Ryan Day News Emerges Before College Football Playoff
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Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their first loss of the season on Dec. 6, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 13-10 in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Despite that, the Buckeyes still earned the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and have been given a first-round bye. Their next matchup will be against either the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies or the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
At 12-1, Day has already led Ohio State to its fifth straight double-digit win season. He’s now looking to lead the Buckeyes to their second straight national championship and 10th in program history.
Before the playoff run, though, the head coach received some exciting news. On Wednesday, it was announced that Day has been named one of five finalists for the Dodd Trophy.
The other four up for the award include the Indiana Hoosiers’ Curt Cignetti, the Georgia Bulldogs‘ Kirby Smart, the Vanderbilt Commodores’ Clark Lea and the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ Joey McGuire.
According to the award’s official website, it “celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.” The award is named after former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Dodd.
Day has the potential to be the first Ohio State coach to win the award since Jim Tressel in 2002, a season in which the Buckeyes won a national title. This year’s winner will be announced during bowl week at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Meanwhile, he and the Buckeyes prepare for their Cotton Bowl Classic matchup. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 31 at AT&T Stadium, airing on ESPN.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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