Entering the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, no playoff team had more to prove than No. 8 Ohio State.

During the preseason, the Buckeyes were expected to win at least 11 games and were ranked as the No. 2 best team in the nation. But by the end of the regular season the Buckeyes had two losses and did not make a bid to play in the Big Ten Championship.

Many fans still had faith in Ohio State just because of how talented the roster was, but that embarrassing loss to a then-unranked 6-5 Michigan as the second-ranked team in the nation had many fans not only jumping off the Ohio State bandwagon but calling for Ryan Day’s job.

When your record is 1-4 against Michigan you will always be on the hot seat as the coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. With Day also being just 1-3 in the CFP before the 2024 National Championship run, his seat may have been the hottest in the sport before the 2024 CFP.

Thankfully for Day, not only did the Buckeyes win the national championship, but they did it dominantly.

Now, Day can breathe a little bit, but the narratives around him are far from changed.

With both offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles having moved on from Ohio State following the title win, Day will have a lot of holes to fill ahead of the 2025 season — especially if he wants to beat Michigan and stay on top of the world as national champions.

Winning the CFP title did a lot for Day’s job security, but there are still some things for him to prove heading into the 2025 season.