Ryan Day: Ending Big Ten Championship would make ‘The Game’ more important

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day might be in favor of eliminating the Big Ten championship game, especially when it comes to the Ohio State–Michigan rivalry. Without a conference crown to play for, “The Game” might have higher stakes.

Speaking at the Big Ten meetings, Day acknowledged he didn’t swing one way or the other when it came to the expanded 24-team playoff idea, but conference championship might go by the wayside. Normally, Ohio State is not in a situation where they are sneaking into the playoff via the rankings in the 20s.

With an expanded playoff to 24 teams, it remains to be seen if conference championships would be used as an automatic qualifier or be eliminated entirely, depending upon how you want to break down the regular season’s meaning. In Day’s mind, especially with a 12-team playoff, eliminating something like the Big Ten Championship puts more emphasis on “The Game” and other rivalry games down the stretch.

“I think it could even be more important,” Day told The Athletic. “You’re playing for either a chance to get into the Playoff or a chance to get seeded high to get a first-round bye. Or, if you are already maybe predicted to be one of the top eight schools, then you’re fighting for a high seed. So, all those are critically important to your success in the Playoff. I think with the elimination of the championship game, it keeps that rivalry as fierce as it’s ever been, the stakes just as high.”

Funny enough, while “The Game” meant quite a bit in a year like 2024, Ohio State didn’t lose their CFP positioning. Day isn’t wrong that losing to Michigan could cost you a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and affect your seeding, but Ohio State ended up winning the national championship anyway. They lost to an unranked Michigan team.

But, without a conference title game, Day’s point makes sense in a recent “Game” like 2023. No. 3 Michigan beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-24 and knocked the Buckeyes out of the CFP race, when it was still a four-team bracket.

“It’s debatable whether it’s best for Ohio State — you can go back and forth on that — but it’s certainly best for the conference and great for college football in general,” Day said of a potential 24-team playoff. “It engages more fan bases late in the season.

“When there was four [teams], you just had to win two games. Now there’s more games to be played, there’s a bigger pool, a bigger field. But when you take a step away from it, you’re always going to be late in the season, playing for an opportunity to be the highest seed that you can be.”