Ryan Day happy to have opportunity to play in College Football Playoff: 'Now we're here'

After losing badly to rival Michigan, Ryan Day and Ohio State found themselves on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff. Luckily for the Buckeyes, USC lost and fell out of the CFP hunt. With that, the Buckeyes made the most sense for the selection committee to slot in at fourth in the Playoff.

This is an opportunity that Ohio State very nearly missed out on. Now, it’s one that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are happy to have and won’t take for granted.

“Well, first off, you’re playing the defending national champions in their backyard,” Ryan Day said. “So, it’s gonna take everything we have to go on the road, to go win this game, and I just think that we wanted to be in this situation, the CFP, at the end of the year.”

This is, admittedly, not the path that Ryan Day wanted to take to get into the CFP. However, they’re in it now, which means they have as much of a right to win the national championship as the other three teams in the Playoff.

“It took a different road to get here, but we’re here. So, now, we’ve got to do just an unbelievable job this month of preparing and maximizing every day, and that’s in the end what’s gonna happen. It’s gonna be a great matchup. I’ve got so much respect for what they do in all three phases and so, you know, coaches, players, staff members, we just got to do everything we can to maximize this month and get ready to play a really hard fought game on the 31st,” Ryan Day explained.

“So, that’s where our focus is going. How we got here, at this point, I guess doesn’t really matter. Now that we’re here, it’s time to go play.”

Ohio State is set to take on top-ranked Georgia in the Peach Bowl. The Bulldogs are the defending national champions and haven’t lost since last season’s SEC Championship. It won’t be easy, but with a win, the Buckeyes might get another shot at Michigan, who is favored over TCU, this time with a national championship on the line.

Ryan Day on playing in Georgia’s backyard

The semifinal game between Ohio State and Georgia is going to be played in the Peach Bowl, which takes place in Atlanta. That’s right in the Bulldogs’ backyard and will make for an added challenge that the Buckeyes need to manage.

“What a great venue. Looking forward to playing in it. Certainly, I know that it’s kind of in Georgia’s backyard. But what an unbelievable opportunity for us to go down there and play in an electric atmosphere,” Ryan Day said.

“When you get to this point of the season, this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to be in these types of environments. If you said at the beginning of the year that you get a chance to be in the CFP? And play in Atlanta against Georgia down there? The defending national champs? Of course. You’d cut off your right arm for this opportunity. So we’ll do everything we can to prepare to play our best football.”