Ohio State have no choice but to fire Ryan Day after fourth straight loss to Michigan
As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Buckeye Stadium on Saturday, one thing became abundantly clear to anyone who watched Ohio State stumble their way to an uninspiring 13-10 loss to Michigan:
Ryan Day cannot be their head coach anymore.
It's not just that Day lost his fourth straight game to Michigan (although that is certainly a massive, massive part of it); it's how the Buckeyes managed to lose it.
This was the worst Michigan team since 2014, and frankly, they may have been worse than that. The Wolverines came into this rivalry game incapable of throwing the ball; they'd pinballed between a trio of quarterbacks in Alex Orji, Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle, and none of them looked like a remotely functional collegiate passer. Sure, the run game was still solid, but Sherrone Moore's first team in Ann Arbor was a toothless brawler, one eager to drag teams into the mud because they didn't have the ability to win a shootout.
On top of that, this is an Ohio State team who has heavily favored to be a national title contender all season long. Their sole loss came to Oregon in a heartbreaker earlier in the season, and while they'd had some close calls, there was little doubt they were one of the most talented teams in college football. Freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith has been a revelation, and Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate are both likely to see the field on Sundays as well. The run game had depth and talent in TraVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and a quarterback who was supposed to be capable of making things run smoothly in Will Howard.
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Even the defense, which has long been a sticking point under Day, looked to be the best the unit has been in years in Columbus.
And yet, when the whistle blew on Saturday, the result was the same it's been for the last three years. There's no Connor Stallions to scapegoat as the reason behind the loss, no cheating that can be claimed, or moral victory to be taken. You went out there as the vastly superior team, at home, and lost. Again.
At practically any other non-Alabama program in the country, Day's tenure would be an unquestioned success. He's yet to lose more than two games in a season, and has the Buckeyes in the Playoff conversation year in and year out. He's delivered top-five recruiting classes in every season save his debut, and the Buckeyes remain one of the most talent-laden programs in the country.
But in the biggest spots, the most important moments, Day keeps coming up short. The last couple of seasons, he's seemed particularly haunted by Michigan, abandoning the high-flying style of play that would be more fitting of the type of talent the Buckeyes trot out in favor of a grinding, physical football that plays perfectly into Michigan's hands.
This season, when it was clear that a quarterback was likely all that was standing between Ohio State and a run to the national title game, the best Day could muster was Kansas State transplant Howard. Howard is a solid, reliable quarterback; the type of player who isn't likely to lose you many games, but probably won't win you any, either. And against Michigan, it was clear they didn't trust Howard to go and win them the game; he threw for just 175 yards on 19-of-33 passing, with two interceptions.
The Buckeyes looked to be trying to play a methodical, low-risk game rather than trying to exploit a vulnerable Michigan secondary down its best player, and seemed content to trade punts with the Wolverines for much of the afternoon.
At the end of the day, it's just not good enough, and Day should know that by now. The fact that he wasn't willing to open up the playbook and try and push the tempo this season, when the talent disparity was so great, makes you wonder if he's capable of opening it up at all anymore, or if he's content to keep the Buckeyes in second gear all the time.
Whatever reason, it's clear that the fans have had enough. They'd had enough after last season's loss to Michigan, which kept the Buckeyes out of the Playoff once again. They see the potential being squandered, and they're ready for a change. Not doing it after Saturday would tell the fans that you're fine being good but never great, fine being part of the conversation but never at the front of the class.
Ohio State fans won't accept that, and if the Buckeyes' athletic department is smart, they won't accept it either. Maybe Day will get over the hump one day, figure it out and win a title. But if that happens, it can't be at Ohio State.
He's squandered too many chances already.
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