Ryan Day’s buyout already on Ohio State fans minds after James Franklin turns up pressure

There's no denying that Ryan Day has been a successful head coach in the regular season since being hired by the Ohio State Buckeyes. In parts of seven seasons as Ohio State's head coach, the team has a 67-10 record. They've won at least 11 games in five of his six full seasons and in each of his last four years, including going 11-2 this past regular season.

Where Day has fallen short repeatedly, though, is in big games. For example, the Buckeyes have lost each of their last four meetings against the Michigan Wolverines. This past season's loss was particularly egregious, as they managed to score just 10 points against a Wolverines team that drastically underperformed. That loss is why they weren't a higher seed in the College Football Playoff bracket.

As if the constant losing to their biggest rivals isn't bad enough, Day has just one CFP win on his resume, and that came in the first round of this year's expanded playoff.

Day's lack of big-game success despite consistently having among the best rosters in the country has had Ohio State fans wondering if his seat is hot, and what his buyout is.

What is Ryan Day’s buyout at Ohio State?

If the Buckeyes were to fire Day, they'd have to pay up. His $37.2 million buyout as of December 1, 2024, is among the 20 highest in all of college football. Finding the money to fire Day wouldn't be an issue, but factoring in the money it'd take to hire a suitable replacement while also fielding a championship-caliber roster is where things get really expensive. Yes, Day has struggled to win big games and deserves blame for that, but would another coach be able to outperform him overall?

Because of the expensive buyout, firing Day probably isn't realistic, as much as Ohio State fans want him gone. The heat will be turned up exponentially, though, if he loses Wednesday's game.

Why James Franklin has added made Ryan Day's seat with Buckeyes hotter

James Franklin has led the Penn State Nittany Lions to wins in each of their first two CFP games by a combined score of 69-24. They're just one win away from an appearance in the CFP championship.

Franklin, like Day, has a reputation of coming up short in big games - particularly against Day's Buckeyes, but so far in the CFP, he's been able to flip that script. Penn State's path will get tougher in the Orange Bowl, but the fact that they've made it this far, and might make it further than the Buckeyes, is impressive.

Firing Day isn't something that the Buckeyes would love to do, but if Franklin finds ways to win in the CFP while the Buckeyes fall short, it becomes tougher for Ohio State to justify keeping him around.