The 2024 college football season remains more than a month away, and more than four months remain until Ohio State plays Michigan. That didn’t stop Paul Finebaum from questioning Ryan Day’s job security based on the outcome of that Nov. 30 game.
During an interview with Mike Greenberg on Tuesday’s Get Up, Day discussed the pressure of snapping a three-game losing streak to the Wolverines. The head coach said around a dozen players returned to Ohio State because they wanted to defeat Michigan this season.
“What we can’t do is get too far ahead of ourselves and start to focus too much on that [game] and get distracted,” Day said. “That’s just the bottom line. But when you come to Ohio State, you got to win that game.”
Finebaum apparently took issue with some of Day’s comments.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about. I mean, he’s lost that game three years in a row, and he’s talking about how his players are motivated to come back and play,” Finebaum said on First Take. “Well, I heard that three years ago, two years ago, and last year, and you stunk in all three games.”
Finebaum acknowledged Day’s “gaudy” 56-8 coaching record at Ohio State, but the ESPN analyst doesn’t think that track record will be enough to overcome another loss to The Team Up North. He thinks Day must conquer his Big Ten foe to keep his job.
“Nobody has a record like him. Except you can’t choke the biggest game of the year,” Finebaum declared. “And to me, if he can’t beat Michigan this year when he’s got probably the best team in the country — along with Georgia — after [Jim] Harbaugh leaves, after all those great players depart after a national championship, he ought to be gone. It’s as simple as that.”
Finebaum told Day to “quit making excuses” and “acting like your players have given up something to come back.” He claimed it’s been the same story for the past three years of players returning only to lose to Michigan again.
Related: Paul Finebaum Doesn’t Hold Back On Pressure Ryan Day Is Facing In 2024