Week 1 was so bad for Ryan Day that his name is already being associated with the hot seat. Ohio State football, of course, is just two years removed from a national championship.
Losses like the 24-23 meltdown in Week 2 against Texas in Austin can't happen often. Fan perception is important, only surpassed by donor perception. The feeling Saturday night gave can't be replicated, or Day will be in the hot seat at the best job in the country.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken clearly outlined what'd land Day there over the course of the 2026 season: making good on the massive investment OSU's boosters gave him.
"If Day gets Ohio State to the playoff from here, overcoming a schedule that still includes Indiana, Oregon and USC, he will have earned his $12.5 million salary and then some. If he doesn't, the seat may warm up again," Wolken wrote.
Day's influence directly butchered the Buckeyes' chances of beating the Longhorns. He chose to mismanage the clock down the stretch in the final minutes. Day trusted his defense and didn't trust his offense.
It naturally makes one wonder if Day may have been behind the complete identity crisis the offense suffered late. Ohio State didn't look like the same team on the offensive end in the second half.
Jeremiah Smith was no longer making spectacular catches. Smith had a drop that may as well have been the spiritual handoff from Arthur Smith's crisp play-calling to whatever that was in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter.
Ohio State has a few weeks to get itself together
If Day's future depends on how he makes the powers that be feel, then at least there will be a few weeks to get it together before things get really tough. The Kent State game needs to be a statement, while the points need to be plentiful against an underwhelming Illinois defense.
The Buckeyes had extremely promising showings against Texas from several players who were expected to carry the load this season: quarterback Julian Sayin, the WR1 Smith, and RB1 Bo Jackson.
If those players keep producing, then anxieties will be eased. Those players should have a field day over the next few weeks, and ideally, they could do it early again so others could gain confidence before the brutal October stretch.
Buckeyes can make Texas loss forgotten by December and January
The Day hot seat angle after Week 2 may look ridiculous in a few months if Ohio State can run the table from here.
Certainly, it's not a guarantee. TTUN looks more serious after upsetting Oklahoma, while Indiana looks the part as a well-coached and reloaded defending champion. USC and Iowa being road games makes those tests more daunting.
Even a two-loss season would make the idea of firing Day sound ridiculous. It's only if the Buckeyes miss the CFP that the thought of removing Day should enter the brain trust's mind. Now that the CFP has a 12-team field, Ohio State should practically never miss it.
Make it in at 11-1 or 10-2, and Day's seat cools off. It could heat back up anytime if that nasty feeling that the Texas game left creeps back for the Buckeyes' power brokers.
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