The Big Ten may have postponed its college football season, but Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said there’s not much time to waste if the conference wants to plan for a spring schedule.

Day said a plan should be finalized in weeks, not months, and his wheels have been spinning as to what a legitimate swing at a spring slate might look like.

“Starting with the first week of January would be the best way to go,” Day said. “An eight-week season, and that way there is some separation between that season and the next season.”

Day said several times Wednesday that the start date and duration of the season are key to avoiding the pitfalls that college football pundits have been trumpeting about a spring season for months.

Following the Big Ten’s postponement announcement Tuesday, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer appeared on the Big Ten Network and reemphasized his position on a spring football season, even as a last resort.

“No chance,” Meyer said. “You can’t ask a player to play two seasons within a calendar year. When I first heard that I said that, I don’t see that happening.”

But Day sees things differently. The second-year Buckeye head coach said the potential for mid-year enrollee freshmen to get two seasons under their belt as part of their first calendar year in the program would actually be enticing, rather than a turn-off.

The health and safety concerns associated with playing two near back-to-back seasons just underscores the need to begin the spring season as early as possible, Day said.

“I think if you play a full schedule and you play it starting in the spring, like when you get into March, then I think now you’re asking for trouble. But I think if you play an eight or possibly nine-game season, pushing back to January, then I think that’s real,” Day said.

Despite the risk of star players opting out of the potential spring season, Day said the real concerns begin if Ohio State isn’t allowed to play one at all.

Day said remaining nationally competitive on the recruiting trail and maintaining the correct number of scholarships will become issues if the Big Ten season doesn’t happen at all, especially if other leagues play a fall season.

“If we don’t play, then yeah, that would be a problem,” Day said. “But that’s why we got to put this plan together and get these guys going, because I think it’s very, very important.”

Another problem for Day and other Big Ten coaches and administrators is that due to the previous efforts to salvage a fall football season, there isn’t much framework in place to fall back on in terms of precedents for spring ball.

But as lack of advanced planning undoubtedly contributed to the demise of the fall season in the Big Ten, Day said he knows how important it is to pour every effort into establishing a plan to get on the field come January.

“Everyone’s kind of throwing ideas around right now,” Day said. We’re working really, really hard on that. That was not a focus a few days ago, but it is now, so we’re going to have to work quickly and diligently to get this done.”