Buckeye fans are waking up on Thursday and having to think about the improbable, who could be the next head coach at Ohio State?

Decisions have not been made at Ohio State as Urban Meyer is on paid administrative leave and the university announced that Ryan Day will assume the role of acting head coach in the interim.

If the unthinkable happens and Meyer is not with the Buckeyes in 2018, it would be safe to assume that Day would remain in the head coaching role on an interim basis for the season with the opportunity to make it a permanent job moving forward with a good season.

RELATED: Thoughts on Meyer and Day in terms of recruiting?

That does not mean that the Ohio State job would not be a highly desirable job on the coaching landscape and that coaches from across the nation would be on the phone to their agents, looking to talk to the Ohio State administration and throw their hat into the ring.

For the sake speaking hypothetically, what might a coaching hot board look like after the 2018 season? We take a way-too-early look.

Who is he? – Day (39) will be the clubhouse leader if the Buckeyes have a good season in 2018. The team is bringing back a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and if the Buckeyes can overcome the huge disruption of losing their head coach a month before the start of the season and put together a strong season it might be hard for the Buckeyes to make a move, especially with Ohio State working hard to hold on to recruiting classes in both 2019 and 2020. 2018 would be Day's first year as a head coach during his coaching career but he has had plenty of experience both in the college and the NFL ranks.

Why him? – As mentioned before, continuity is a big thing and it might be hard to take the job away from him if the team does well in 2018. This is a very different situation than what Luke Fickell faced after the dismissal of Jim Tressel after the 2010 season. There is no Urban Meyer waiting in the wings, providing zero margin for error. That Fickell-led team did not come together as many had hoped and finished the year 6-7 with a loss in the Gator Bowl to the Florida Gators. Day is a young coach, not even 40-years-old at the time of publication and could become a fixture on the Ohio State sidelines for many years if given the opportunity and provided he keeps the Buckeyes at the top of the heap.

MORE: Ryan Day named acting head coach

Got a shot? – Absolutely. Day just signed a three-year contract as an assistant during this past offseason and said that he wants to bring a championship(s) to Ohio State. He has turned down NFL coordinator and NCAA head coaching jobs (reportedly Mississippi State) in the past but Ohio State is a very different animal and it would be hard to imagine that Day would not be 110-percent in on keeping the job if it were to end up being presented to him on a permanent basis.

Who is he? – Campbell (38) is currently the head coach of Iowa State and has proven to be one of the rising stars of the college ranks after a successful four-plus-year stint at Toledo before moving on to Ames (Iowa). The Massillon (Ohio) native was actually pursued at one point by Urban Meyer for an offensive coaching position. Campbell has a 46-29 career head coaching record going into the 2018 season and is coming off of an 8-5 season with a win in the Liberty Bowl. Campbell is a two-time conference coach of the year and most recently won the Big 12 COY honors after the 2017 season.

Why him? – This is the name that many people felt that the Buckeyes would go after when Meyer retired (many years down the line) as the Ohio native would return to his home state to lead the flagship university. Campbell took over a Toledo program that was on a roll when Tim Beckman left to take the head coaching job at Illinois at the Rockets won nine games in three of Campbell's four full seasons as head coach, winning the MAC West in two of those years. The turnaround at Iowa State has been a little slower and after a 3-9 season to start, Campbell has things pointed in the right direction as he tries to lead a team that may be in the shadow of the likes of Texas and Oklahoma into prominence.

Got a shot? – It certainly looks like this would be a good fit if it were to come to pass. Campbell did just sign a six-year extension with Iowa State less than a year ago but that would not scare the Ohio State brass off if they decided this was their guy. Plus, another school is bound to snap him up soon if 2018 is like 2017 for Iowa State and a major P5 player is looking to replace their head coach. Campbell turned down Ohio State once to be an assistant coach, but it is unlikely he would be able to do the same if the head coaching position came open.

Who is he? - Fleck (37) would certainly bring a type of energy not seen at Ohio State since Kerry Coombs left the program to join the Tennessee Titans. Fleck made his name as the head coach of Western Michigan and was able to parlay that into the head coaching job at Minnesota. Year one with the Golden Gophers had its ups-and-downs as the team finished 5-7 but Minnesota is a trendy pick in 2018 as a team that could challenge Wisconsin in the Big Ten West. What many people would be excited about is that Fleck was a GA at Ohio State in 2000 under Jim Tressel and has been exposed to Ohio State because of that and would understand what the rivalries and traditions of the Buckeyes mean.

Why him? - He certainly can provide a shake-up to a system as a high-energy type of coach and tenacious recruiter. Sure, he has not had the type of school logo on his polo like Ohio State in the past and it would be fun to imagine what his recruiting pitch may sound like. He is still on the upward arc of his career and the Buckeyes would be able to get in early and be able to pry him away from Minnesota's 3.5-million dollar deal if that is what they decided to do. He has shown that he will put an exciting brand of football on the field and has had a lot of success along the way, something that Ohio State would demand out of its next coach.

Got a shot? - Maybe? People are very split on Fleck, some love his over-the-top style while others are put off by it. The truth of the matter is that this is likely a two-horse race (IF it actually is a race, Urban Meyer is not gone yet) between Day and Campbell but Fleck provides an interesting and through-provoking third candidate and could be an upset winner if the administration decides to really take things in a different direction.

Who is he? – Schiano (52) is currently the defensive coordinator with the Buckeyes (along with Alex Grinch) and a veteran head coach both with the Tampa Bay Bucs in the NFL and the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in college. Schiano won most of the national coach of the year awards in 2006, during the middle of his run with Rutgers. In 2017 Schiano was linked with the Tennessee Volunteers to be their next head coach but that fell apart when fans took to social media forcing the deal to be scrapped and Schiano to return to the Buckeyes. Schiano has been with the Buckeyes since the 2016 season and holds a 68-67 record overall as a collegiate head coach.

Why him? – He has the knowledge of what it takes to be a head coach with a decade-plus of experience running the program at Rutgers. Granted, the Scarlet Knights were not even in the Big Ten at that point but there is no denying that Schiano took a perennial doormat and brought them into national prominence. Schiano was not named the acting head coach during Meyer's paid leave of absence however and it brings into question the allegations that Schiano while at Penn State as an assistant knew of the Jerry Sandusky situation, something that Schiano denies. It cost him the Tennessee head coaching job when fans went to social media to voice their displeasure but that loud voice also may have been attributed to Schiano not being a big enough name for Vols fans to rally behind.

Got a shot? – Sure, but that whole Penn State issue might be too much to overcome on this one. Schiano wants to be a head coach again but is in a position to wait for the right job and Ohio State certainly would be the right job in terms of size and prestige. Ohio State just may not want to get into the middle of another situation of questions of what a coach knew and did not know in terms of a fellow coach and may steer clear because of that.

Who is he? – Wilson (56) is currently the offensive coordinator (along with Ryan Day) for the Buckeyes and has been with the team since 2017. Wilson spent six years as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers and has a 26-47 record as a NCAA head coach. Wilson inherited a program that struggled for relevancy and while the Hoosiers never finished with a .500 record or better in the Big Ten, Wilson did get Indiana to two bowl games in his final two seasons with IU but Wilson did not coach the 2016 Hoosiers in the Foster Farms bowl (more on that later).

Why him? – Wilson is another coach who can walk right in with coaching experience in addition to understanding how things work within the Ohio State program. Before taking over the head coaching duties at Indiana, Wilson served as an assistant at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops and under Randy Walker at Northwestern. The issue here is that Wilson was accused and subsequently removed from his head coaching position at Indiana under allegations that he mistreated players, including pressuring injured players to play, despite being hurt. Ohio State looked into those claims and felt comfortable enough to bring Wilson in at the start of the 2017 season but expect all of those issues to be revisited if Ohio State seriously considers bringing Wilson in as a permanent head coaching candidate.

Got a shot? – Maybe? Much like Schiano, does Ohio State want to jump from one situation of allegations to another? Wilson would make a lot of sense on a lot of fronts as someone who has coached in the Big Ten, is offensive-minded and has a familiarity with the region. The allegations at Indiana may be too much to overcome however in this one though with the removal of Meyer being too fresh of a memory and the board of trustees likely looking for someone with a little less heat on them.

Who is he? – Stoops (57) was the head coach at Oklahoma for almost two decades before he shocked the college football world and retired in the summer of 2017 and handed over the job to Lincoln Riley. Stoops led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship along with 10 Big 12 championships. Stoops is a native of Youngstown (Ohio) and part of the Stoops tradition at Youngtown Cardinal Mooney high school.

Why him? – Stoops is not coaching right now and while he said that he is retired for good, you have to wonder what a couple of years out of the game really mean to a coach who spent his entire life around the sport. If Ohio State wanted to make a splash hire, this might be one of the best options in bringing in a coach with a 190-48 record as a head coach and one that never finished with less than a seven-win season (granted, a seven-win season at Ohio State might cause campus to burn to the ground). For the sake of this exercise however, Stoops would be just shy of 59 before he ever coached a game at Ohio State and this would be a short-term fix. That might be enough as it would give Ohio State time to potentially groom a coach-in-waiting but that might be a bit of a far reach.

Got a shot? – This feels like very long odds. Stoops said in 2017 that he was done coaching, regardless of where or what level and it is hard not to take him at his word, but Ohio State would create an interesting dilemma for him. Being an Ohio native, it might force him to really think hard about his status of being retired. But on the negative side, the handling of the Joe Mixon incident at Oklahoma would be brought up and many people who were critical of how that was handled would have to do an about face to get past that and bring him in.

Who is he? – Fuente (42) is currently the head coach at Virginia Tech, taking over for longtime head coach Frank Beamer. Before heading to Blacksburg (Va.) Fuente made his name as the head coach of Memphis and previously was an assistant under Gary Patterson at TCU. Fuente was the head coach at Memphis as the Tigers moved from Conference USA to the AAC and led Memphis to a 10-3 season in 2014. Upon reaching Virginia Tech, Fuente was named the ACC coach of the year in year one with a 10-4 record with the Hookies and followed that up with a 9-4 year in 2017.

Why him? – Futene was another member of the 'coaches of the future' list when he was successful at Memphis and many major programs had him on their list of potential coaches to keep an eye on. Fuente has never been at a program with the depth of talent of an Ohio State and it would be interesting to see what he could do with that type of roster after having so much success at previous stops where the talent had to be developed (no disrespect meant to Virginia Tech). Fuente is only making four million dollars at this point and the Buckeyes would be able to extend a coaching offer that might be hard to refuse.

Got a shot? – Sure, but is this enough of a splash hire for Ohio State fans? There is no denying what he has done on the field and most true fans of the game would be excited if this were the direction that Ohio State turned but would the casual fan recognize this move, and would it be an exciting enough move on the recruiting trail?

Who is he? – If you don't know who Luke Fickell (44) is then you probably have not been watching Ohio State closely. Fickell is a Columbus native who had a stellar career at Ohio State as both a player and then as an assistant coach. He was put into a tough position in 2011 when he was named the interim coach to replace Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes struggled to a 6-7 season. Urban Meyer was brought in for the next season and decided to keep Fickell on as an assistant coach, in charge of the linebackers. Fickell held that role from 2012 to 2016 before taking the head coaching job at the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats went 4-8 in Fickell's first season at the helm.

Why him? – There is no denying that Fickell is a true Buckeye and there were even reports that he was hesitant to take another job while he was still an assistant at Ohio State due to his love of the Buckeyes. He certainly understands the culture of the Ohio State program and what it means to be a Buckeye and would bring a strong recruiting effort to the Buckeyes. A question that might arise however is that he was a coaching under Meyer up through the 2015 season, the time of one of the alleged incidents involving Smith and his ex-wife and what Luke may or may not have known at that time.

Got a shot? – Doubtful. If the Buckeyes are going to look out of house, it just does not appear that it would be here. Fickell only has two years of head coaching experience and while that is more than a candidate like Ryan Day would have, many might feel a "Been there, done that" attitude over Fickell, not to mention the issue that he was on staff in 2015 and having that called into question.

Who is he? – Ash (44) is currently the head coach at Rutgers and previously served as the co-Defensive Coordinator at Ohio State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Ash has found out how tough the Big Ten East really is taking over a Scarlet Knights program that was at the bottom of the division and that the rebuilding process has been a slow one with a 6-18 start in Piscataway (N.J.).

Why him? – A lot of people have a fond memory of what Ash was able to do with the Ohio State defense after the 2013 season (ending on two straight losses including a tough Orange Bowl loss to Clemson). Any coach who was part of the staff for the 2014 National Championship run will hold a special place in Ohio State lore but Ash was also part of the staff in 2015 and once again the questions will arise if he knew about the Smith situation and that might make some people in the decision-making process a little nervous.

Got a shot? – He probably has some of the longer odds of the former Ohio State assistants only because he has not been able to show strong success as of yet with Rutgers. He did lead the Scarlet Knights to double their win total in 2017 from 2016 and to win three league games as Rutgers finished 5th in the Big Ten East, up from 7th. But he does not have those ties to the state of Ohio that some others might and while he still may be a name mentioned at bars, on radio shows and on message boards, he ranks towards the bottom of the list of potential head coaches for 2019.

Who is he? – Herman (43) is currently the head coach at the University of Texas and served as the Ohio State offensive coordinator from 2012-14 and was part of the Ohio State national championship staff in 2014. After leaving Ohio State, Herman went to the University of Houston and led the Cougars to a 13-1 season in 2015 and followed that up with a 9-3 year in 2016 before being tapped by the Longhorns. Herman did not find immediate success in year one at Texas with a 7-6 record last season.

Why him? – There may not be an assistant coach under Urban Meyer that is held in higher regard in the hearts and minds of Ohio State fans than Herman is. There was a widely held belief by many that Herman was supposed to be the next man up after Urban called it quits and fans were openly rooting for Texas to do well so they would not have a vacancy since many believed that UT would be one of the only jobs that Ohio State could not pry Herman away from.

Got a shot? – Highly unlikely. As mentioned before, Texas might be the one job that Ohio State could not overcome, even with a highly competitive compensation package. Herman served as a GA at Texas in 1999-2000 and it always seemed as if his goal was to return to Austin. Now, if Texas struggles in 2018 and is not able to build upon its 7-6 record from 2017, there may be Longhorn fans who will help Herman pack his bags as it has been more than a few years since Texas has been atop the national rankings and fans are growing impatient. But at this point, this seems like a longshot.