CFB analyst snaps Ryan Day back to reality after Ohio State's fairy tale triumph over Notre Dame 

Despite Ryan Day and Ohio State winning the College Football Playoff national title on Monday, there will always be a stain on the season. That blemish, an upset home loss to rival Michigan, might have been the driving force for the memorable run that ended on the mountaintop in Atlanta.

The trophy that Day and his Buckeyes brought home to Columbus will appease most unhappy fans for now. That patience will be tested, Fox Sports radio host Ben Maller believes, if they lose to the Wolverines for a fifth time in a row next season.

"What does this win do now for the much-maligned Ohio State football coach Ryan Day? What does this victory do?" Maller said Tuesday on 'The Ben Maller Show.' "So Day, we all know this. We've talked about it. ... We talked about it after the Michigan game — briefly, it came up in conversation here — that he had a, we call it, a toasty tushy. He had a toasty tushy after that game, so this win is a nice fire extinguisher on the old hot seat for now.

"I know the theme of the last 24 hours in Washington, D.C., has been pardons. Everyone's getting a pardon. Preemptive pardons, all of that. So this is like a pardon, but it's a temporary pardon ... until the Buckeyes lose to the Wolverines again coming up in late 2025, and then we can get the laser printer and we're back to square one," he added.

Revisiting the heartbreaking defeat for Ryan Day and Ohio State

Ryan Day and Ohio State were limited to just 10 points in the loss to Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines, the output being the Buckeyes' lowest of the entire campaign.

"Our defense played outstanding," Moore said after the game. "We held a high-powered offense to 10 points, 77 rushing yards."

It was Dominic Zvada's 21-yard field goal that sealed matters with 45 seconds left, which came not long after Kalel Mullings wriggled free for a 27-yard gain on the ground. Will Howard and Ohio State's offense could do little to move the ball with a chance for redemption after that sequence, turning it over on downs.

The setback was a shocker as the Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread in the rivalry series since 1978, as per ESPN Stats and Info.

"It's hard, man," Howard said postgame via ESPN. "I really don't have much right now. I do know we're a two-loss team. We're going to get into the playoffs and make a run. But, I mean, this one hurts."

Ryan Day and Ohio State, of course, did make the postseason and went on a remarkable four-game stretch, downing each opponent in convincing fashion — maybe except for Texas, who was still in the Cotton Bowl semifinal late on.

The 34-23 triumph over Notre Dame in the national championship game silenced most Ohio State and Ryan Day critics, at least till they face Michigan again.