Ohio State's Ryan Day would welcome change to College Football Playoffs

During an interview with Stephen A. Smith, Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke about an interesting change to the postseason.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day motions from the sideline during the Big Ten Conference championship game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. Ohio State lost 13-10. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is open to the idea of altering the postseason system.

Going into the playoffs as the number two seed, having narrowly lost to Indiana in the Big Ten Conference final, Day and his Buckeyes still go in as favorites, having had one of the most impressive campaigns before they faced the Hoosiers.

But on a podcast with broadcaster Stephen A. Smith, Day – who likes the playoff system - is open to expanding the college football postseason from 16 to 20 teams.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wants to expand the college football playoff field to 20. Thoughts?

Check out the full interview: https://t.co/XzyR4HkcYy pic.twitter.com/iUHo0vYv3v

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 12, 2025

“I like the playoff system. I think it allows your team to grow and to build as the season goes on.

“I think it’s good to watch your team grow and learn, and then the best team at the end of the year has the chance to win. So that part, watching us last year, how we grew and how we learned from a couple of setbacks, I think was a great story.

“When you look at that part of it, I think that’s great. I do think that having Conference championships, if it’s going to stay at this level, I guess, would make some sense, because if you win your conference, then you should be in.

“I would be in favor of expanding the field, I would go all the way to 20 [teams]. I think it’s good for football, I think it’s good for everybody, you’re seeing teams opt-out of Bowl games, which is not good for the sport, and I think the more teams that we can involve in the postseason, the better.”

Having more teams would certainly make the field more competitive and open the door to Cinderella stories, as the NCAA basketball tournament has, and after the loss to Indiana, Day’s Ohio State now must head into their next games looking to avoid becoming part of that story.

They go into their next game on New Year’s Eve, playing either Texas A&M or Miami (Fla) in the Cotton Bowl, on the back of a heartbreaking loss to the Hoosiers, and it will be interesting to see how they bounce back.

It will test the credentials of the players, particularly quarterback Julian Sayin, who won’t be thinking about it but will be eager to perform after being named a Heisman Trophy finalist.

And if Day’s hypothetical playoff system is ever played out, the Buckeyes could face more potential banana skin-style games like the one they will face before we head into 2026.