The discourse surrounding College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz and Ohio State continues after the 86-year-old moved the Buckeyes down five spots in his FWAA Super 16 ballot this week.
The wild part about his decision, though, is that the Buckeyes didn’t even play over the weekend. And Ohio State is coming off a huge road win over Notre Dame the previous weekend. That matchup is actually what sparked a rift between Holtz and Buckeyes coach Ryan Day.
Holtz moved Ohio State down to No. 9 in his rankings after having the Buckeyes at No. 4 following their win over the Fighting Irish on Sept. 23. By contrast, The Associated Press Top 25 rankings has Ohio State at No. 4.
The hard feelings between Holtz and Day began when the former Notre Dame coach questioned Ohio State’s toughness under Day while speaking on the Pat McAfee Show. Day had the final word after his Buckeyes won 17–14 in an intense matchup. Holtz stood by his comments after the game, saying he believed the Fighting Irish were the better team despite the loss.
Holtz has history with both teams, having guided Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship during his 11-year tenure as the Fighting Irish head coach. He also served as an assistant coach on the Buckeyes’ 1968 national championship team.
