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Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Texas Longhorns head coach © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSteve Sarkisian speak during a press conference at AT&T Stadium prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 9, 2025.

Ryan Day Has No Pressure On Saturday But The Same Can’t Be Said About Steve Sarkisian

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Danny Fisher | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 10:16 PM ET

No. 3 Ohio State will welcome in No. 1 Texas this weekend in the rematch of last year’s Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes defeated the Longhorns 28-14 in the College Football Playoff Semifinals in January. Ohio State would go on to beat Notre Dame in the National Championship a week later, giving head coach Ryan Day his first title. Day needed the championship win more than any coach in the country last season. Ohio State entered the playoffs last year with a 10-2 record, losing to Michigan for the fourth season in a row in their final regular-season game.

Day’s job was never in jeopardy, and if the Buckeyes had lost sometime in the playoffs, he would not have gotten fired. Outside of his failures against Michigan, he has performed well against everyone else. Ohio State has been one of the best teams in the country under Day, and a little loss to Michigan wasn’t going to affect any decision on his future. Thankfully for Day, he won the national championship and is now viewed as one of the legendary coaches in Ohio State’s history.

The Pressure Is Off Ryan Day, But On Steve Sarkisian

Now that the pressure is off, Day’s back, the coach he will see on Satruday, Steve Sarkisian, is in the shoes Day was in last year. Texas is the favorite to win the national championship, having the most talented roster in the country. The Longhorns are led by future No. 1 draft pick quarterback Arch Manning and the best defense in the country. Sarkisian has come up short the last few years, losing to Washington in the College Football Playoff Semifinals in 2023. Losing to Georgia twice last year, once in the SEC title, and losing to Ohio State.

The game on Saturday is a lot more critical to Sarkisian than it is for Day. The last time college football fans watched Day coach, he was on one of the most impressive runs ever, beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame. Day has nothing left to prove. If the Buckeyes go out on Saturday and drop the game, then it’s no big deal. Ohio State will still compete in the Big Ten and will make the College Football Playoffs. For Sarkisian, if he loses this game, then all the doubt that he can’t win the big one comes into question.

There’s no doubt that Sarkisian is a great coach, but losing big game after big game isn’t what Texas has signed up for. Dropping a game to Ohio State won’t screw up their season, but they do have a way harder test the rest of the way than Ohio State does. The Longhorns still have to go on the road to play Georgia, whom they can’t beat, play at Florida, who should be good this year, and play Oklahoma and Texas A&M in rivalry games where anything can happen.

Ohio State fans are likely to overreact if they lose to Texas, as they often do, even if they only beat Purdue by 40 points. Buckeye fans have nothing to worry about. They won the title last year. Turning over most of their roster and breaking in a new starting quarterback in Julian Sayin. Texas fans are going to overreact if they lose, and they should. There should be concern in Austin if the Longhorns find themselves in the loss column on Saturday.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Texas Longhorns head coach © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSteve Sarkisian stand together following a press conference at AT&T Stadium prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 9, 2025.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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