How good is Ryan Day? We're about to find out

As one of only four active coaches in the sport to win a national championship, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day belongs to one of college football's most elite clubs.

That distinction - and an overall record of 88-14 - would suggest that Day is exceptional at his job.

However, it's 2026, and college football has become the ultimate case of "what have you done for me lately?" That puts Day in for one of the toughest challenges of his coaching career in a November contest.

The first major setback was the injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin. Then came a second loss of the season to USC in backup Luke Fahey's first career start. As a result, the Buckeyes fell to No. 12 when the CFP committee released its first rankings on Thursday.

"We watched Ohio State Saturday against Southern Cal," committee chair Hunter Yurachek said, according to Lyle Alenstein of Eleven Warriors. "I don't want to put the burden on the freshman quarterback because their offense actually played fairly well. They were held to four field goals through three and a half quarters, but their defense gave up some really big, explosive plays, and some of the coaches in the room shared concern about Ohio State up front and their defense and not necessarily the quarterback."

Consider the message sent. The Buckeyes will not only have to run the table on their regular-season schedule, but they'll also have to both produce and limit explosive plays.

Day has faced significant challenges before, most notably in 2024, when the weakest Michigan team in years somehow waltzed into Columbus and pantsed the Buckeyes 13-10 despite throwing for only 62 yards.

But Ohio State responded emphatically with four straight double-digit playoff wins, earning its first national title since the 2014 season.

Can Day and his staff pull that off again and lead the Buckeyes past Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan to make the CFP? Here's what needs to happen if they're going to pull it off.

Drastically improve blocking

This isn't breaking news to any Ohio State fan, as offensive line struggles have plagued the team in big moments for a while. Look no further than last year's Big Ten title game and CFP contest for proof. Indiana and Miami put up 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in those outings. Day tried to address the issues in the offseason, but it's safe to say he failed. Ohio State now ranks below the FBS average in four major blocking categories this season.

• Sacks allowed: 80th
• Pressures allowed: 79th
• Tackles-for-loss allowed: 72nd
• Rush yards before contact: 130th

Being a true freshman backup quarterback comes with enough challenge on its own, but an offensive line that routinely misses assignments and can't stop an average USC front likely doomed Fahey from the start. Last week, he averaged only 6 yards per attempt, more than four fewer than Sayin's nation-leading 10.5. While some of that is on a conservative game plan with QB2 involved, Fahey undoubtedly felt pressure due to the offensive line's shortcomings.

A quality running game is a young quarterback's best friend, but Fahey certainly can't rely on that this year. The Buckeye running backs barely get a yard on the ground before meeting the defense, and only eight teams in the country are worse in rush yards before contact. Although Ohio State's 204 yards against USC offered some promise, it took 43 carries to hit that total.

"That's fine to have a 13-play drive, but it's better to have a one-play drive for 70 yards," Day told Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors. "We got to find ways to be more explosive."

It might be too late for Day to fix the offensive line completely, but he'll have to find a way to limit that group's damage. Fahey needs time to locate Jeremiah Smith and let the nation's top receiver go to work.

Figure out the red zone

Ohio State was lethal in the red zone during the 2024 championship run, converting over 75% of its trips into touchdowns to finish fifth nationally. The combo of Chip Kelly's play-calling and Will Howard's rushing ability made the Buckeyes nearly impossible to defend and played a major role in securing the title.

Sayin has been an elite quarterback for Ohio State ... until the offense hits the 20-yard line. Red-zone struggles have hampered the offense since he took over two seasons ago, and that didn't change with Fahey behind center. The Buckeyes have converted just over 62% of their red-zone trips into touchdowns this season, ranking 67th nationally. That seems unfathomable, given that Jeremiah Smith plays for the program.

The USC contest was particularly ugly in the red zone, or just beyond, with Ohio State forced to kick four field goals despite starting each of those series inside the Trojans' 27-yard line.

The most egregious came when the Buckeyes had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line in the final two minutes of the opening half. Instead of cutting the lead to four points, Ohio State settled for a field goal, and USC kicked another field goal before halftime to make it 20-9.

Whether it be a package for 6-foot-4, 235-pound third-string quarterback Tavien St. Clair or some creative ideas to free open Jeremiah Smith, Day and coordinator Arthur Smith need better red-zone results - something easier said than done with four of the nation's top-19 red-zone defenses on the schedule.

• Oregon: 19th
• Northwestern: 12th
• Nebraska: 9th
• Michigan: 10th

Limit big plays

USC hanging 30 points on Ohio State looks bad on the surface, but the defense played very well aside from two enormous plays by the Trojans. Trent Mosley's 69-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive and Mark Bowman's electric 70-yard catch-and-run accounted for 139 of USC's 222 passing yards. Mosley scored on his play, while Bowman set up a 1-yard touchdown, meaning 14 of the 30 points came from two horrific plays by the Buckeyes' defense.

That was a massive outlier, with Ohio State usually among the nation's top defensive units at limiting explosive plays. That'll be key against the offensive units left on the Buckeyes' schedule. Only Northwestern ranks inside the top 40 in yards per play, making it unlikely any of the remaining opponents will consistently drive the field. If the Buckeyes' defense can stop the explosive play, it's tough to see anybody putting up 20-plus points on the scoreboard.