The last three years have been rough for Ohio State football, as they have watched its hated rival Michigan win the conference each season and win a national championship this past January.
The Buckeyes have not played well in “The Game,” and ESPN’s [autotag]Paul Finebaum[/autotag] believes that this year’s version will be crucial to [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag]’s tenure in Columbus.
The college football analyst went on “First Take,” and shared his view of the situation. Finebaum boasted “to me, if he can’t beat Michigan this year, when he gots probably the best team in the country along with Georgia … he outta be gone. It’s as simple as that.”
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum suggests Ryan Day should be fired if Ohio State loses to Michigan in 2024:
(via @FirstTake, @awfulannouncing) https://t.co/lUGBWa6V3c pic.twitter.com/ZRaVKBhHia
— On3 (@On3sports) July 23, 2024
Over the course of five full seasons, Day has gone 53-8, excluding his three wins in 2018. That’s elite production, but in Columbus, it might not be enough.
We have gone through the Jon Cooper era, which also saw plenty of success while falling to Michigan on almost an annual basis. It’s hard to argue that Finebaum isn’t onto something, but I think it’s a bit rash to fire a coach who has been this successful over his tenure.
If Ohio State loses for the fourth-straight year to the Wolverines, but wins the College Football Playoff, should Day still get fired? To me, that answer is a no.
This season will dictate which direction the Buckeyes program heads into, so we will see if Finebaum is correct if it plays out that way.
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