After the final whistle, Ohio State faced a deep embarrassment.

One must wonder, what was Ryan Day doing on the field at Ohio Stadium while his passionate Ohio State players clashed with rival Michigan following yet another disheartening defeat?

If you’re looking for grounds to dismiss Day, this is it.

This isn’t simply about losing to Michigan for a fourth straight time; this is about his shocking inaction as chaos erupted around him.

Let’s be clear: GET YOUR TEAM OFF THE FIELD.

“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know those guys were looking to put a flag on our field, and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” Day commented post-game.

Here’s a fresh idea: how about your players don’t let a Michigan team that struggles to complete a forward pass dominate the most important game of the season in a crucial second half?

I could not care less about Michigan’s intentions to plant that oversized “M” flag on the “O” at midfield. It doesn’t matter if you or anyone else at Ohio State finds it disrespectful or lacking in class.

GET OFF THE FIELD — before something far worse than simply losing to Michigan occurs.

Dive into the chaos, and command your players to retreat to the locker room instead of standing idly off to the side, looking bewildered.

Because, as Day himself put it, this game is significant.

“This game is a war,” Day said earlier this week. “Any war has its consequences and casualties. There are prizes and losses that come with it.”

What an eerie prediction that seems to foreshadow his potential downfall as coach.

Yet rather than leading his team in singing the school’s alma mater and exiting quietly to the locker room, Day allowed his squad of young men, aged 18-22, to confront those who had won the battle — which soon turned chaotic.

This isn’t the toughness that Day claimed this team possessed after a meticulous offseason to prepare for this pivotal moment. Following a mentally draining November afternoon, it became a desperate attempt to address a $41 million issue – $20 million for the roster, $21 million for the coaching staff – hoping it would resolve itself.

A truly tough team doesn’t allow themselves to be dominated at home by an underdog with no business winning, only to linger on the field to avoid having a flag planted on their turf.

Boo-hoo.

In sports, there are costs to losing, and there are victims. The distinctions between winners and losers are emphatic after events like this.

Michigan, led by a coach with a shady NCAA record who trashed messages from another known cheater after being implicated in a scandal, somehow emerges victorious.

Then there’s Day, boasting an impressive 47-1 record against every Big Ten team except Michigan, yet stands at 1-4 in the so-called ‘war’ against them.

You cannot suffer defeat in war 75 percent of the time and expect to be given another chance, backed by another talented team and another budget of $41 million. The outcome is termination.

If there were still questions about Day’s future and the state of this team, just look at what unfolded after Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s final, desperate pass fell harmlessly in the chilly Columbus air, sealing their fate in the most critical game of the season.

“I’ll investigate what transpired, but it’s our field,” Day remarked. “Some prideful individuals weren’t going to let that slide.”

Here’s a reminder for Ohio State: You’re not “defending your ground” after a defeat. Just leave the field.

The game has concluded. The Big Ten title has slipped away. The investments made have been wasted.

The College Football Playoff is still a possibility, but who genuinely believes this team can overcome yet another Michigan collapse and win a national title — thereby securing Day’s position — by succeeding in four consecutive postseason games?

It would be absurd to fire a coach with a 47-1 record against all Big Ten teams except Michigan. That would be akin to dismissing Georgia’s Kirby Smart just because he can’t beat Alabama.

However, the clamor for Day’s dismissal will amplify after this latest loss to Michigan. The repercussions of what happened off the field post-loss are just as damaging.

The game has ended, and the embarrassment is total. There are costs and losses in war.

No one recognizes that better than Ryan Day.