Booger McFarland paints grim outlook for Ryan Day with national title loss, Greg McElroy pushes back

For the second time in his tenure at Ohio State, Ryan Day will coach in a College Football Playoff national championship as the Buckeyes take on Notre Dame Monday night. But Booger McFarland painted a grim outlook about the impact the game could have on Day’s future in Columbus – and Greg McElroy pushed back.

McFarland pointed out the amount of pressure Day faces at Ohio State, especially considering the Buckeyes’ fourth straight loss to Michigan to end the regular season. Questions swirled about whether he could stay as head coach even despite a 10-2 record and CFP appearance, but those seemed to quiet down as Ohio State rattled off three dominant victories.

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If Ohio State was to lose Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, McFarland wondered how much longer Day would be at the helm. He specifically pointed out the mounting pressure if he loses another title game.

“If he loses tonight, let’s put in perspective,” McFarland said on ESPN’s Championship Drive. “He would be in a category with the ’02 Miami team, the Miami team that lost to Penn State. A team that were prohibitive favorites, that lost the game. I think that may weigh on him a lot where he might decide, you know what? Maybe this is too much. Because there’s a lot of pressure. These people put a lot of pressure on the head coach of Ohio State. And at some point, it starts to weigh on you.

“Most importantly, Greg, it starts to weigh on your family. I just wonder, how much pressure they would put on him if he lost the game tonight.”

Greg McElroy: Ryan Day ‘will win a championship’ at Ohio State

To McElroy, though, Ryan Day earned the right to stay at Ohio State for the foreseeable future regardless of how the national championship goes. He has a 69-10 record with the Buckeyes, including a 46-5 mark in Big Ten play with two conference titles, and McElroy thinks he’s well on his way to winning a title with the program – whether it happens Monday night or not.

“I think pressure’s the best thing you can ask for as a coach,” McElroy said. “I think Ryan Day, victory or in defeat tonight, he has a remarkable future in Columbus. And I really believe that. He’s gonna win a lot of games.

“I’ll bet you anything, you tell me right now, will he win a championship in his tenure? It might not happen tonight, it might not happen the next couple years. He will win a championship. I really believe that.”