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Ryan Day believes “it only makes sense” for the Big Ten to have 4 spots in the College Football Playoff automatically reserved for Big Ten teams every season.
The future of the CFP format has been hotly debated ever since Day led Ohio State to a national championship back in January. A win over Texas in the semis and then Notre Dame in the national final gave the Big Ten its second consecutive national title. And in an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg earlier this week, Day said the power of the conference is undeniable, and that should be reflected in whatever format the CFP takes moving forward.
“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 4 automatic qualifiers.”
According to multiple reports from last week’s SEC spring meetings, there is growing support for a “5+11” CFP model that would take the Playoff from 12 teams up to 16. Five spots would automatically go to the top 5 conference champions and 11 at-large spots would then be distributed amongst the leagues. The SEC has not publicly committed to any single model, but commissioner Greg Sankey has said he would be open to a format that does not feature any automatic qualifiers.
According to ESPN, the Big Ten has privately discussed a 16-team model that would guarantee 4 spots for Big Ten teams, 4 spots for SEC teams, 2 spots each for the Big 12 and the ACC, and 1 for the top Group of 5 champion.
The Big Ten had 4 participants in last year’s CFP. Oregon earned the top overall seed in the field but lost its first game. Indiana lost in the first round to Notre Dame. Penn State lost in the semifinals to Notre Dame.
In his comments to ESPN, Day pointed to the recent additions of the 4 former Pac-12 schools.
“You would have had at least a team or 2 [in the CFP] from out there,” Day told ESPN. Oregon made the 4-team CFP in 2014; Washington made the 4-team field in 2016 and then again in 2023. USC was also projected to be in the 2022 field before losing in the Pac-12 title game. “So it only makes sense when you have 18 teams, especially the quality of teams, that you would have that many teams representing the Big Ten.”
Day also took a swipe at the SEC for inequitable scheduling.
“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 told ESPN. “If we do, then you’re more likely to do that, because we play 9 conference games in the Big Ten. The SEC doesn’t. So it’s not equal.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
