Head coaches Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian have led their teams to the College Football Playoff semifinal and will battle on Friday in the 2025 Cotton Bowl. Once it reaches this time of year, there’s always pressure, but is either one’s job security on the line?
Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian Both Face Cotton Bowl Pressure, But Is One Under Much More Scrutiny?
The 2025 edition of the Cotton Bowl will feature two storied college football programs: the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes. Throughout the season, these teams are among the handful of college football programs talked about most.
Now, they’ve made it to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, facing off against each other.
Each head coach has been in the headlines for more than a few reasons this season, leading to a perfect matchup for the talking heads to debate before the game. On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Get Up cast debated one topic in particular: Which head coach is under more pressure, the Buckeyes’ Ryan Day or the Longhorns’ Steve Sarkisian?
Which head coach has more at stake in the CFP: Ohio State’s Ryan Day or Texas’ Steve Sarkisian? 🤔@CFBHeather and @finebaum weigh in ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5vJagsSTi5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 8, 2025
ESPN senior writer and college football insider Heather Dinich answered first, explaining that Sarkisian is under more pressure due to the entire SEC conference being “on his back,” in her words. She went on to say that it hasn’t been a great year for the SEC, and it’s all on Texas now.
She’d be correct. Without (former…?) SEC powers the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs, making the playoff and losing in the quarterfinals, respectively; the Longhorns are the lone representative from the conference. The Big Ten has two teams left — Penn State Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes — so, in Dinich’s thinking, the pressure isn’t on Day like it is on Sarkisian.
From the point Dinich is arguing, it’s hard to disagree.
However, the answer is Ryan Day for one simple reason: his job may be on the line.
It may feel like years ago, but the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes 13-10 to finish the 2024 regular season — in Columbus. After the game, a Wolverine flag was headed towards midfield to be planted on the Ohio State “O”. Before it got there, Ohio State captain Jack Sawyer grabbed and ripped apart the flag. The act sparked a massive, ugly brawl.
One of the prevailing images from the fight was of Day. As Sawyer ripped the flag, Day was seen on camera looking on. His hands sat in his pocket, and he stared at it blankly. One could’ve only wondered what he was thinking.
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The image sparked a conversation about Day’s job security. Hired in 2019, the standards at Ohio State are clear: win the national championship and beat Michigan. The order of that is up for discussion.
Day has failed to bring a championship to Columbus. He’s come close, reaching the CFP three times and advancing to the championship game in 2021. Ohio State never had a chance, losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 52-24. The other two appearances were close losses in the semifinals.
Beating Michigan has been an especially sore subject in recent years. Beginning in 2021, the Wolverines have defeated the Buckeyes four straight times, capped off by the especially surprising outcome in late November. Coming into the game, Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the nation and was poised to face the Oregon Ducks in the Big 10 championship with a win.
Michigan came into the game with a barely-bowl-eligible 6-5 record. The Wolverine victory eventually knocked the Buckeyes down to the No. 8 seed in the CFP, muddying their path in the playoff.
Day endured numerous people calling for his job in the weeks leading up to the CFP first round. That’s when things began to turn around.
A dominant 42-17 triumph over the Tennessee Volunteers set up a matchup with the aforementioned Ducks in the Rose Bowl. Easily the most highly anticipated matchup of the quarterfinals, the game was essentially over before halftime. A 34-0 lead ended in a convincing 41-21 drubbing of Oregon.
The calls for Day’s job have slowed to a murmur, but they’re still lingering.
Now, let’s be real: it’s unlikely that Day will get fired after turning the tide so quickly following a tough loss. It shows his command within the locker room — instead of quitting, the players have rallied around each other and played their two best games of the season when they needed it the most.
But on the flip side, Sarkisian has no worries of being fired at all.
Hired in early 2021, he led the program through two rebuilding seasons before two straight CFP appearances in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Sarkisian has brought the Longhorns back to the forefront of college football.
Texas AD Chris Del Conte even had to answer questions about Sarkisian potentially fielding calls for NFL head coaching openings. From my estimation, Sarkisian is under no pressure in his game.
Will it be crushing if he loses? Yes — every loss in college football is crushing. But he won’t have any questions at all about his future in Austin.
Day, potentially, will. As mentioned, he’s done a tremendous job putting his team in the position they’re in. However, a loss against Texas would be his third loss in the CFP semifinals in four appearances. While the two wins against Tennessee and Oregon feel good, they mean nothing if the job isn’t finished.
If Day wants to put any kind of decision about his future as the Ohio State head coach in his own hands, beat Texas and win the national championship in the ensuing game.
He may have to do just that. That’s pressure.
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