For months, Ryan Day’s Ohio State looked invincible. However, after one loss in the Big Ten championship, the narrative has shifted so dramatically that his peers no longer think he has done a good job with the Buckeyes compared to other top coaches. This made Ohio State alum Jonathan Smith question the logic behind the votes.

On December 18, the Athletic released poll results from 24 coaches, asking, “Who do you think is the best coach in the playoffs?” The results were astonishing: 

• 50% of the coaches voted for Kirby Smart (Georgia).
• 38% of the coaches voted for Curt Cignetti (Indiana).
• 8% of the coaches voted for Dan Lanning (Oregon).
• 4% of the coaches voted for Joey McGuire (Texas Tech).
• 0% of the coaches voted for Ryan Day (Ohio State)

“I’m not trying to be a hater here. These coaches are looking at it, saying, ‘Ryan Day did less with more than I would have if I had Ryan Day’s job,” said Jonathan Smith on the December 19 episode of ‘Common Man and T-Bone’ on 97.1 The Fan, addressing the voting logic. “Than Curt Cignetti did if Curt Cignetti got the Ohio State job. Than Kirby Smart, if Kirby Smart got the Ohio State job.’ Is that fair or not? Should it matter? No. But I’m just telling you that’s the reasoning behind it.”

Smith spoke about the ground reality of the CFP voting process and the power of the major conferences in college football.

“I can’t blame those coaches for looking at Curt Cignetti and Ryan Day going head-to-head in a championship game and saying, ‘Curt Cignetti beat him just now with less talent.’ Of course, they’re going to vote him higher than that. Fair or not, that’s how we measure this.”

Yet, one can’t sleep on Ryan Day just like that. He brought the national championship to Columbus and coached numerous players to the NFL since taking over from Urban Meyer. He kept the Buckeyes competitive every year, and last year’s national title win is a testament to that.

While Ryan Day’s Ohio State is still facing the aftereffects of losing to Curt Cignetti’s Indiana, Josh Pate warns every other playoff team about the damage Cignetti could cause if he wins the national title.

Curt Cignetti’s IU winning the national title could affect other teams

On the December 18 episode of the College Football Show podcast, Josh Pate explained what could happen to other programs if Curt Cignetti’s Indiana could win the national championship effortlessly in his second season with the Hoosiers.

“If he does get to the national title and especially if he wins it, I think the collateral damage that it does on the impact it has on other coaches would be a disaster for other coaches,” Pate said.

Pate’s point proved the magnitude of impact if Cignetti wins the entire thing. Traditionally an overlooked program, the Hoosiers started making inroads after Cignetti’s appointment. They have never won a national championship, and in two years, he could steady the ship, get his crew on board, and anchor the program’s position in the playoffs. It certainly raises questions for other coaches.

“The attention span and the patience windows would evaporate,” Pate said. “If that guy just won a national championship in his second year at Indiana, there will never be an excuse for Jon Sumrall not to immediately do it at Florida, for Lane Kiffin not to immediately do it.”

The Hoosiers will play their first CFP game this season at the Rose Bowl on January 1, against Alabama.