If you were to look at Ryan Day’s resume as the Ohio State head coach, you’d assume him to be nowhere near the proverbial hot seat.
Under his leadership, the Buckeyes have gone 66-10. This has included two Big Ten titles and wins in both the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Barring something unforeseen, OSU will be one of the 12 teams selected for the inaugural version of the College Football Playoff.
There’s one aspect of his coaching that specifically sticks in the craw of the Ohio State fan base: His 1-4 career record versus Michigan.
Day-led teams have lost four straight to the hated rival. Last Saturday’s 13-10 defeat at home to a very average Michigan squad could very well lead to his dismissal. OSU was playing for a rematch versus Oregon in the Big Ten Title Game. Michigan had been dealing with a plethora of injuries and was starting a walk-on at quarterback. The line for the game fluctuated throughout the week — and there was a time in which Ohio State was a 23-point favorite.
Despite all of the advantages Ohio State had on paper, the team laid an egg. OSU’s inability to move the ball offensively was downright shocking considering the talent edge it had all over the field.
Speaking of a talent advantage, much of the frustration stems from Ohio State’s reported NIL funding which allegedly exceeds $20 million. Day’s college mentor, former Oregon/UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, was brought in to be the team’s offensive coordinator this offseason. Despite possessing arguably better skill talent than any program in the country, one could objectively say that the offense has underachieved relative to its personnel. Kelly’s scheme has been far from dynamic — and looks nothing like it did years ago. Critics of Day point to the fact that Kelly wasn’t exactly in demand when he was brought over.
From there, you also could point to Ohio State essentially running off last year’s QB Kyle McCord in favor of bringing in K-State transfer Will Howard. Howard hasn’t been terrible — yet there have been some head-scratching moments from the signal-caller. This includes the end-of-the-game situation versus Oregon in Eugene, as well as some drives against Michigan this past weekend.
McCord helped lead Syracuse to a 9-3 record this year. The Orange just upset ACC leader Miami this past weekend, and McCord was a big reason for that. On the year, he’s thrown for 29 TDs and 4,326 yards. Howard, with better skill talent around him, has thrown for 27 TDs and only 2,860 yards.
Howard is not the sole reason for Ohio State not making the conference championship game. The responsibility ultimately falls on Day for OSU pivoting from McCord to Howard.
There’s still an opportunity for Ohio State to smooth things over by winning a National Title. The Buckeyes still have the most talented roster top-to-bottom in College Football.
With that said, if OSU falters yet again versus a lesser opponent — or perhaps in an embarrassing fashion — Day might be out the door.
