Fansided

3 more missteps that will get Ryan Day fired at Ohio State, starting vs Georgia

By Cody Williams

COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 17: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches warmups prior to a game against the Toledo Rockets at Ohio Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 17: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches warmups prior to a game against the Toledo Rockets at Ohio Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images) /
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Ryan Day, Ohio State Football
Ryan Day Ohio State Buckeyes. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

Angry Ohio State fans ready to fire Ryan Day have been quelled after the Buckeyes made the Playoff. But a few missteps could change the tune.

With the taste of a 45-23 loss to rival Michigan still souring in their mouths, Ohio State fans were ready to send head coach Ryan Day packing. After all, it was the Buckeyes’ second straight loss to Harbaugh after two decades of dominance in the rivalry and the first time that OSU had lost in Columbus in over 20 years.

Thanks to some help from USC, Clemson and others, though, Ohio State had done enough under Day in the regular season to punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff. They are now awaiting a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 and the boo-birds calling for Day to be fired have been quiet…at least for now.

As is often the case in college football, though, that can change in an instant. Ryan Day hasn’t delivered the lofty results expected at Ohio State in the way his predecessors, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel, did before him. Subsequently, there are three missteps that the head coach could make with the Buckeyes over the next year that could legitimately lead to him looking for a new job.

3. Ohio State getting blown out by Georgia in CFP would be a bad look for Ryan Day

The hurdles that Ryan Day needs to clear start with Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

One of the biggest criticisms of Ohio State since Day took over, particularly over the past couple of years when he’s been left to his own devices in terms of recruiting and talent acquisition, has been the overall inability to grind games out against tougher opponents with similar levels of talent.

When you boil down what’s happened in the past two years against Michigan, it comes down to the simple fact that the Buckeyes have all of the skill in the world, perhaps more so than any other program, when it comes to wide receivers, running backs and even quarterbacks but, when they get hit in the mouth repeatedly, they don’t have an answer.

There were even signs of that against teams like Penn State and Northwestern this season, but ultimately, the talent was still able to prevail. That was not the case against Michigan. And they are in real danger of that not being the case against Georgia given that they play a similar style to the Wolverines.

If Ohio State comes out and loses to the Bulldogs but keeps things tight, that’s not the end of the world. However, if the defending national champions bully the Buckeyes for 60 minutes and win in blowout fashion, that’s another indictment of Day and the way his program has been built.

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