Paul Finebaum makes the case for why Ryan Day is already on the 'hot seat'

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day might be the only coach in America with single-digit career losses as a head coach who is also on a warming seat. But that’s exactly how ESPN and SEC Network host Paul Finebaum sees it for the Ohio State head man.

Day has coached five seasons at Ohio State, posting a 45-6 record in that span. The Buckeyes have made multiple College Football Playoffs and appeared in the national title game under Day. But back-to-back losses to Michigan and a flame out late in the 2022 Sugar Bowl has the fanbase teetering on Day, at least as Finebaum sees it.

“Believe it or not, Ryan Day is going to be on the hot seat, according to some people, if he loses to Michigan again. Remember when Jim Harbaugh couldn’t beat anyone? Ryan Day’s had a really good run. He’s played for a championship, he’s been in the playoffs. Came within a whisker of getting back to the championship game,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter on Friday. “But fans around the country are going, ‘When are you going to win us a title like Urban [Meyer] did in 2014?'”

The Buckeyes, as usual, should be favored in almost every game they play this season. Outside of hosting Penn State and a trip to Ann Arbor to play Michigan, Ohio State should be picked to win 10 of 12 games by Vegas, at a minimum. A road trip to Notre Dame could get close to a toss-up, too, depending on how the Irish look to start the year.

But if Ohio State navigates the first 12 weeks of the regular season undefeated — beating Penn State, winning at Notre Dame — The Game against Michigan has the potential to make or break Day’s tenure.

Finebaum explained to SportsCenter host Matt Barrie that the deck is still stacked with oodles of talent in Columbus. Ohio State needs to pick a quarterback, but the options are both former high-level recruits. All the pieces of the puzzle are there, just like 2021 and 2022, and Finebaum doesn’t think Day can afford a third-straight year of failing to put it all together in time.

“He’s got a talented team that everyone would love to have, Matt. He’s got the best wide receiver room in the country. He’s got five-star quarterbacks. But he’s going to need to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor and he’s going to need to get to the playoffs again and do something other than lose,” Finebaum said.