Texas A&M coaching rumors: Ohio State's Ryan Day among top candidates for Aggies job | Reports

No. 2 Ohio State’s rivalry game Saturday against No. 3 Michigan will affect not only the Big Ten title race and the College Football Playoff picture. It could play a significant role in the Texas A&M coaching search.

In an appearance on Fox’s "Big Noon Kickoff,' college football insider Bruce Feldman connected the name of Ohio State coach Ryan Day to the Aggies’ vacancy, reporting his candidacy is largely dependent on how the Buckeyes do Saturday against the Wolverines.

“Keep in mind, the specter of back-to-back losses to the hated archrival Michigan hangs heavy over Columbus,” Feldman said. “If they win here today and beat the Wolverines, I seriously doubt with them in the playoff mix that he would be taking that call, but the Aggies I think are optimistic that if they don’t win that game that he might be open to their pitch.”

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In his fifth full season as Ohio State’s coach, the 44-year-old Day has established himself as one of the most consistent winners in the sport. Under Day, the Buckeyes have gone 56-6 heading into Saturday’s game at Michigan Stadium, a run that has included three College Football Playoff berths.

However, Ohio State has lost to rival Michigan in each of the past two seasons, which has placed mounting pressure on Day despite his gaudy win-loss record. A loss Saturday would make Day the first Buckeyes coach since John Cooper in 1995-97 to lose three-consecutive matchups against the Wolverines.

At least one notable person on the Fox set only lent so much credence to the idea of Day heading to College Station: former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, under whom Day was an assistant coach for two seasons.

“I love you, Bruce, but no way,” Meyer said.

Along with Day, Feldman mentioned Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Duke’s Mike Elko (a former Texas A&M defensive coordinator) and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as targets for the Aggies.

Feldman’s report wasn’t the only notable one from Saturday as Texas A&M’s search to replace the recently fired Jimbo Fisher ramps up. On “College GameDay,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Stoops’ name is “expected to emerge in the next 24 hours,” as Kentucky prepares to play against rival Louisville.

“The next 24 hours will be critical for his candidacy,” Thamel said.

Other names Thamel mentioned were Elko, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Arizona’s Jedd Fisch and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor.

Thamel reported Texas A&M officials have “long pointed” to this weekend as the time when they’d like to have their search finished up while noting that “things are fractured” at the university among power brokers (given all the money that is being spent to pay Fisher’s record $77.6 million buyout).

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Texas A&M coaching rumors: Aggies football considering OSU's Ryan Day