Ryan Day recalls "awful day" Ohio State lost to Michigan

Ohio State coach Ryan Day made himself a hero in Columbus after leading the Buckeyes to the national title with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame. Day's team swaggered through the College Football Playoff, blowing out the Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns and Fighting Irish to clinch the first national title in the 12-team playoff era.

During his postgame news conference, Day spoke about the impact of November's 13-10 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Buckeyes' rivalry game.

"We had an awful day. I don’t know how else to describe it," Day said. "Our team has come together so well over the last month and a half. It’s like being around a family. This is the tightest group of guys I’ve ever been around. To think we’re not going to be together again—it’s hard. I’m going to miss these guys. They’re great people."

Ryan Day's journey from disaster to triumph relived by analyst

During Tuesday's segment of the "Josh Pate College Football Show," CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate recounted the rollercoaster journey that Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes team undertook from losing to the Michigan Wolverines to winning the national championship.

"I sat there along with the rest of you, some of you were in the Shoe (Horseshoe) for the Michigan game, a lot of you watched it on TV," Pate said (1:30). "And I'm watching at the end thinking, 'This is utter devastation.'

"I mean, when you consider what the expectations of this team are, when you consider what is invested and when you consider the standards and the expectation level, and when you consider what the talking points around Ryan Day were, this was utter devastation."

Pate further addressed the nagging feeling that Day could still lead the Buckeyes to triumph even after being counted out by college football fans and even some Ohio State fans.

"But yet, you also have a voice in the back of your mind that says, 'We've got 12 teams that we've put in this thing now, and you still got an opportunity,"' Pate said. "And I don't think no matter how much you pay someone, there is a duplication for the ability to take an organization, much less yourself, and get it back off the deck and to end up winning this thing. They end up beating five top-five AP teams, ultra-impressive."

Ryan Day has overseen a stunning reversal of the Buckeyes' fortunes after that day in "The Horseshoe" when his job status was called into question.