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Ryan Day, Buckeyes still see value in B1G title in new 12-team playoff era
Ohio State hasn’t been at the top of the Big Ten since 2020; rival Michigan has won the last three conference crowns.
But in the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, the Buckeyes won’t need to win a conference title to still go on to win the national championship. Still, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes see a lot of value in still making the conference championship mean something, from receiving a first-round bye into the CFP quarterfinals to being able to actually hoist a conference title trophy in Indy in December.
Day still believes Big Ten championships mean something.
“Talking to Tony [Petitti], he brought this up before and what that means and should there be some conversation about what that means on that weekend?” Day said Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, which will host the Big Ten Championship through 2028. “I won’t get into all the conversation that’s been had, but I think it’s a great question and a great point.
“I just think that we all know how important it is to win the conference and what that’s meant to college football and the tradition in college football and playing in this stadium and the electricity of that weekend and what it means to win the conference, especially having 18 teams now. It just means so much, and to take that away would be a challenge.”
Ohio State is aiming to get back to Indianapolis in December for a Big Ten title game. And the value in that still exists in the new era of the CFP.
Ever-so-colorful senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, a former five-star recruit in his own right, gave the best answer of the day when talking about Smith, who just keeps gaining buzz after an insanely good first spring with the program.
“There’s a lot of things I can list. That kid is just special,” Sawyer said. “That’s the only word I can use to describe him. Having been in his shoes, being a five-star recruit and having a lot of hype surrounding him coming in, I was like, ‘Man, I want to see him practice a couple of times. I don’t want him to feel like if he doesn’t play this year, if he doesn’t live up to the hype his freshman year,’ but then I saw him for the first time at the first practice and I was like, “Holy shit, this kid’s good.’
“He’s a great young player, and he’s got a great future ahead of him. He’s got a great head on his shoulders and he’s a humble kid. Whatever he gets, he’s earned and he’s worked for.”
READ: ‘Holy sh*t, this kid’s good’: Veteran Buckeyes rave about Jeremiah Smith
MORE COVERAGE FROM BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS
READ: Ryan Day confirms running back TC Caffey out for year, everyone else healthy for training camp
Tim May: Camaraderie, experience bringing this Buckeyes team closer together
READ: ‘That’s all talk’: Buckeyes ready to put chatter to rest, work toward lofty goals
Four Buckeyes land on preseason Big Ten honors list
Ohio State has already been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. The annual Cleveland.com media poll showed as much.
Now the league is putting out their official list of preseason honors, and the Buckeyes are all over it. More Buckeyes are on the list than any other Big Ten program. Ohio State has four of its superstars on the list, one more than Michigan and two more than Big Ten newcomer. Just six of the 18 Big Ten schools have at least one player on the 12-man list.
For the Buckeyes, those four are senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka , senior running back TreVeyon Henderson , senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and second-year safety Caleb Downs .
Notable snubs from the list include senior defensive end Jack Sawyer and senior defensive back Denzel Burke, among others. Of course, no offensive linemen — from any school — are on the honor list.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 38 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 129 days
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