Ohio State’s offensive performance in the Cotton Bowl was unlike any we had seen since Ryan Day came to Columbus.

The Buckeyes’ three points and 203 yards of offense against Missouri were both by far the worst totals put up by an Ohio State offense in any game since OSU’s 2016 College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Clemson. That game, in which the Buckeyes failed to score any points, led to an offensive staff shakeup that initially brought Day to Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ co-offensive coordinator.

Having now completed his fifth year as Ohio State’s head coach with back-to-back losses to end the year, Day must seriously consider making offensive staff changes of his own after a significant dropoff in offensive performance throughout the 2023 season, especially in Ohio State’s 14-3 season-ending loss.

Ohio State’s biggest failures in the Cotton Bowl came on the offensive line, which had the worst performance we’ve ever seen from a Buckeye offensive line in our time covering the team. That was a significant factor in the struggles of Ohio State’s quarterbacks, but those struggles could nevertheless lead to a transfer quarterback addition. And it’s probably time for Day to give up offensive play-calling duties after an ineffective game plan in Dallas.

We dive into all of that and evaluate how hot Day’s seat could be in 2024 before giving our overall grades for the 2023 season, identifying the year’s biggest surprises and disappointments and making our picks for next week’s national championship game in our first Real Pod Wednesdays of 2024.