Choking Against Michigan Puts Ohio State In Awkward Position With Failing Coach Ryan Day | Barrett Sallee

Ohio State is not going to fire coach Ryan Day today, tomorrow or Monday morning. It might not even do it before the start of next season. However, what happened on Saturday afternoon in Columbus in the Buckeyes' 13-10 loss to rival Michigan -- the fourth straight loss to the Wolverines -- is unacceptable. 

It also puts Day and his bosses in the Ohio State administration in one of the most awkward scenarios in modern coaching history.

Why? Because scenes like this - with Michigan coach Sherrone Moore taunting Ohio State fans on his way to the locker room with a "W" are as damaging (if not more damaging) than what was displayed on the scoreboard when the clock struck triple-zeros. 

An ugly post-game brawl involved punches and pepper spray.

Ohio State can still win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Hell, as of 4 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon, it can still win the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend (pending the outcome of the Penn State - Maryland Game) and earn a first-round bye in the CFP.

That isn’t going to matter. 

Day’s inability to top Michigan over the last four years — especially this year when Michigan has been an abject failure for three-plus months and was a 20-plus point underdog — means EVERYTHING. If Day can’t win "The Game," what’s the point? He spent the GDP of a medium-sized country in the transfer portal and consistently signs big-time high school prospects, only to pull the rug out of a hopeful fan base every single season.

So, what next?

The answer is that you don’t know, I don’t know and nobody on the planet knows. What if Ohio State wins the natty, rolls through the majority of next season and then loses to Michigan yet again? Is that acceptable? The easy answer is "yes" according to fans. However, unless you’re an Ohio State "money man" who happens to be reading this story, it’s not your job to perform the cost-benefit analysis of playoff success while losing to your rival.

COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on during the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

In the near term, Day erased any goodwill he built after going to the title game in 2020 and the Peach Bowl national semifinal in 2022. The horrible game plan throughout the loss to Michigan combined with dreadful game management in the final quarter furthered his reputation as a coach who is unable to win the "big game."

Nothing short of a national title this year will change that, so he’ll likely be under one of the most interesting microscopes in the sport’s history for the next calendar year. For what it's worth, Day’s buyout is $37,276,042, according to the USA Today coaching salary database.

Ohio State fans are some of the most passionate fans in the country. Patience has worn thin, and Saturday’s disaster has Day on thin ice.