The pressure on Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day to win an NCAA National title has reached its boiling point, according to ESPN insider Paul Finebaum. It's championship or bust for coach Ryan Day and Ohio State football, as the Buckeyes' roster and several unsuccessful runs to the national championship game have increased the pressure on them.

“He has possibly the most talented roster in the country. He went out, and talk about OPEC money, he went out and spent it on this roster with some amazing players,” Finebaum said, per ESPN's First Take. “I'm still not sure about his quarterback, but here comes the problem for Ryan Day. I don't think this is going to happen, but you have to talk about it. He's lost three straight to Michigan. It's hard to tell the rest of the country how important that game is. It's everything in those two states.

“A loss to Michigan and a flame-out in the playoffs, and I think that he will be on his way out of there. I don't think those things are going to happen, but I think that's the kind of pressure that Ryan Day faces here.”

Ryan Day, Ohio State football's 0-3 streak against Michigan football

Caption:Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates a tackle against Ohio State during the Wolverines 30-24 win in Ann Arbor.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY

Michigan football beat Ohio State 30-24 last season, completing a three-peat since 2021-22. The Wolverines hosted the Buckeyes in a 42-27 win before beating Ohio State on its own turf the following year, 45-23.

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This is why Finebaum said that one more loss to Ohio State's oldest rival could ultimately end coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

“We know the talent he's had in there. C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields, it's endless in terms of the quarterback he's had, and the wide receivers, and the defensive players across the board,” Finebaum added. “But he better go a long way this year, and I'm talking about the championship game in addition to beating Michigan at home.”

Still, coach Day is confident that this year will be different. Many of his NFL-eligible players are back for the upcoming season, which he believes should tip the scale in his favor this year.

“They came back for a reason,” Day said, per The Athletic's Cameron Teague Robinson. “We are thinking big, they're thinking big, we know what's at stake, and we want to do everything we can to have them leave a legacy behind and a bunch of hardware.”

Ohio State football's running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau are back for the upcoming season. In addition to cornerback Denzel Burke, and defensive tackles Tyliek Williams and Ty Hamilton.