Urban Meyer: Ohio State first round loss in College Football Playoff would be 'rugged' for Ryan Day

Not only did Ohio State drop its fourth straight game to Michigan, there’s a doomsday scenario for Ryan Day, as outlined by Urban Meyer.

Can you imagine if the Buckeyes lose in the first round of the College Football Playoff? It’s not something Ohio State fans want to ponder.

It seems like Ohio State is bound for a home game in the first round, but going one and done could spell disaster for Day and company.

“This is not Psych 101, this is graduate level psychology,” Meyer said on The Triple Option. “You got to figure this one out. And I’m not saying I have the answer, because, you know, we’ve all got our face kicked in in the game and and it’s so dependent upon, I’ve always been a guy, that I always had a group of players, Mark that you would certainly be one of them, you know, that’s the Alpha. That’s a personality guy that also will let me know, will talk to me. 

“Yes, it’s Ryan Day and the coordinators … but you got to reach the players. And I don’t know this team. Will Howard talked about it. seemed like a great leader. But who are the dudes? You know? Is it Jack Sawyer? Every day I’d be meeting with those cats and figuring the pulse of the team. I think they had practice yesterday, I heard, but you got to rinse and spit and get going because it’s upon you. You don’t even want to think this way, but if they lose the first round, I mean, oh my god. I mean, it’d be rugged.”

Should a first round exit happen, there are surely going to be questions about Day’s future as the head coach. You’d be hard pressed to find a logical person who would want to fire Day with his coaching resume.

But losing in large spots can sometimes compound into massive decisions. When asked if he expects to be Ohio State’s coach in 2025, Day left no doubt.

“Yes,” he said, according to Chase Brown of 11Warriors.

That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Even Day’s own athletics director has backed him in recent days, with Ross Bjork weighing in on the topic following Saturday’s loss.

“Our full focus right now is on the College Football Playoff and making a strong run,” Bjork said. “We have a ton to play for. We have a great team made up of talented players and great young men. Coach Day does a great job leading our program. He’s our coach.

“There’s going to be plenty of time to dissect what happened in the rivalry game the last couple years. But right now, we have to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s focus on the values of the program, focus on why we lead the young men, focus on the mission and the playoff.”