Ohio State is going to let Ryan Day get away with spinning Michigan loss as a positive

The Ohio State Buckeyes might've been one of College Football's most dominant regular season teams, but they also took what was probably the most embarrassing loss of the year.

The Buckeyes fell to an underwhelming Michigan Wolverines team at home by a final score of 13-10. Upsets are going to happen, but did the Buckeyes really have to lose that game to that team? They've now lost four straight games against their biggest rivals.

That loss was not only an embarrassing one for the Buckeyes to deal with, but it also hurt them in the College Football Playoff seeding. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 2 in the country right behind the Oregon Ducks in the rankings for much of the year, but their stock plummeted after that loss. They did not even participate in their conference's championship game, and were the No. 8 seed in the CFP.

While Buckeyes fans were infuriated by the Michigan loss, head coach Ryan Day did his best to spin that loss as a positive for his team, saying that the extra game could serve as a launching pad to spark a deep postseason run. He believes that the Buckeyes could be the team to go on a deep run, and so far, his players are proving him right.

Buckeyes are somehow making Ryan Day look good despite desperate spin

That Michigan loss ended any hope that the Buckeyes had of earning a bye, which is a huge deal. It also bumped them to a lower seed, which is also a huge deal.

Sure, they got to host a playoff game in the first round, but they also had to deal with the toughest road team in that first round. Their reward for winning in the first round was then a matchup against the No. 1 seed. How is that path better than earning a first-round bye and getting to then face a lower seed?

Somehow, the Buckeyes are making Day's spin look good, as they currently lead No. 1-seeded Oregon 31-0. The game is still in the first half, but a 31-point lead is a 31-point lead. They can sniff the semifinals of the playoffs.

Day's spin does make some sense, to an extent. Sitting around for too long can prove to be costly in any sport. We've seen the Atlanta Braves complain about it in MLB, and have seen some NFL teams struggle after byes as well.

With that being said, though, it's really hard to argue that Ohio State was in a better position to win the National Championship than Oregon. The Ducks got an automatic bid to the second round, and got to face off against the lowest-seeded team that advanced to that second round. That sounds a whole lot better than having to play an extra game and risk injuries only to then face off against the No. 1 seed.

The Buckeyes deserve credit for how they've bounced back following that Michigan defeat, but that doesn't mean that the Michigan loss was a good thing. It should not be spun as such. The Buckeyes inexplicably made their path harder, and even if they hold on against Oregon, they shouldn't be praised for that embarrassing loss.