"A chance to go to Indianapolis is on the line": Ohio State HC Ryan Day stresses the importance of the Penn State game

Penn State hosts Ohio State at the University Park this weekend in another massive challenge for Ryan Day. The Buckeyes suffered a loss on the road to Big Ten newcomer Oregon a few weeks ago and will be hoping to avoid that against the Nittany Lions on Saturday.

Ryan Day emphasized the importance of the Week 10 game against Penn State in his weekly media availability on Tuesday. A loss to the undefeated Nittany Lions would rule out the Buckeyes from contention for the conference championship game, a possibility the coach is aware of.

"What an unbelievable opportunity right here,” Day said in his media availability on Tuesday. “A chance to go to Indianapolis is on the line and our guys are excited about playing in this game.”

"I think the defense got a lot of confidence coming off of last week, the way that they played and creating TFLs and winning the game in the fourth quarter. I thought they were flying around. And so, if we get the offense playing the way it has in the past, combined with the way we played on defense this past week, that’s what we’re looking for in this game.”

Ryan Day discusses the atmosphere at Penn State

The Beaver Stadium undoubtedly has one of the most electric atmospheres in college football. A study by BetMGM’s “The Roar” blog released earlier this month named the stadium as the rowdiest in the landscape.

Ryan Day is fully aware of what awaits his team at Penn State's stadium on Saturday, as the Week 10 matchup is highly anticipated.

“We know it's going to take four quarters in this game. It always does when you go play in this environment,” Day said on Tuesday. “It's a very difficult environment to play in."

“But we've been in this situation before. Our guys have been in this situation before. Now it's time to go win this game and get a top-five victory. And that's what the guys are focused on right now, the coaching staff, everybody in the building is the focus on winning this game right here."

Ohio State has been dominant in the series over the past decade, and Ryan Day hopes that continues this weekend. The Buckeyes have won 11 of the last 12 encounters and are currently on a seven-game winning streak.

This is only the second time in history the game is being played as a top-5 matchup and the first time since 1996. Both teams will be in search of a victory to remain in contention for the Big Ten championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff.