Repollo
On September 13, 2026, No. 1 Ohio State blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead at home and lost 24-23 to Texas, tumbling to No. 6 while Arch Manning’s Longhorns claimed the top ranking with 42 first-place votes. Manning orchestrated three straight fourth-quarter touchdown drives against a defense that had suffocated Texas for three quarters. Day himself conceded the Buckeyes did not play well enough in the fourth and failed to finish drives with the game in hand. Critics point to his conservative late-game play-calling — running on obvious passing downs and sitting on the lead — as the reason Ohio State stopped scoring while Texas caught fire. Defenders counter that a defense yielding 21 fourth-quarter points is the actual failure, and pinning it on the head coach ignores that Manning made NFL-level throws under real pressure.