Ohio State national championship odds: Hot seat coach Ryan Day's chances to win the title explored 

The Ohio State national championship journey begins with a first-round clash against the Tennessee Volunteers at the Ohio Stadium. The game will have a lot riding on it with Buckeyes' coach Ryan Day's job security under the microscope after a fourth consecutive loss to eternal rivals, the Michigan Wolverines in Week 14 of college football action.

According to ESPN BET, Ohio State's national championship odds are the fourth highest at +500. The Buckeyes are behind, the Georgia Bulldogs (+400) and joint favorites, the Texas Longhorns and Oregon Ducks (+350).

Ohio State national championship tied to Ryan Day's future

During Thursday's segment of ESPN's "Get Up," analyst Harry Douglas tied coach Ryan Day's job security directly to an Ohio State national championship win despite Buckeyes' athletic director Ross Bjork's assertions to the contrary.

"So, 100%, I feel like Ryan Day has to win a national championship to save his job," Douglas said. "When you lose to Michigan four years in a row, but you also lose to Sherrone Moore in a year that your roster is way better than the University of Michigan? You have to win a national championship. That's one of the dark clouds that's over his head right now. He hasn't been able to do that."

The talk around an Ohio State national championship win to save embattled coach Ryan Day's job was seized upon by Douglas's fellow ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky who argued that the Buckeyes' roster was too good to not win the title.

“I agree with Harry. I think Ryan Day is a phenomenal coach. There’s just the reality of the expectations,” Orlovsky said. “This is a very good football team. We’ve said it many a time. It’s the most expensive roster in the history of college football. You’ve got to go win the national championship. There’s no question about it.

“That’s why I’m saying, like, the pressure that is on him and his football team to start this game is insurmountable…What happened the last time they were in Columbus?” said Orlovsky. “If this game starts poorly for Ohio State, the boo birds will come out very quickly. Then the tension and the pressure and the worry will just ramp up. That’s the challenge for Ryan Day – to get his young players, can they just settle in and go play their style of football?”

Ryan Day has a 4-6 record against top 5 teams which will have to improve markedly if the under-pressure coach is to fulfill the Ohio State national championship win-or-bust narrative in the college football playoffs.