Ohio State's Ryan Day talks about avoiding victory "distractions" amid chatter around Michigan rematch: "We want to win the rivalry game"

There’s a lot of expectation on Ryan Day and Ohio State ahead of the 2024 college football season. After Michigan went all the way to win the national championship last season, there's a hunger for the title among fans in Columbus, placing a lot of pressure on the team.

Ryan Day outlined the goal of the Buckeyes for the 2024 season during his session on Tuesday at the Big Ten media days. He disclosed that the team wants to have its win against rival Michigan in three years and also go on to win the conference and national championship.

While these are the team’s ultimate goals for the upcoming season, he noted the focus through the season won’t be on those as they could be a big distraction for the team.

“We’re not going to shy away from that,” Ryan Day said. “We want to win the rivalry game, be in this stadium right here to win a Big Ten championship and win the national championship. We know that. But at the same time, that can't be our focus, because that's a distraction.

“So where the season goes and what this team looks like will look a lot different than it did last year. This is a new journey. We have to rebuild that to get to where we need to be.”

Ryan Day says Ohio State will take things in steps

Ohio State has had disappointing ends to its season in the last couple of years. It was in many cases close to the conference and national championship but fell short of the goal.

Ahead of the 2024 college football season, Day made it known that the Buckeyes will take things one after the other to achieve their goals. The team is already rated as one of the best in the landscape ahead of the new season and they have what it takes to go all the way.

“Our focus is on this preseason," Ryan Day said. "It’s the next step. I’m sure a lot of coaches will say you can’t really focus on what happened the year before. You can’t be worried about what’s coming down the road.

“We all know there’s a lot of noise and hype around this team. We can’t let those distractions grab our focus from what we need to do day in and day out. It’s going to be a long season."

It's a huge season ahead for Ryan Day, and it could have a lot of impact on his future in Columbus. He made significant additions to the team's roster via the transfer portal and the class of 2024. He also brought in a lot of experience in the coaching department, offering the Buckeyes a huge confidence ahead of the season.