Ohio State football coach Ryan Day has controversial take on CFP format

The leader of the Ohio State football program had a controversial take on what the future of the College Football Playoff should look like.
Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day looks away from the field of play after a dropped pass in the 2nd half during the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day looks away from the field of play after a dropped pass in the 2nd half during the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State football program has won the first two iterations of the College Football Playoff. They won the first four-team CFP when they took down Oregon. Last season, they beat Notre Dame in the first 12-team CFP. Everytime the format changes, they win the title.

There is no doubt that the College Football Playoff will be expanding to 16 teams in the near future. The only question is what the format will look like. Will it be a 5 +11 model where conference champs get an automatic bid and then there are at-large bids after that?

If the Big Ten has its way, the model will be a 4+4+2+2+1 model in which the Big Ten automatically gets four teams in the CFP, even if it's bad for the sport at large. Unfortunately, this is something that Ryan Day believes should happen, as he is in favor of that model.

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day thinks the Big Ten should get four teams automatically into the CFP

In an interview with ESPN, Day expressed his feelings that the Big Ten should automatically get four teams into the new 16-team CFP.

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

If a 5+11 model was adopted, there's an excellent chance that the Big Ten would get four teams into the CFP anyway. There's no need to close the opportunities off to the rest of college football. I understand that Day is advocating for his own program since they are in the Big Ten, but it's still not the best format.

Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes have mixed feelings when it comes to the new format of the CFP. Some are aligned with Day, while others also want a 5+11 model. I am certainly in the latter category.