Ohio State locker room celebration will have Buckeyes fans forgetting they ever hated Ryan Day

What a difference a couple of months can make. Just a few weeks ago, Ohio State was at rock bottom, watching its Big Ten title hopes go up in smoke after a fourth straight loss to Michigan — this one more stunning than the first three combined. The Buckeyes hadn't beaten their arch rival since 2019, hadn't won their conference since 2020 and seemed more likely to flame out in the first round of the College Football Playoff than go on a run to a title.

You know what happened next. Rather than fall apart, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes rallied, blasting Tennessee and Oregon before outlasting Texas and Notre Dame to win the program's seventh national championship. You'll seldom see a team go from the lowest low to the highest high over such a short span; it wasn't too long ago that an increasing number of fans were calling for Day's job. Now he and his team have won it all, and they made sure every hater could hear their celebration from outer space.

Ohio State locker room soaks in national title after win over Notre Dame

You could practically see the weight leave Day's shoulders once the game was in hand. And given just how much he's dealt with this season, it was only fitting that he was the one who touched off the party in Ohio State's locker room after the trophy presentation — with a primal scream that made clear just how much this win meant to him.

From there, the celebration was on. Victory cigars? Check. Ski goggles? Check. A great playlist? You bet. Over the past few weeks, it's become clear that this Buckeyes team — many of whom chose to forgo the NFL in order to come back for one more season together (and a hefty NIL bag) — shares a deep bond, and that was evident in the locker room.

Day deserved plenty of heat after the Michigan loss; it was an inexcusable performance by just about everyone, and it was fair to question whether he'd ever have what it takes to get over the hump in the way that one of the country's most demanding fan bases expects. This run, though, was emphatic proof to the contrary, and while nothing can ever fully erase a defeat at the hands of the Wolverines, it'll buy him an awful lot of good will in Columbus.