Tyler Stearns |
47-0 versus unranked competition as head coach at Ohio State, until Saturday. Michigan took down their rivals for the 4th year in a row. But this game has a bit more context to it. You see, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes spent over $20 million on their roster primarily to beat The Team Up North. And even with Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Caleb Downs, Jack Sawyer, and the rest of the stars on that team, Chip Kelly and Ryan Day couldn't figure out their arch-enemies. Michigan's defensive line dominated and shut down the Ohio State rushing attack. And their physicality in the passing game, specifically in the red zone, led to poor drives by Ohio State. Now yes, you can pinpoint the loss on the kicker, who missed two big field goals, as well as one close one. Nonetheless, Ohio State's inability to move the ball lost them the game.
Ryan Day is certainly on the hot seat after another loss to his foe. For the past three years, you can give him a pass, considering how good Michigan was. But this year, with an unraked Michigan without a good quarterback and receivers, the blame is a lot more on Day, especially with the talent on the roster.
So do you fire Day? The big question is whether or not they will be able to retain roster talent if they were to fire him. They were able to keep their stars when Meyer passed along the job to Day because it was amicable, not a firing. Despite the poor decision-making and play-calling by Day and his staff, players like to come to the school. He is one of if not the best recruiter in the country and consistently has a top-five class. But his inability to win in big games is a bigger issue. As we have seen throughout the year, teams can win without a good recruiting class. Colorado, Indiana, Arizona State, and SMU are all examples of that. And even with a switch, Ohio State wouldn't lose too much talent, or at least more than a new coach could handle.
The second big question would be who would they hire. Deion Sanders is a good pick and would bring some PR to the school, but he isn't proven enough in the FBS. Curt Cignetti is another great pick. He turned around Indiana quickly, and though he was blown out by OSU, he still made Indiana into a playoff team. A big splash hire would be Lane Kiffin, who would jump ship quickly if given the job in Columbus. You could even see if Urban Meyer was willing to come back, or another experienced coach like former Washington HC Chris Peterson. Nonetheless, you have options.
Ohio State should fire Ryan Day if he doesn't at least make the final four of the CFP. He is consistently under performing and losing to the one team he can't lose to. Ryan Day's seat is the hottest in CFP, and if OSU can't perform on the big stage, moving on would be the best option for the future of the storied program.
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