“F— Ryan Day,” resounded through the stadium as the Ohio State Buckeyes fell again. Hard. Just a few days ago, the team was reportedly “21.3 points better than Michigan on the same field in both teams’ current capacity” and an absolute hot favorite to dominate The Game. Couple that with the team’s HC Ryan Day and QB Will Howard’s confidence of a turnaround after three years of heartbreak, and fans were convinced that the Michigan Wolverines would go home crying. Well, the crying did happen, but not in the way the Buckeyes expected.

As Michigan shocked the nation with a 13-10 win over their fiercest rivals—despite being an underdog with a 6-5 record as opposed to Ohio State’s 10-1—Day’s heartbreak was written all over his face. “I’m still trying to digest everything that just happened. [I have] a locker room full of guys who are just devastated … There are a lot of guys who are crushed right now. There is nothing you can say at this point. You have to take the ownership of that and it starts with me,” he said in a post-game conversation.

But the community is not convinced, with statements of “Fire him!” cropping up.

So, will Ryan Day actually be fired after his 1-4 record vs war? While there’s no official confirmation yet, the Buckeyes management are probably not going to forget their HC’s record vs other teams which stands at a spectacular 47-1. But then again, The Game is not to be taken lightly either, especially with ex-Michigan player Charles Woodson’s honest revelations proving how important winning vs the neighboring state actually is. “Look, we expect to beat every team on our schedule especially within our conference, but if there’s one team that really matters…it was always beating Ohio State.”

“So if throughout the year you allowed yourself to let your guard down in a game, we weren’t letting our guard down against Ohio State…we’ve been always taught that, if you went 0 and 10 and you got to this game and you won this game, then we ended on a good note, we look forward to next season,” he had said a few days ago.

So, even if the coach is not fired right away, anything short of a championship run over the next month or so, should be enough to send him packing. Is it high time to look for some alternatives?

If we go for an immediate replacement plan, three home alternatives can make their shot count as the next OSU coach. Since the Buckeye’s whimpering Oregon loss, fans have been vouching for the Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to take up the job. They are not wrong. Knowles has earned his stripes overhauling the Buckeyes’ defense since they gave up 32 points to the Ducks. The man is nominated for the Broyles Award, the coveted honor for the country’s top assistant coach. There’s no doubt about the quality he brings to the Ohio State Defense.

The next on the line is the current co-offensive director and coordinator of Ohio State, Brian Hartline. His offensive brilliance truly helped the team to land some big recruits. So, turning to him as a head coach won’t be a silly idea at all.

Last but not least, Urban Meyer, former Ohio State coach who led the team to an unprecedented height in the past, can be a very wise choice to kick Day out. The man who was at the helm of OSU football from 2012 to 2018, getting the team a national title in 2014, had a win-loss record second to none. Ohio State won seven straight games over Michigan in Urban Meyer’s tenure.

Another probable candidate is also former Ohio State linebacker Mike Vrabel—a fan favorite to take the position. The only hurdle? Vrabel has repeatedly stated that he doesn’t like recruiting. But should anyone change his mind, he’s more than welcome for a homecoming. As for his resume, the 49-year-old coached the Tennessee Titans for the past six seasons, leading the Titans to a 54-45 record (. 545 win percentage) and two playoff victories.

On a separate note, you better not imagine the mental state Ryan Day is in right now, considering what he said about losing to the Wolverines in the past…

Ryan Day connected a deep anecdote about the tragic Michigan loss

Day, the unofficial villain of the OSU fan base, has gathered quite a stat in Columbus, going 66-10 in his six years with the Buckeyes. But that barely matters. He came up short in the big matches and gave the Wolverines room to take revenge for a 10-year-old dominance, probably the biggest sin in his coaching career. The woes run personal for the 45-year-old.

Day compared losing to Michigan to his father’s death, catering to his nine-year-old memory.

“We’ve felt what it’s like to not win this game, and it’s bad. It’s one of the worst things that’s happened to me in my life, quite honestly. Other than losing my father, and a few other things,” Day said on ‘GameTime with Ryan Day.’

However, the Ohio State coach quickly stepped back from his statement elusively, noting, “It’s quite honestly, for my family, the worst thing that’s happened. So, we can never have that happen.”

Keeping aside all the tangential, the bottom line is Ohio State couldn’t make it. Ryan Day couldn’t make it. The honeymoon phase is over for the Ohio State for this season.