Ryan Day has been a topic of discussion for the last four seasons around this time of year, and not for a good reason. He has now lost four straight games to the University of Michigan. This is the longest losing streak the Buckeyes have had against their northern rival since 1991. The Buckeyes have suffered only eight losses since 2021. Half of those have come against the Wolverines.
You may be thinking, it’s just one game, no big deal. That’s true. It’s only the Buckeyes’ second loss of the season. They should still get into the new 12-team college football playoff. That means they still have a chance to contend for a national championship. This is something that Michigan likely won’t have with their five losses. Ohio State will not get one of the top four spots in the playoffs since they won’t have a conference championship. It’s something the Buckeyes have not won since 2020 (a covid shortened season). Assuming Ohio State makes it to the playoffs, they will not get a first-round bye. This will make it that much harder for them to make the national championship game and possibly win it all. This loss could end up being pretty massive in the near and far future for the team.
If Ohio State does make the playoff and doesn’t make it all the way to the end, it’s pretty safe to say that Ryan Day may be the most talked about man in all of College Football. With his complete inability to get his team ready to play these big games, it’s likely the team will move on from him as the head coach. This could upset a few people. However, it’s the right thing to do. As simple as this may sound, you have to be able to beat Michigan. It’s just too meaningful of a game to lose four straight years and still keep your job.
If this massive loss causes Ryan Day to lose his job, who are some possible replacements?
- Mike Vrabel
Vrabel is currently on staff with the Cleveland Browns. Many Ohio State fans know him well. The former Buckeye player would definitely be one of the leading candidates. Mike should get a good share of interviews in the NFL as well, so it’s possible he may not be interested in the Buckeyes opening if it was available.
- Marcus Freeman
Another former Buckeye landing high on this list is Marcus Freeman. He is the current coach at Notre Dame and has earned a lot of respect around college football. He has limited coaching experience, but has a 30-9 coaching record with the Fighting Irish and would be a highly welcomed addition.
- Dan Lanning
Dan Lanning is the current coach for the Oregon Ducks. For starters, he may be more than happy to stay at Oregon, especially if they go on to win the national championship this year as most analysts expect. He has a 33-5 record at Oregon.
- Brian Hartline
Hartline has the least amount of experience as everyone else on this list by a long shot, but he is known as possibly the best wide receivers coach in all of college football. He has consistently helped recruit the best wide receivers in the county to Columbus and it would be interesting to see if that recruiting ability continued if he became the head coach. This would be a long shot, but it would certainly be a big change.
Needless to say, Ryan Day is officially on the hot seat. I believe if he does not at least make the National Championship game this season, he will lose his job as the head coach of THE Ohio State Buckeyes. He still has the chance to keep his job and silence all doubters, myself included. I hope he proves me wrong. There’s still a lot to play for this season. Let’s see if he can rally the team and go win another National Championship!
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