Ohio State and Ryan Day have a whole new set of challenges to tackle this season after their championship win. Sure, they might be gunning for some kind of redemption against Michigan, but mostly, they get to enjoy that national championship—something you don’t get every day! Still, Day knows that their natty win doesn’t just hand them a ticket to next year’s playoffs. They’ve got to hustle for it, especially without key players like Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka, and a few others. The head coach did a solid job bringing in talent through the transfer portal, but fans are hoping for even more. It’s not just about winning championships; sometimes, it’s about making the game day experience and amenities even better. Athletic Director Ross Bjork is on it!

The Buckeyes are known to provide a healthy and fun game day experience to their fans over the years. The university offers a range of pre-game activities to pump up the fans for all the rips and roars. Furthermore, OSU has a specific tradition named Hive that sees fans and visitors flock to the stadium before the game. They take part in the quintessential card stunts and rally towels to get into the vibe.

But Bjork looks to make it even more magnetic. They have a flurry of plans for 2025-26 and beyond. “It’s kind of taking the traditional experiences and overlaying them with new experiences. Whether it’s some new music, or whether it’s some different elements that incorporate our history. Somebody asked me, one of our staff members asked me yesterday, like what’s been the really cool thing?” The Buckeyes AD roused the pulses up, saying, “Really embracing the history here. Like, there are so many powerful stories, like if we weave that in, it’s going to connect people more.”

Don’t be surprised if you see an old Ohio State championship documentary playing on the screen, or something even more captivating, before the game starts. This could serve as a unique selling point for the school, helping to engage new fans. As the Athletic Director later mentioned, changes to the music are expected. But what about an upgraded experience with a new giant screen as well?

“So, those are the kind of things that we are putting together. We are working on a new video board, a new LED ribbon board, which can’t happen for this year, hopefully by the fall of 2026. So, those things are all being sound systems as well. A distributed sound system,” Bjork dished a glimpse of an exciting future framework.

The college football scenario is rapidly changing. With the new market leader, NIL, things and pace are extensively updating, seeking a serious adjustment in the old stereotypical strategy and execution. Björk knows it best. “There are always going to be distributed improvements around the shoe. But the game day experience, I think, and just take a lift, and it’s really about just adapting to the times,” said the OSU AD. “It’s modernizing. It’s cleaning a lot of things up. It’s taking our script and making some things shorter.”

However, apart from the changes in experience, there have been extensive conversations about the change in the playoff model. And Bjork has a side to take.

Ohio State AD Ross Bjork clears the air on the expanding CFP model

The Ohio State AD believes for the holistic good of the industry, a top 14 or 16 model is needed. Although he believes OSU will be good even if they go back to the top 4 model. But when it comes to collective, he’s pitching for a broad gateway for all the teams. But he has even more to suggest.

“Can we create play-in games that equate to automatic qualifiers? I think that’s a really good model,” Bjork reflected on his mindset over the recent playoff expansion conversation. “The other thing, too, is there’s a lot of debate around the committee. And what kind of metrics do they have? If you have automatic qualifying spots with play-in games, then you have more content and eliminate a lot of the committee dynamics that may get in the way.”

However, the play-in model Bjork advocated for can be a tricky spot for the Big Ten Championship format. So, it needs serious scrutiny from the conference.

“I think it depends,” Bjork chose to take a middle ground when asked if he wants to keep the Big Ten Championship game. “It provides a tremendous amount of value, but if you’re doing automatic qualifying spots with play-in games, could there be a different model? I think that’s a conversation that has to continue.” It will be interesting to see how the playoff model evolves and how OSU goes hand in hand with that moving forward.