Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day Proposes Major Change to College Football Playoff

“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.”

The debate over how many playoff spots each conference deserves has remained a sticking point this offseason. 

While the Big Ten and SEC initially aligned on wanting four auto bids each, the ACC and Big 12 resisted. SEC coaches later softened their stance, supporting a 5 automatic qualifier + 11 at-large model instead.

Day pointed to the Big Ten’s nine-game league schedule as a factor that should weigh heavily in the discussion.

“We play that Week 9, everybody in our conference has one more loss, you know?” he said. “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.”

Ohio State defeated Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame on its path to the 2024 national championship, proving the Buckeyes could navigate the grind.

With a title in hand, Day now wants the Big Ten’s structure respected in the postseason conversation.