Title: Ryan Day Champions Big Ten in Push for Four CFP Auto-Bids
In a bold and calculated move that is turning heads across the college football landscape, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has emerged as a vocal advocate for the Big Ten Conference, calling for an unprecedented four automatic bids for the league in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format. During Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Day didn’t mince words: “If we’re truly trying to reward the best teams in the country, then the Big Ten deserves more than just a seat at the table—we deserve a full banquet.”
Day’s comments, while stirring controversy among fans of the SEC and other Power Five conferences, have been met with quiet support from within Big Ten leadership. His logic is hard to dismiss: with the Big Ten’s recent expansion to include powerhouses USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington—alongside traditional juggernauts like Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State—the conference has ballooned into a coast-to-coast mega-league teeming with playoff-caliber talent.
“This isn’t just about Ohio State,” Day clarified. “It’s about fairness. It’s about acknowledging what the Big Ten has become. Year in and year out, we’ve got multiple teams that could beat anyone in the country. Why shouldn’t we have four guaranteed spots when our strength of schedule is second to none?”
Indeed, the numbers back him up. Over the past five seasons, the Big Ten has consistently placed multiple teams in the top 10 of the final CFP rankings. In 2022 and 2023, both Michigan and Ohio State made the playoff, and Penn State finished just outside the top four. In 2024, with Oregon and Washington now in the fold, simulations showed that up to five Big Ten teams could have made strong cases for inclusion under the new playoff model.
Not everyone is thrilled by Day’s proposal. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey bristled at the idea, calling it “premature and unbalanced,” arguing that no conference, “regardless of market size or media footprint,” should dominate playoff representation by default. But Day remains undeterred.
“This isn’t about media deals or TV ratings,” Day said. “It’s about competitive excellence. You line up a fourth-place Big Ten team against most other conferences’ runners-up, and I like our chances every time.”
Day’s suggestion has sparked debate among CFP committee members, with several insiders indicating the idea may not be entirely off the table. “We’re entering a new era of college football,” one committee member said anonymously. “Automatic bids for multiple teams from powerhouse conferences could be part of the solution, not the problem.”
For now, Day’s advocacy is sending a clear message: the Big Ten won’t be content with scraps in the expanded playoff era. And with Ohio State poised for another championship run, his words carry more weight than ever.
If Day gets his way, the CFP may soon look less like an invitational—and more like a Big Ten showcase.
