How the expanded playoff will affect how the Ohio State football team prepares

The Ohio State football program won the first national championship of the Playoff era. The Buckeyes have had a lot of success in the CFP era, despite winning just one title in the first ten years. They did make the Playoff five different times in the ten years that the four-team format was in effect.

Now, the CFP has expanded to 12 teams. The Buckeyes shouldn't have too much problem making the College Football Playoff from now on because of that. The top-four seeds get a bye in the new format, but seeds 4-8 get a home playoff game. Which of those is better for the Buckeyes?

Personally, I think a home playoff game would be very cool to see. Could you imagine the Shoe with playoff implications on the line? The environment would be insane. However, that would mean an extra game is played. If Ohio State were to make the national championship in that scenario, they would be playing 16 games.

That's the argument for the Ohio State football team preparing like they should still want to finish in the top four. Not only would they get rest from the whole season that they just undertook, but they would also be able to not have to play one more taxing game.

Ryan Day is going to prepare his team to be a top-four team in the country. He's going to make sure that his team is ready to go when the moment matters the most. That's the biggest criticism he's faced as a head coach, and it's the main reason why they haven't been able to beat Michigan.

The Buckeyes are built to win this season. The new 12-team playoff shouldn't affect them very much unless injuries start to take a toll. Even then, this is the deepest the Buckeyes have been in years. They should be fine.