Ohio State HC Ryan Day Responds to Big Ten Changing Title Game Requirements

The only Big Ten team to actually win all its games on the field is going to the conference championship game, and its head coach is "appreciative" of the opportunity. 

After the Big Ten announced its members voted to change the one-year rule put in place before a shortened 2020 season requiring a team to play six games to be eligible for the title game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day released a statement saying he is "appreciative of our Big Ten Conference colleagues for reconsidering."

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic shared the statement:

The Buckeyes are 5-0 and have a head-to-head victory over Indiana, which is the second-place team in the Big Ten East. However, they fell short of six games because contests against Maryland, Illinois and Michigan were all canceled because of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The conference ultimately recognized that if Ohio State played and lost to Michigan this coming Saturday it would still have qualified for the title game, so it decided not to punish the Buckeyes for not playing the game at all.

In essence, Day's team would have been better off playing and losing to the Wolverines than not playing at all under the six-game rule, at least in terms of its Big Ten championship chances.

This means the Buckeyes will play Northwestern in a rematch of the 2018 Big Ten title game. The Scarlet and Gray won that matchup 45-24 and have won the last three conference crowns.

Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson released a statement saying he and head coach Tom Allen are "disappointed" the Hoosiers were left out of the title game but recognized "we had a chance to earn our spot ... but ultimately fell a touchdown short on the road against a great Ohio State team."

That game between Ohio State and Indiana was one of the most entertaining ones of the season, as the powerhouse Buckeyes went ahead 35-7 before the Hoosiers dramatically closed the gap in a 42-35 final. 

The biggest question now is whether the Buckeyes can reach the College Football Playoff, which does not have a minimum-game requirement.

They are in playoff position at No. 4 in the rankings, and they likely will make the CFP with a win over Northwestern unless Florida upset Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and set up a realistic scenario where two SEC teams would be in the four-team field.