"That's a rude narrative": Pat McAfee addresses Ryan Day's Ohio State getting criticized for $20M roster 

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to compete in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. They will play the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup. As the game approaches, the main storyline surrounding Ohio State has been how much money Ryan Day's Buckeyes have spent on their roster.

The Buckeyes have reportedly spent $20 million on their roster. On Thursday, an episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," where the host addresses the story.

"Obviously everybody talks about how much money Ohio State's spending on their roster," McAfee said (starts at 1:26:50). "I think that's a rude narrative to start from the beginning. I think a lot of teams are thankful that Ohio State's getting that. 'Yeah, yeah, Ohio State's spending $20 million.'"

"I was even contributing to it. I was like, 'damn, they're spending $20 million.' Now that we've traveled the country a bit and we understand the landscape of college football. A lot of other teams are like, 'yeah, I can't believe Ohio State's spending just $20 million. Hey they're spending only $20 million over there.'

"These teams that are left, they've all been invested, not just into their football team, but sports as a whole. All these teams left have massive fan bases."

Ryan Day's Buckeyes turned their fortunes around after devastating loss to Michigan

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes ended their regular season, losing 13-10 to Michigan. It knocked them out of the Big Ten Championship Game and forced them to play a first-round matchup in the College Football Playoff.

Many looked up to Ryan Day as a coach who could not get his team through in big games. However, the Buckeyes have turned things around in the playoffs and now look like the title favorites. They dominated their first two opponents, defeating Tennessee 42-17 in the first round, and Oregon 41-21 in the quarterfinals.

Heading into the Cotton Bowl against Texas, the Buckeyes are slight favorites. The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday.