Ohio State is currently grappling with the aftermath of its devastating loss to Michigan, and time is running out for Ryan Day to recover from the pain. A surprising twist in a thrilling story appears; just when the Buckeyes seem defeated, a new adversary emerges. In comes Tennessee, with their explosive offense and a defense that hits with tremendous force. The stakes are high, as Ohio State needs to steady the ship before it gets completely swept away by the Tennessee wave. Will the Buckeyes be able to rewrite the narrative, or will they be facing a ‘Game of Thrones’-style power struggle that could see their dominance crumble?

Well, losing against an unranked team has its own disadvantages. And in the case of Ohio State, it’s quite visible. This Tennessee game will be a crucial test for Ryan Day and his team. The outcome of this will decide whether Day and his team are actually capable of going up against a strong team or not and also reflect on their hunger to win the title even after major setbacks. Even Fox Sports analyst Dan Wetzel says the same thing. “Tennessee, they’re eight because they lost to Arkansas early on, but they took care of business other than this game at Georgia, and they have a knack for winning. They have a ferocious defensive line, which Ohio State we just saw had problems with against Michigan,” he said.

The sting of that 13-10 loss to a 7-5 Michigan team is still fresh. Now, Wetzel throws another wrench in the works, pointing to the 10-2 Tennessee matchup. He added, “They [Vols] have a dynamic offense, a good combo of passing and running, and Josh Heupel’s program is surging. And Ohio State, it’s all going to be about, can they wipe the memory of Michigan out? Can they? Is that going to drag them down?” 

Ohio State’s loss against Michigan was a mix of a lot of wrong calls and, yes, their weak offense, and it only made it worse for the team. During their game, Michigan limited the Buckeyes to just 77 rushing yards on 26 carries, with nine of them resulting in a tackle for loss. Now you can understand why the same thing can happen against Tennessee, as their defense ranks fourth in the country with an average of 278 yards. Now it totally depends on Coach Day and the team how well they prepare for this game.

Ryan Day reflecting on OSU’s future

Well, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day is probably more stressed out than anyone else about their upcoming game against Tennessee. The mistakes that took away their easy entry into the playoffs are something that is not only holding them back but also keeping them on the verge of improvement. Now that Coach Day and the team are going to face the Vols, there is no chance they can afford a loss against any team in this crucial game.

Even though they lost the chance to cut short the first round of playoffs, they got another chance to prove themselves in their game against the Vols. But just to be clear, they need to win every game after this, as the road ahead of this victory is not going to be easy for them. But only if they win.

This game could define the Buckeyes’ future, as a win here sets them up for a potential showdown with the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks, a true championship-caliber matchup. And with this situation, everything should fall exactly into place for them. Even Coach Day is confident that the team has learned from the Michigan loss, and he’s already focused on preparing to face Tennessee. “We got our work cut out for us, but when you’re playing in the playoffs, these are the types of teams you’re going to play, and we know what the formula needs to be,” he said.

Let’s hope it’s actually the case with the team; otherwise, this time it’s not only the game they will lose, but also it can harm Ryan Day’s tenure with the team.