"Stop it": Stephen A. Smith defends his take on Ryan Day after ESPN colleagues 'misquote' him
There seems to be a lot of pressure on the Ohio State Buckeyes and coach Ryan Day to have a sustained presence in the College Football Playoff and even win a national championship this season. After finishing fourth in the Big Ten with an 11-2 (7-2) record and being seeded eighth in the CFP, they have a bit of a battle to do just that.
While on Monday's edition of "First Take," host Stephen A. Smith defended his take about how the Buckeyes should fire Ryan Day if they do not win a national championship and how it was his own feelings and not the entire show as a whole. This was in response to ESPN sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit stating that "First Take" believed Ryan Day was going to be fired from Ohio State.
"Stop it... 'First Take gotta get him fired.' That is not true. I did! Not First Take," Smith said. "That was me, Stephen A. ... don't misquote me. What I said was 'this man Ryan Day, if he doesn't get a national championship, he should go. Even with a 66-10 record.' I didn't stutter one bit, I ain't stuttering now."
The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to secure a 42-17 home win in the first round of the College Football Playoff against the ninth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. Their next game will be in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in a rematch from the regular season against the top-seeded Oregon Ducks.
What are the odds for the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the national championship?
Despite being the lowest remaining seed in the College Football Playoff, the Ohio State Buckeyes are believed to have one of the best chances to win it all this season. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are second in the CFP with +330 odds to win the national championship, trailing only the Texas Longhorns.
It will be a tough road for the Buckeyes to do just that, as they would need to beat the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals, defeat the winner of the Arizona State vs. Texas quarterfinal matchup in the semifinals and then win the national championship game itself.
It will be a tough road, but it could be the difference between Ryan Day having job security this offseason or potentially being replaced.