In the weeks following Ohio State’s shocking 13-10 loss to arch-rival Michigan on Nov. 30, there was talk from college football pundits and Buckeye legends alike about Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s employment status and what This is exactly what his team needs to do in the College Football Playoff to save its season and its job.

A figure all too familiar to Day has now also spoken out on the matter.

In a video he (or someone close to the 87-year-old) posted to social media, Lou Holtz said that playing in the playoff championship game and winning a national title was “the only way to save Day’s job.” “.

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Holtz, for his part, doesn’t think that will happen, as the former Notre Dame coach picked Tennessee to defeat the Buckeyes in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday night at Ohio Stadium.

“I think this will be an excellent game and I think Tennessee has an excellent chance to upset Ohio State,” Holtz said. “Because Ohio State will rely on the pass and Tennessee is outstanding in run defense.”

At the start of the video, Holtz said there’s more at stake for Day and the Buckeyes than a playoff game.

“I think Ohio State will be so focused after the loss to Michigan,” Holtz said. “It will do two things. First, it will hurt Ohio State’s confidence. But #2: It should motivate them to try to go all the way. This is the only way to save Coach Day’s job. Ohio State is a very good football team, but they don’t run the ball well enough to be a great football team.”

Holtz’s comments largely mirror what former Ohio State wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter said in early November when he told Stephen A. Smith that Day should be fired if the Buckeyes don’t win the national championship.

“If you look at the quarterbacks he had, if you look at the offensive productivity he had and the lack of courage to win the big game (against Michigan), but once and no national championships, then yours Job done danger to Ohio State,” Carter said.

Although Holtz hasn’t coached at the college level since 2004, he and Day have been inextricably linked in recent years.

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Before Ohio State’s 2023 game at Notre Dame, Holtz said Day’s losses with the Buckeyes were due to their opponents being more physical teams. The comments caught Day’s attention. Shortly after his team scored a touchdown with one second left to secure a 17-14 victory over the Fighting Irish, Day famously opened his postgame interview with NBC by addressing Holtz.

“I would like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said. “I can’t believe what he said about our team. This is a strong team. We are proud to be from Ohio. It was always Ohio against the world and it will continue to be Ohio against the world.”

Day has a 63-10 record since taking over as Ohio State’s full-time head coach prior to the 2019 season and has led his team to the playoffs for the fourth time during his tenure. However, he is just 1-4 against Michigan, with his most recent loss coming as a three-touchdown favorite at home against a Wolverines team that was just 6-5 entering the match.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lou Holtz picks Tennessee, says CFP Ryan Day needs to get the job