"You are shocked, you are stunned": Josh Pate offers grim scenario to Ohio State fans where Ryan Day loses the final

On Monday, the No. 6-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will face No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the National Championship game. The Buckeyes are generally seen as the favorites to win their game and the fan base is optimistic that the team will win their first national championship since 2014.

However, as with every final, there is a chance that Ohio State may not win. College Football analyst Josh Pate discussed the scenario on Friday's episode of "Josh Pate's College Football Show."

During this, he covered what the fan reaction could be if the Buckeyes lost.

"You are shocked. You are stunned. Then, the shock and the stun moves to anger." (6:24)

There is no way that Ohio State would have even been considered for a spot in the old playoff format of four teams. Their highly anticipated regular season did not go their way. Most notable, they suffered a shock defeat to arch-rivals the Michigan Wolverines, who had been struggling all season long.

What was meant to be an easy win never came, and it took the Buckeyes out of contention to make the Big Ten Championship game.

This put even more pressure on Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who has developed an unwanted reputation for being unable to deliver in the big games. The loss against the Wolverines did not help.

However, the Buckeyes were able to make the playoffs and have transformed into one of, if not the strongest teams in College Football. Ohio State outmuscled Tennessee and the then-undefeated Oregon Ducks, before defeating the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl last week to reach the National Championship Game.

A victory in this game is the only acceptable outcome for Buckeyes fans. A loss to Notre Dame might prompt some fans to label the season disappointing, even if they make it to the championship game.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day on what the Buckeyes need to improve on

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day during the Cotton Bowl game against the Texas Longhorns. (Credits: IMAGN)

During a press conference before the big game, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day spoke about what his team needs to improve on to defeat the Fighting Irish.

"There's nobody that came back on offense and was pleased with the fact that we had those penalties. The issues are there," Day said. "We certainly have the right and opportunity to persevere through those penalties, but certainly sets us way behind the sticks, and we cannot have that in this game. Efficiency is going to be something that we've got to do a much better job of if we're going to win it.”

During the win against Texas, the Ohio State offense was not the same offense we saw earlier in the playoffs. They were being stopped by the Longhorns's defense and conceded nine penalties in the game. They also had fewer plays on offense, and one could say that the Buckeyes only won the game because of the defense's pressure on Texas's quarterback Quinn Ewers.

If the Buckeyes are going to become National Champions, they need to revive the offense from the Oregon and Tennessee games.