Paul Finebaum explains how Tennessee Vols can cause a shockwave in the college football world with a win over Ohio State
The Tennessee Volunteers will play their first ever College Football Playoff game on Saturday, December 21 against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. It's a tremendous moment for the Tennessee program and proof of tangible progress the program has made under Josh Heupel. However, Ohio State fans aren't nearly as rosy on where their program […]
The Tennessee Volunteers will play their first ever College Football Playoff game on Saturday, December 21 against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. It's a tremendous moment for the Tennessee program and proof of tangible progress the program has made under Josh Heupel.
However, Ohio State fans aren't nearly as rosy on where their program is – despite being a mainstay in the playoff for years. That's due in large part to Ryan Day's failures against the school's primary rival Michigan Wolverines. Day has a 1-4 record against them during his tenure. This year, the Buckeyes lost 13-10 at home as a 21-point favorite, warming up his seat to a degree.
However, ESPN/SEC Network mainstay Paul Finebaum thinks Day is in very tenuous position entering the Buckeyes' matchup with Tennessee, seeing it as potentially a must-win for Day to keep his job. The veteran radio host joined Mike Greenberg on Get Up on Monday morning and said this is game Day simply has to win.
"Well, I think it's a dead heat, Greeny, and I don't like to be that way, but Ryan Day has his job on the line," Finebaum responded to a question about who is under the most pressure among CFP coaches. "If he gets knocked out in the first round, I think that's it for him. He's not going to make it, and he'll be fired – he likely will be fired."
Day is the perfect example of being one play away from having your entire legacy and reputation changed. In the 2022 playoff, Day's Buckeyes were one field goal away from beating the Georgia Bulldogs in their semifinal matchup. If that 50-yard attempt in the final seconds goes through instead of hooking left, the Buckeyes are probably national champions, and Day is looked at as a championship coach instead of a guy who can't get it done.
However, lose a second straight home game to the Vols next Saturday, and the question really could come into play as to whether Ohio State moves on from their coach. And it's certainly one that Tennessee fans are obviously hoping is forced to be addressed.
It would be a win that would very likely change the direction of two major programs: vaulting Tennessee further towards the top of the college football world while leaving one of the sport's biggest names with a quandary it has to resolve.
We'll find out in less than two weeks if Tennessee can create that scenario.
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