Big Ten football news: Northwestern job available, Ryan Day on the hot seat

It has been an eventful week for Big Ten football, with new coaching jobs opening up and questions surrounding the conference’s top teams. Here are two notable pieces of Big Ten news from this week.

Big Ten football headlines: Ryan Day on the hot seat? Northwestern head coaching vacancy

NORTHWESTERN FIRES FITZ

The most significant piece of Big Ten football news to come about this month was yesterday’s firing of Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was with the Wildcats for quite some time. In fact, he led his program to two conference title games, falling short both times.

Now, around 50 days from the start of the 2023 college football season, Northwestern needs to find a new head football coach after an embarrassing 1-11 (1-8 Big Ten) season last year. Some of the most talked about candidates early on include Brian Hartline (Ohio State) and Sherrone Moore (Michigan), though neither one is considered a sure thing or has any confirmed interest in the job.

FINEBAUM: DAY ON THE HOT SEAT

Ohio State is heading into the 2023 season with a vengeance on its mind after suffering back-to-back losses at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines. Their arch-rival has blown them out twice in a row, won two-straight Big Ten titles, and appeared in the College Football Playoff twice in a row. With this resurgence of the Wolverines, current Buckeye head coach Ryan Day is facing a lot of blowback due to his losing record against Jim Harbaugh.

According to Paul Finebaum, Day may already be on the hot seat in Columbus.

“Believe it or not, Ryan Day is going to be on the hot seat, according to some people, if he loses to Michigan again. Remember when Jim Harbaugh couldn’t beat anyone? Ryan Day’s had a really good run. He’s played for a championship, he’s been in the playoffs,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “Came within a whisker of getting back to the championship game. But fans around the country are going, ‘When are you going to win us a title like Urban [Meyer] did in 2014?’”

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