Ohio State coach Ryan Day vs. former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is the real rivalry fans should be paying attention to ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the chance to win a national championship on January 20th in Atlanta. An interesting

Lou Holtz famously called out Ryan Day for OSU's lack of toughness. Day then fired back at the former ND coach, who thinks Irish will win the natty.

In September 2023, Holtz went viral for saying that "everybody (that) beats him [Ryan Day], does so because they are more physical than Ohio State. And I think Notre Dame will take that same approach," per Brad Crawford of 247Sports.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Ryan Day and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz never coached against one another, but they have an intertwined past. After a come-from-behind 17-14 win by Ohio State against Notre Dame in 2023, Day took the moment to give a passionate rant during his postgame interview on NBC, with Holtz as the focus.

Ryan Day received $10,021,250 in total pay from Ohio State in 2024 excluding bonuses. Day has a max bonus of $1,550,000 in 2024. Day earned $350k in bonuses for reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals, and will earn an additional $150k if the Buckeyes beat Texas and advance to the final.

That's why Day might need an exit strategy. On his terms. This is becoming a quality of life thing. After the latest Michigan loss, Day got a vote of confidence from his athletic director (Ross Bjork). It was Day's 10th career loss. He lost two this season by a total of four points and avenged one of them.

A match-up between Notre Dame and Ohio State in the National Championship has reopened the feud between Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and the legendary Lou Holtz