College football: 25 biggest what-ifs of the 2010s

College football: 2010s biggest what-ifs: 19. Urban Meyer sticks around

There’s no doubt that Urban Meyer was a terrific college football coach. No matter where he went, eventually, that program won in a big way.

During his final coaching run, Meyer made the Ohio State Buckeyes perpetual contenders. After putting together another great year in 2018, Meyer decided that he had enough and abruptly retired. Taking his immediate place is current lead man, Ryan Day.

By all accounts, Day has proven to be a sagacious decision. He’s led the Buckeyes to multiple trips to the College Football Playoffs but just hasn’t been able to close the show. Well, despite Day’s stellar capabilities, no one is mistaking him for Meyer, which begs the question, what if he never left?

In 2019, Day led the Buckeyes to the second overall playoff seed. They would ultimately lose to eventual champs, the Clemson Tigers, in the opening round. Although Clemson went on to have an undefeated season, they got all they could handle from the Buckeyes, winning by only six points. Could Meyer have given them the extra juice they needed to pull off the win? We think so.