Ryan Day

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly "interested" in Ohio State head coach Ryan Day after they fired Doug Pederson on Monday following a 4-11-1 season in 2020.

A source told John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia to "keep your eye on" Day, who served as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach in 2015 and has led the Buckeyes' program since 2019.

It's unclear whether the 41-year-old New Hampshire native would be open to discussing the vacancy with the Eagles, though.

ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported Day wasn't interested in scheduling any NFL interviews, and in November, the OSU head coach lamented efforts at the pro level to achieve league-wide parity while talking about how happy he was with the Buckeyes.

"I believe this is the best place in America, the best job in America," Day told reporters.

He's guided Ohio State to a 23-2 record over the past two seasons plus three games in 2018 while filling in for Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes reached the national championship game this season before falling short against a dominant Alabama squad on Monday night.

"The goal of the game was not to get here, the goal was to win the game," Day said after the 52-24 loss. "But all that being said, I couldn't be prouder of our culture, what our kids are made of and where the program is headed."

Other coaches that have been linked to Philadelphia include:

• Duce Staley (Eagles assistant head coach)
• Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma head coach)
• Arthur Smith (Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator)
• Robert Saleh (San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator)
• Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator)
• Mike Kafka (Kansas City Chiefs passing game coordinator)
• Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots inside linebackers coach)

The Eagles are only one season removed from a three-year run of playoff appearances, which included winning Super Bowl LII at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

They enter the offseason with plenty of question marks heading toward 2021, though. It starts with deciding which quarterback is going to lead the offense—Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts or someone else acquired during free agency or via the draft.

There has been an even split between blowouts and close games in the six years of the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The past two title games were won by the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers in dominant fashion. The last close final was three years ago, when the Alabama Crimson Tide rode Tua Tagovailoa to a come-from-behind win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Even though the spread grew from 7.5 points to nine in the week preceding the game, Monday's clash between Alabama and the Ohio State Buckeyes is expected to be a tight affair. Ohio State is one of the few teams that can match Alabama's offensive production when it is at its best, and that is reflected in the over/under of 75 points.

Both teams are capable of putting up eye-popping numbers inside Hard Rock Stadium, but only one of the six playoff-era championship games had more than 75 points.

National Championship Odds Guide

Spread: Alabama (-9)

Alabama is not used to being a single-digit favorite this season.

The Crimson Tide were favored by 10 or more points in eight consecutive games leading into the national championship.

The last time Nick Saban's team was projected to win by a single-digit margin was the top-five clash with the Georgia Bulldogs on October 18.

Alabama covered six of the past eight double-digit spreads, but it was not on the right side of the spread in the SEC Championship Game and Rose Bowl. The Florida Gators remained within one score, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earned a backdoor cover with a late touchdown.

Ohio State is an underdog for the second time this season. They won outright as a seven-point underdog against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

The Buckeyes appear to be in good shape to cover based off Alabama's four previous trips to the CFP National Championship. Three of Alabama's four playoff final appearances were decided by one score. The lone exception was the blowout loss it suffered to Clemson in 2019.

In the first two Alabama-Clemson finals, Deshaun Watson put up a combined 75 points on the Crimson Tide defense.

On Monday, another potential first-round pick, Justin Fields, has the capability to produce a large point total and even lead Ohio State to a victory. Fields led the Buckeyes to 43.4 points per game in 2020, while Alabama averaged 48.2 points per game. If you apply the spread to those totals, the Buckeyes would cover comfortably.

The final decision on a spread bet should come down to your belief in Fields to keep the game close.

Alabama proved all season that it can score at will through Mac Jones, Najee Harris and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, and none of the top-10 teams it faced were able to slow them down.

If Fields works the ball around the field to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and receives some contributions from running back Trey Sermon, the Buckeyes could have an offensive mix that keeps Alabama off balance and allows them to stay in the game.

Over/Under: 75

In theory, the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes could get into a back-and-forth battle that involves plenty of quick scores.

However, it is hard for two teams to combine for 75 points in a national championship game wherein there are some elite defensive players on both squads.

Alabama's Patrick Surtain II and Ohio State's Shaun Wade will attempt to slow down Olave and Smith, respectively, or any other wideout who lines up across from them.

The over could also be affected by the push earned by the interior linemen. Ohio State achieved more success with that in the Sugar Bowl, as it held Travis Etienne to 32 rushing yards.

If the Buckeyes slow down Harris on a few drives, it could put Alabama into long-yardage downs. Even one or two punts out of those situations could hurt the over.

In the lone CFB Playoff final to eclipse 75 points, Alabama and Clemson combined for 40 fourth-quarter points. The last punt in the game occurred with 14 minutes left. Even that game needed an offensive explosion to finish with a high total. Alabama only scored seven points in each of the first three frames, and Clemson was shut out in the second quarter.

The slightest dip in offensive production could hurt the potential for the over to hit Monday. Since both defenses conceded an average of 21 points or fewer per game this year, there will likely be a few punts.

CFP National Championship history suggests the under will hit in this contest, but with the abundance of offensive talent on each roster, there is a chance Monday's game becomes the second-highest scoring title clash of the playoff era—or even eclipses the first Alabama-Clemson game.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Amid COVID-19 concerns with the Ohio State Buckeyes, head coach Ryan Day believes his team will be ready for the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.

Day said "correct" when asked by reporters if his team was on track to play Monday against Alabama.

"We'll have plenty of players," he added.

John Talty and Matt Zenitz of AL.com reported Tuesday there have been "concerns related to Ohio State’s player availability for the game" after the Buckeyes "informed key parties involved it could be without a position group due to COVID-19 testing and related protocols."

Talty and Zenitz noted officials from Ohio State, Alabama, the SEC, the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff have had discussions about potentially postponing the game.

However, Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, told ESPN's Heather Dinich on Tuesday the game will be played as scheduled.

"I can tell you there are no changes," Hancock said. "The game is scheduled for Jan. 11, as planned, and we look forward to it."

Radio host Dan Patrick reported Thursday morning that Ohio State "is very close to the availability limit right now" and that the Big Ten is pushing for the game to be postponed.

A College Football Playoff spokesperson told Kyle Rowland of The Blade last month that conference COVID-19 testing protocols will apply to teams in the playoff.

The Big Ten's adjusted rules require players who test positive to sit out at least 17 days. Games during the regular season were canceled if a team had a positivity rate of at least 5 percent.

Ohio State played the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern on Dec. 19 without 22 players, including three starters, because of COVID-19 issues.

The Buckeyes beat Clemson 49-28 in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 1.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields said he will be ready to take the field for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game against Alabama and has no problem with how the Buckeyes' team doctors handled his injury following a hard hit against Clemson in the semifinals.

"Those guys handled it the way I would have wanted it to be handled," he said, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "They did what they thought was best. I'll be good come Monday night."

Clemson linebacker James Skalski hit Fields near his ribcage in the second quarter of the game, and the Buckeyes quarterback remained on the ground in obvious pain. While Fields missed just one play, it was clear he played in pain throughout the remainder of the contest as he grimaced a number of times, limped off the field after throwing a touchdown pass and struggled to get on the exercise bike.

Skalski was ejected for targeting

The hard hit didn't stop Fields from torching the Tigers' secondary to the tune of 385 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception while also adding 42 yards on the ground in a blowout 49-28 win.

Still, the quarterback turned heads after the game when he talked about the process he went through with the team doctors.

"They didn't really tell me anything," he said, per Erick Smith of USA Today. "I took a shot or two and just ran back out there. But it's pretty much my whole right is sore. That's messed up. And a little, my hip. But they didn't really give me a diagnosis at all."

Fields' comments on Thursday suggest he was perfectly fine with the process, and the way he played is a testament to his toughness and individual ability. 

Ohio State will need him to once again be at his best to defeat the Crimson Tide, especially since they may be shorthanded because of COVID-19 issues. Head coach Ryan Day told reporters on Thursday the team is still unsure how many players will be sidelined, although he expects "plenty of players" to be available.

The odds for 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship give us two things we do not typically see. 

The first is the Alabama Crimson Tide as a single-digit favorite and the other is an over/under set at 75.5 points. 

The projected total for Monday's contest opened at 76, which is an unusually high number for a college football title game in any era. 

Alabama enters Hard Rock Stadium with the more dominant set of performances this season. While it is capable of pulling off another double-digit victory, the spread may be right on point for its matchup with an offense that came alive in the Sugar Bowl.

National Championship Odds

Spread: Alabama (-8.5)

Over/Under: 75.5

Money Line: Alabama (-286; bet $286 to win $100); Ohio State (+220; bet $100 to win $220)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Projected Winner

Alabama 35, Ohio State 30

The spread is moving in Alabama's favor, as it jumped from 7.5 to 8.5 on Tuesday. 

That number is still low compared to the spreads posted in the Crimson Tide's favor for most of the season. Alabama was a 19.5-point favorite over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Rose Bowl and was favored by 20 or more points for the six games leading up to the SEC Championship Game. 

Alabama has proved throughout the season it is more than capable of blowing out even the toughest opponents on its schedule. In five games against Top 25 opposition, it has an average margin of victory of 19.4 points. The only ranked foe to finish within 10 points of the Tide was Florida. 

Alabama did not cover its Rose Bowl spread due to a late Notre Dame touchdown, but it was in total control of the contest from the start. The game felt more like a 35-point blowout than a 31-14 victory.

The Crimson Tide may not experience the same level of control Monday since Ohio State is coming off its best outing of the season. 

In two playoff games in the last two seasons, the Buckeyes have proved they belong among the nation's elite programs. They lost to Clemson by six points in last season's semifinal and walloped the ACC champion in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. 

If Justin Fields plays close to the six-touchdown level he did at the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State should have an opportunity to win the game in the fourth quarter. 

Ryan Day's team also possesses a dominant feature running back in Trey Sermon. Alabama has not faced many of those in its meetings with Top 25 teams. Florida lacked a consistent running game and Notre Dame's Kyren Williams is a year or two away from being one of the top running backs in the country. 

Sermon has 524 rushing yards in his last two games, and if Ohio State feeds him on a regular basis, the Buckeyes could control the clock while taking some pressure off Fields to do everything himself.

Even if both offenses are clicking on Monday, there is still a chance the number of points flies under the projected total.

According to ESPN's David Bearman, there have only been two national championship games since 1998 that have gone over 76 points. 

Both teams are capable of putting up over 40 points, but all it takes is one or two stops in each half to put the under well in play. 

Two of Ohio State's last four games featured a total of 77 points, but one of those results was caused by a late surge from the Indiana Hoosiers. If the Buckeyes are tighter on defense, they should avoid a landslide of points in the final two quarters. 

Five of Alabama's last six games have gone under the projected national championship total. Only the SEC Championship Game produced a score that would have cleared Monday's over.

With that in mind, the under feels like the safest bet for the CFP National Championship. If Ohio State plays as it did on New Year's Day, taking it to cover could be a confident wager as well.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

Quarterback Justin Fields is the primary reason Ohio State has an opportunity to play for a national championship. Star receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson form one of the nation's best duos on the outside. Running back Trey Sermon has put up gaudy numbers while helping the Buckeyes win the Big Ten and reach the national title game.

But the biggest improvement for this offense is not a glamorous one. It doesn't catch the attention of casual viewers on a play-by-play basis, even though the players are always on screen.

Ohio State's offensive line has started to dominate.

Early in the season, that was decidedly not the case. Although the Buckeyes had a ton of experience and high-level talent up front, the O-line played just OK.

Nebraska and Rutgers generated pressure on Fields consistently, and Penn State often disrupted running plays. Then a hyper-aggressive Indiana unit disorganized OSU's blockers. The Hoosiers totaled five sacks and three interceptions, and they put a lot more stress on Fields than the box score showed.

Through four games in a unique year, it certainly wasn't time to panic. For a program with championship expectations, however, the shortcomings left an uncomfortable feeling.

To really compete with Alabama or Clemson or another top team, that needed to change.

Because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, even the chance for improvement required a delay.

Ohio State could not travel to Illinois, and three O-line starters missed the victory over Michigan State. Michigan's coronavirus issues struck the rivalry game, leaving a full month between the Buckeyes' semi-concerning Indiana win and the next game in which their first-choice offensive line took the field together: the Big Ten Championship Game.

With a conference title and College Football Playoff berth on the line, Ohio State had a razor-thin margin for error.

Fields didn't have a great performance. Most of that can be attributed to Northwestern's secondary, while Olave's absence didn't help. In the first half, Day's play-calling leaned on Fields to push the ball downfield to little success. He entered the locker room 9-of-20 with 101 yards and an interception.

But as the passing game's aggression went unrewarded, the offensive line showed its potential on the ground. Excluding three sacks, Ohio State had 123 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Sermon, then, controlled the second half. He ripped off gains of 65, 33, 28, 25 and 23 yards, also scoring twice en route to setting a program record with 331 yards.

In the wise (NSFW) words of Marshawn Lynch—condensed for brevity—Sermon and the offensive line ran through Northwestern over and over and over and over and over and over again.

That excellence up front changed the game, and it set the stage for redemption in two ways against Clemson. The obvious one was Ohio State lost to Clemson in last year's CFP. Plus, the Buckeyes struggled with blitz-happy Indiana, and Clemson coordinator Brent Venables is revered for his havoc defenses.

The offensive line—even absent left guard Harry Miller because of a positive coronavirus test—made sure it didn't matter.

Wyatt Davis said the O-line quickly knew it would play well.

"I would say right after that first series we knew," the All-American right guard told reporters. "That's typically when we know, but especially with this game, right after the first series, we knew that we could control the line of scrimmage. I feel like we did a great job of doing that."

Although Fields took a crushing hit from linebacker James Skalski, it happened when he scrambled. The line continually kept Fields clean—especially in the second half with his limited mobility—and created lanes for Sermon. Ohio State racked up 639 yards at a sizzling 8.9 per snap in the 49-28 victory.

Yes, smart game-planning also helped.

Clemson is known for stealing signals, which is both legal and attempted by every team. So, Ohio State huddled more. Or substituted late. Or sprinted to the line of scrimmage. That consistently caught Clemson's defense adjusting late or waiting for a call, providing a valuable edge to the offensive line too.

Sermon's early touchdown is a perfect example of how Ohio State could catch Clemson scrambling.

That's a complementary piece, though. The recent success is a product of the offensive line's flat-out being better.

"It wasn't always so much of a schematic deal," head coach Ryan Day told reporters. "It was more about getting a pads down, hands inside, running feet, all the things that come with that."

Whether the improvement continues against Alabama is the important question. The Crimson Tide have allowed just 3.2 yards per carry—the 11th-best mark nationally—so the Buckeyes are preparing for another great challenge.

No matter what happens, Ohio State wouldn't be in this position without the improved line. Perhaps it's only fitting the unit is likely to determine the outcome of the national title game.

Despite suffering a rib injury against Clemson, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is expected to be on the field against Alabama for the national championship game.

"We definitely expect him to play," head coach Ryan Day told reporters Monday.

Day said he would not get into details about the specifics of the injury.

Fields took a big hit from Clemson's James Skalski, resulting in the linebacker being ejected for targeting. The quarterback stayed in the game but received treatment on the sideline, including multiple shots for pain tolerance.

"It's pretty much my whole right torso that's messed up and a little bit of my hip but they didn't really give me a diagnosis," he said after the game.

"After each and every throw, my ribs hurt," Fields added.

The pain didn't seem to affect Fields' play as he finished with 385 passing yards and six touchdowns to go with 42 rushing yards on eight carries.

It lifted the Buckeyes to a 49-28 upset victory and the school's first trip to the national title game since 2014.

"He's as tough and competitive of a guy as I've ever been around," Day said of Fields Monday.

Ohio State will need him once again to stick with Alabama, which has one of the best offenses in recent years with an average of 48.2 points per game and several elite playmakers like DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris.

If Fields cannot play in next Monday's game, the Buckeyes have few options considering no one else has thrown a pass for the team this season. C.J. Stroud does have a rushing touchdown this season and could be the next man up if needed.