USA Today releases Ryan Day’s final Coaches Poll ballot of 2023 college football season

The USA Today Coaches Poll is finished for the 2023 season. With that, the final ballot from each of the coaches who voted on it has been released. That includes Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.

In his now public final ballot, Day kept the College Football Playoff teams ranked in the top four. After that, things get interesting, particularly with how he chose to rank teams currently in the Big Ten and those who will be moving into the Big Ten next season.

So, here is Ryan Day’s final Top-25 Coaches Poll of the 2023 college football season:

1. Michigan
2. Washington
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Florida State
7. Oregon
8. Missouri
9. Ohio State
10. Mississippi
11. Penn State
12. Arizona
13. LSU
14. Oklahoma
15. Notre Dame
16. Louisville
17. Iowa
18. Oklahoma State
19. North Carolina State
20. Oregon State
21. Tennessee
22. Clemson
23. Liberty
24. SMU
25. Kansas State

Unsurprisingly, Ryan Day went with the four teams that made it to the College Football Playoff in his top four. That, of course, includes rival and national champion Michigan first overall. After losing to the Wolverines for three years in a row, he could have been petty and left them off, but didn’t, recognizing them as national champions instead.

After that, Day more or less went from one New Year’s Six Bowl to the next, putting the winner ahead of the loser. That led to the Buckeyes being ranked ninth in Day’s rankings, second among current Big Ten teams, and fourth among future Big Ten teams.

Including the teams that are getting ready to join the Big Ten, Day ranked six teams in his final rankings. That includes Iowa at 17th, despite getting shut out by three ranked teams this season, including in its final two games. Tennessee, who beat Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl, is 21st on Day’s rankings.

Two Group of Five teams ranked in Ryan Day’s Top 25, Liberty and SMU, with Liberty being the top-ranked team.

Ryan Day, Ohio State could shift identity in 2024

In 2024, Ohio State is going to look to bounce back and get back to the top of the Big Ten. To do that, On3’s Jesse Simonton thinks the Buckeyes may shift their identity.

“It certainly seems like Ryan Day, for a guy who’s lost less than 10 games, is feeling as much heat as anybody and he has now reverting back to kind of what I think Urban Meyer’s offense was. Which is: It’s less like let’s have the firepower throwing the bombs down the field, let’s get physical and start grinding out with the quarterback run game. I think they’re going to run Will Howard. I think they’re going to feed the rock now to Quinshon Judkins,” Simonton said.

“Maybe [Seth] McLaughlin plays guard, instead of center, because he can’t snap the ball but he’s a quality — he’s got that part right, it’s the snapping that was the issue. It seems to me like they’re going back to that Ohio State ground and pound, which was the Buckeyes’ path to success.”