Consider it a mulligan — with a twist.
Coach Ryan Day and Ohio State’s title hopes did not end with the stunning three-point loss to three-touchdown underdog Michigan on Thanksgiving weekend.
Day has the expanded playoff to thank for that.
But there is mounting pressure on him to not only get past No. 9 Tennessee on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, but to make a run through these playoffs.
Ohio State, seeded eighth, reportedly spent a whopping $20 million on a star-studded roster and finished a disappointing fourth in the Big Ten.
It hasn’t reached the national championship game since 2020.
It has lost four straight times to bitter rival Michigan.
Day has been the face of those failures. Some believe his job could — or should — be in jeopardy even though Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said last week he’s “absolutely” confident Day will return next season.
Day has accomplished a lot at Ohio State.
A 66-10 record.
Two Big Ten titles.
A trip to the national championship game.
The only Buckeyes coach with a better winning percentage who lasted three or more seasons is Urban Meyer.
But this is Ohio State, where championships and wins over Michigan are expected.
An early exit will raise further questions about the program’s future.
A big postseason, though, could help people forget about that Michigan loss.
“We’re in the playoffs now. That game is behind us,” Day said this week. “The [result] is never going to change, it’s never going to change here at Ohio State.
However, the playoffs have. The expanded playoffs have.”
The first step of what would be a daunting journey won’t be easy.
The Volunteers finished just a game behind SEC champion Georgia and feature a robust defense that was fourth in the nation in points allowed (13.9).
They are battle-tested, with a win over Alabama and loss to Georgia that was winnable. Tennessee won’t be intimidated, that’s for sure.
No. 1 Oregon, which knocked off Ohio State in October, would be next.
The Buckeyes did themselves no favors with that loss to Michigan, creating a more difficult path.
That doesn’t matter now.
To coin an NCAA Tournament phrase, Ohio State merely has to survive and advance.
Starting Saturday night, Day and these Buckeyes can begin to move past that loss to the Wolverines by beating Tennessee.
His future may depend on it.
A look at the other opening-round playoff games this weekend:
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Friday
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.
Notre Dame’s plus-315 scoring margin is impressive, although its best win came over unranked Texas A&M way back in early September.
Indiana was smoked by Ohio State, the lone ranked team it faced.
This feels like a game of high variance between two schools that are both ranked in the top-six in scoring and points allowed, but have piled up those big numbers against mediocre competition.
Saturday
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Noon
After Day, no coach will face more pressure than Penn State’s James Franklin.
The Nittany Lions are an 8.5-point favorite and are facing an opponent few expected to reach this point.
Franklin, of course, has struggled mightily in big games, 3-18 against Associated Press top-10 teams in his Penn State tenure.
SMU has nothing to lose after it was picked to finish seventh in the ACC.
The Mustangs season is already a success with a program record-tying 11 wins.
The game will feature the nation’s fifth highest-scoring offense (SMU) against the No. 8 scoring defense (Penn State).
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 4 p.m.
The NCAA Tournament has become known for No. 12 seeds upsetting the fifth seed.
Don’t look for that to become a trend in football, at least not here.
Clemson was fortunate to get in after blowing a 17-point lead in the ACC championship game, only to earn the automatic bid on Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard field goal as time expired.
The Tigers went 0-2 against the SEC this year, crushed by Georgia and edged by in-state rival South Carolina.
Texas can play its “C” game and advance.
