Ryan Day isn’t just focused on winning games—he’s fighting for the Big Ten’s playoff future. After leading Ohio State to a national title in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff as an at-large team, Day is now pushing for something bigger: automatic respect for the Big Ten. Specifically, at least four automatic playoff bids.
That’s right—four. While college football leaders debate how the next CFP version will look starting in 2026, the current “5+11” model is gaining ground. That model gives five automatic spots to conference champs and 11 at-large bids. But Day believes that doesn’t do justice to powerhouse leagues like the Big Ten or the SEC, especially now that the Big Ten has grown to include heavy hitters like Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington.
Even though the Big Ten hasn’t officially backed a specific playoff format, it has floated a plan to give four automatics to both the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the Big 12 and ACC, one to the top Group of Five team, and three at-larges. Of course, the Big 12 and ACC don’t love that idea—they’ve pushed back hard.
And that’s where Ryan Day takes a stance. “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 four automatic qualifiers.”
He’s not just fighting for bragging rights. He’s thinking about the toll the season takes on his players. “I’m concerned about 16 or 17 games with a 105-man roster,” Day said. “With 120, it’s about maxed out. You have to stay healthy, and all it takes are a couple injuries during that long of a run. But in the NFL, you can hire somebody off of waivers. In college football, you can’t. I’m concerned about the length of the season with 105.”
In other words, he’s worried college teams are being asked to do more with less. Previously, rosters ran 120 deep. Now, with the NCAA’s new 105-player limit, there’s less depth, fewer scout team bodies, and more pressure on true freshmen to step up if injuries hit. And it’s not like Ohio State has an easy schedule.
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (91) tries to knock down a pass by Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) during the third quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Ohio State lost 14-3.
Nine Big Ten games, usually a top-tier nonconference opponent, and now a deeper playoff run could mean a 17-game season. That’s NFL stuff—except without the perks of the NFL’s waiver wire or practice squads. Day knows this isn’t just a Buckeye issue—it’s a Big Ten problem. With schools like Oregon and Washington now in the conference, the Big Ten is deeper and tougher than ever.
“You would have had at least a team or two [in the CFP] from out there,” Day said. “So it only makes sense when you have 18 teams, especially the quality of teams that you would have [in] that many teams representing the Big Ten.” And he made it clear: automatic qualifiers encourage tough nonconference scheduling. Without them, schools might avoid risky games like this fall’s season opener.
“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 said. “If we do, then you’re more likely to do that, because we play nine conference games in the Big Ten. The SEC doesn’t. So it’s not equal.”
Last season, both Ohio State and Notre Dame played 16 games. That’s about to become normal, and Day knows his current roster size helped them survive that grind. But the new rules could change everything, and not for the better.
College players aren’t NFL veterans—they’re still developing. And with fewer scholarship players and no waiver wire, the margin for error gets razor-thin. So when Day says, “I’m concerned about the length of the season with 105,” he’s not overreacting. He’s being real about how a few key injuries could derail even the strongest team. And finally, he’s now echoing the sentiments of Sherrone Moore.
Sherrone Moore’s roster math
While Ryan Day is fighting for playoff spots, Michigan’s head coach, Sherrone Moore, is dealing with player limits because of the new House settlement.
The settlement, expected to be finalized by June 27, changes everything. Schools can now pay players directly—up to $20.5 million annually—and it increases the football scholarship limit from 85 to 105. But there are no extra walk-on spots allowed. That means some walk-ons and even scholarship players are getting squeezed out.
Michigan ended the 2024 season with 137 players, including 85 scholarship guys. But under the new 105 cap, that extra room is gone. And for Moore, who’s trying to make a name for himself post-Jim Harbaugh, that’s a tightrope walk.
“You can’t over-recruit,” Moore said last December. “You can’t go past a certain number. We have a number that we can hit, and we’re slotted at each position in how we want to hit that number. So (recruiting is) not necessarily completely different, but you gotta be pretty strict on what you’re doing because you got a limited number (of recruits) that you’re bringing.”
With 24 recruits signed for 2025 and 7 for 2026, Coach Moore faces a tough challenge—cutting current players to meet new roster limits. It’s a numbers game, not a personal decision.
“We have a good plan, and it’s naturally going to happen because of the 105, so the portal is going to be the craziest it has ever been right now because everybody that’s over that number is going to have to cut guys,” Moore said. It’s a harsh new world. And even though the full cap doesn’t take effect until fall, Moore’s already preparing to make those tough decisions.
“You got to tell the walk-on and scholarship guys they have to leave and find another place,” he said. “But (I will) try to help them as much as you can because you don’t want anybody just out there.” And there’s still Title IX to consider. Schools can’t just pour money into men’s sports without balancing it on the women’s side, which adds even more red tape.
Ryan Day and Sherrone Moore are both facing a tough new world in college football. Day worries about playing long seasons with only 105 players, a concern that mirrors Moore’s struggle to manage his team and even cut players to meet that same limit. Now, they’ll simply have to do more with less.
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