Ohio State HC Ryan Day didn’t fool anyone in argument that included a massive Big Ten increase in automatic bids in the College Football Playoff originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
The Ohio State Buckeyes stole the show at the Big Ten Media Day opening. Between Jeremiah Smith’s numerous statements and Ryan Day’s willingness to discuss anything and everything, our team has been busy providing a recap of the Buckeyes’ stance on more than what fans could’ve guessed.
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One of the more interesting takes Day had on the afternoon had to do with the topic of how many automatic qualifiers the Big Ten should get as the College Football Playoff expands. Currently, the CFP has 12 participants each year, which is how the Buckeyes won the inaugural set up in the 2024-25 season.
That will eventually change if the Big Ten and SEC agree to a new format by Dec. 1, which would likely include the SEC adding a ninth conference game to every members’ schedule. If they fail to expand, then the 2026 CFP will again have 12 teams playing.
Day thinks expansion is needed, and that the Big Ten should earn more automatic qualifiers than the one they get. The SEC and Big Ten both initially wanted four each, but the ACC and Big 12 refused. It seems most likely we’re headed to a 16-team model with five total automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids.
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“I think it’s better than what we had, for sure,” Day said. “But I do think expanding it has benefits.” Part of that includes the “no-brainer” format that has more automatic qualifiers.
“I’ve gone publicly and said that I think we should have four automatic qualifiers from the jump because we have 18 teams, we added those four teams from the Pac-12 and we play nine games,” Day said. “I think that’s the way it should be. I mean, everybody’s not in the same situation. We play that Week 9, everybody in our conference has one more loss, you know? You can say, ‘Well, you have to win the game.’ But if you’re playing a team that plays that ninth game, and they lose, now your win maybe against them, maybe it doesn’t look as good. It’s just not the same.”
Day, of course, thinks this because his conference is the strongest and boasts the hardest challenges.
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“I think we’ve got some really good teams,” Day said. “Our play over the last couple of years has spoken for itself. Look at the results and national championships from the league. Adding USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington has made it stronger. But I also think a lot of teams have gotten stronger.”
Some of what Day said is inarguable, but it’s also convenient to make the case for a system that benefits your program over rivals in other conferences. The Buckeyes would virtually be a lock to make the CFP every season in his preferred outcome. Ohio State dropping from a top-four Big Ten finish seems unfathomable.
The other hope he has is for there to be only one transfer portal. This is somewhat in line with other coaches who also want one portal window, but against those who have proposed eliminating the spring transfer opening.
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“I think there should be one transfer portal in the spring,” Day said. “I don’t think it should be right after the national title game and when the season is over.”
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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
