation that his coaching tenure in Columbus justified a contract extension at the end of last season.

Although winning a national title put the Buckeyes at the top of college football, not everyone recognizes Day as the sport's best coach.

This includes ESPN, which released its top 10 coaches list Friday morning with Day receiving the No. 2 spot behind Georgia's Kirby Smart.

Even though Day's team made history by becoming the first to win a national title, his head-to-head record in "The Game" against the Wolverines prevents him from laying claim to the top spot.

Although Day's placement is stellar, one voter, Andrea Adelson, took issue with Day's shortcomings and placed him at No. 4 before everything was finalized.

"There are a couple of reasons I did not rank Day higher," Adelson said. "I think he should be docked for having a poor record against Michigan, the most important game on the schedule every year."

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Adelson cited Day as having arguably his best team this past season while still failing to beat the Wolverines as a three-touchdown favorite in Columbus.

"He is 1-4 against the Wolverines and lost last season as a prohibitive favorite," Adelson added. "The corresponding outrage from the fan base only died down after Ohio State won the national championship. That leads me to my second point. You might be thinking the national title is reason enough to have Day ranked higher. But in any other season, that Michigan loss would have ended the Buckeyes' season."

Adelson said, given the new format, the Buckeyes were given a "second chance" at winning it all.

While that may be true, it seems apparent that the Buckeyes were the best team once the College Football Playoff once it began.

Former quarterback Will Howard even admitted, along with former Buckeyes linebacker Jack Sawyer, that winning a national title meant more.

If that's the case, Day's players, past or present, know him best. At the end of the day, whether it's No. 1, No. 2, or No. 4, Ohio State won when it counted.

Entering August, it's bulletin board material for the Buckeyes: they cannot and should not be counted out.

Period.