Ohio State football: How warm will Ryan Day’s seat be in 2023?

Expectations are sky-high when you’re the head coach of the Ohio State football program.

Over the course of the program’s history, the Buckeyes have been lucky enough to have some legendary coaches. Recently even, Ohio State has had Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer. Both of those head coaches won national titles and really set the standard in Columbus.

So when Meyer retired a few years ago and gave way to Ryan Day, the expectations were lofty. Day was essentially a hand-picked choice by Meyer as his replacement as he spent two years as the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes under him. Fans trusted Meyer to pick his replacement and for a couple of years, it felt like Day was a home-run choice.

In his first season, he went unbeaten in the Big Ten and made the College Football Playoff before falling in the Fiesta Bowl. He embarrassed Michigan on his way to a conference title.

It felt like he fit right in.

In year two, COVID-19 struck and his Buckeyes were unfazed as he led them to a 7-1 season and another unbeaten Big Ten campaign with a trip to the national title game as well.

Things have since changed for Day.

Ohio State football fans growing restless with Day

Last season, Day lost to Michigan which ended a lengthy streak of Buckeye wins that stretched all the way back to before Meyer took over. He missed out on a Big Ten title for the first time and settled for a trip to the Rose Bowl where his Buckeyes came back to beat Utah.

Then, this season, the Buckeyes had a chance to exact revenge on Michigan at The Shoe, but Ohio State choked away a lead and let the Wolverines run away with it and embarrass them on their own field. It was probably the lowest moment in the Day era.

Now, he finds himself in an unfamiliar position: feeling a warmer seat with fans doubting him.

Losing to Michigan in two straight seasons by double-digit points is unheard of at Ohio State. Better yet, it’s unacceptable. And Ohio State missed out on the Big Ten title game in two straight seasons but fortunately fell forward into a playoff berth in 2022, missing the would-be game-winning field goal in the national semifinal against Georgia.

Showing that his team could hang with Georgia was a good way to win fans back, but losing in the semifinal after not winning the Big Ten or beating Michigan for a second straight season should never make anyone content. Fans want more.

There’s been plenty of clamoring for his job from restless fans but it’s tough to fire a coach who is 45-6 overall and 31-2 in conference play with two Big Ten titles and three playoff berths. But he has yet to show that he can win the conference with his own players and not a majority of Urban’s. This will be the year for Day to prove himself.

If Ohio State loses to Michigan again and doesn’t win the Big Ten title, Day can officially start to worry about his job.

His seat, for now, is as warm as Ohio State in late April: slightly.