In one of the more surprising hires of the college football coaching carousel, Ryan Day and Ohio State Football is finalizing a deal to bring former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia to Columbus as the Buckeyes next defensive coordinator. ESPN's Pete Thamel was the first to report the news on Wednesday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had to overhaul their coaching staff after winning their second national championship in the past five seasons. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly left for the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders after helping the Buckeyes rank 14th in the nation with 35.

Michigan football fans didn't exactly have a reason to fear former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who improved the Buckeye defense to best in the country this past year. Because the Wolverines never lost to Knowles, even when his defenses performed admirably over the past few seasons.