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Ryan Day Has Clear Demand For College Football Playoff

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 6:08 PM ET

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day led the Buckeyes to a national championship in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. But as the tournament mulls expansion and even more changes, he has one demand for the organizers.

Speaking to ESPN, Day said that the Big Ten Conference deserves "at least four automatic qualifiers" under any formatting changes. He declared that the Big Ten has so many great programs that it only makes sense.

"We're in the Big Ten, and we have 18 teams and some of the best programs in the country," Day told ESPN. "I feel like we deserve at least four automatic qualifiers."

Day pointed out that his Buckeyes are slated to play Texas this year. He said that without the automatic qualifiers, it removes the incentive to schedule bigger games due to how big their in-conference schedule is.

"If you don't have those automatic qualifiers, you're less likely to play a game like we're playing this year against Texas, because it just won't make sense," Day said. "If we do, then you're more likely to do that, because we play nine conference games in the Big Ten. The SEC doesn't. So it's not equal."

In an interview with ESPN, Ryan Day said the Big Ten deserves four automatic qualifiers in the CFP: "We have 18 teams and some of the best programs in the country." https://t.co/klptT9c45X
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) June 4, 2025

Day expressed some concerns that the roster sizes might not be adequate for supporting a 16-17 game season anymore either. He believes that increasing the roster size from 105 to 120 might be necessary since college teams can't sign players off waivers or as free agents like NFL teams can whenever an injury occurs.

"I'm concerned about 16 or 17 games with a 105-man roster," Day said. "With 120, it's about maxed-out. You have to stay healthy, and all it takes are a couple injuries during that long of a run. But in the NFL, you can hire somebody off of waivers. In college football, you can't. I'm concerned about the length of the season with 105."

Day makes a number of valid points. Unless college football revamps its roster rules in a big way, we could wind up with a bunch of teams reaching the College Football Playoff only to play shorthanded.

As for the automatic qualifying rules he suggested, conference-based qualifiers are already on the table in expansion talks.

Whether it's spurred on by Day or not, he may just get his wish.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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