Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz backs CFP play-in games, expanding to 30 — yes, 30 — teams

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6 days ago

Is there a more intriguing string of words to hear emanate from the SEC Media Days stage?
'This is not,' Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz said, 'gonna do me any favors with our commissioner.'
Please, continue!
And Drinkwitz sure did.
During the Mizzou coach's SEC Media Days appearance Thursday, July 17, in Atlanta, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated asked Drinkwitz about his thoughts on a couple of burning issues in SEC and college football over the past few months: The eight- vs. nine-game SEC schedule; and the expansion/qualifying format of the College Football Playoff.
Let's get to his answer on the CFP, first, because Drinkwitz's suggestions differ from most of what you'll hear or read on the options for an altered format.
The sixth-year Mizzou head proposed expanding the playoff, in essence, to 30 teams, including play-in games for the top-eight teams in each of the SEC and Big Ten and the top-six teams in the ACC and Big 12.
'When you think about whether it's 12, 14, or 16 (teams), you know, to me, if we've decided to go into this expansion of playoffs, and we're trying to follow an NFL model — well, the NFL takes 44% of their teams, in order, into the playoffs to increase the passion or keep the fan base engaged,' Drinkwitz said. 'If we're talking about 12, that's 9% (of FBS teams). If we're talking about 14, that's 11%. If we're talking about 16, that's 12%.
'That's really not changing the math for the fanbase. So, I really don't understand what the big fight is about.'
In 2025, the playoff will remain with 12 teams, with a slight change: The top-five conference champions will automatically qualify, but the top four no longer automatically get byes straight to the quarterfinals. Those now go to the top-four teams in the CFP rankings, which could very well still overlap but are not guaranteed to be the case.
Multiple ideas have been floated for that to change beginning in 2026, but none have achieved widespread support yet.
The SEC has seemingly most-supported what is termed the '5+11 format,' which would grant five conference champions automatic-qualifying spots and includes 11 at-large selections decided by a committee.
There is also the '4-4-2-2-1- format,' which would give the SEC and Big Ten each four AQs, the ACC and Big 12 two AQs and the Group of Six conferences one automatic qualifier, plus three at-large berths.
Under that format, it has been reported that the SEC and Big Ten would consider play-in games for their final two AQ spots, meaning teams in the league ranked Nos. 3-6 would play for their place. That would, effectively, expand the playoff to 20 teams, even before considering other potential play-in games in other conferences.
For now, the SEC and the Big Ten can't seem to come to an agreement on which model to back and the CFP appears likely to remain at 12 teams in 2026.
It was reported earlier this week by Brett McMurphy of On3 that the Big Ten will not support a 5+11 format, the reported preference of the SEC, if the Southeastern Conference doesn't move from an eight- to a nine-game conference schedule, like the Big Ten currently plays.
Want Drinkwitz's quick thoughts on eight vs. nine games?
'Honestly, I think I've been for the nine-game (schedule),' Drinkwiz said. 'I think if it was about players and about fans, I think it's a nine-game schedule for the SEC. If it's about coach preservation, which, hey, man, I get it, you know. But if we're going to go to 11 humans deciding on a committee which are the 11 best teams, and we stay at eight (games), we ain't getting in.'
That brings us to the next part of Drinkwitz's CFP qualms: human error.
He cited implicit bias and a lack of a 'standard set of structures' for playoff selection, and said he doesn't think going from seven at-large berths to 11 at-large berths is going to help solve the problem.
Now we're really getting to the point.
Drinkwitz's solution — one he presents as fan- and player-experience oriented — is to make it bigger.
A lot bigger.
'How do we get more people involved?' Drinkwitz asked.
Drinkwitz supports play-in games, which does seem to go against the grain of what the SEC appears to generally support: The 5+11 format. It's not unwise for the SEC to support that structure. In more years than most, the conference is likely to have five or more teams ranked among the top 16 in the sport.
The Mizzou coach actually went a step further, too. He said he supports even more play-in games.
Drinkwitz used an example where the SEC gets four automatic qualifiers, but seemingly suggested taking those four and making them all play-in matchups. Presumably, the format here would be that the SEC champion would play the team that finishes No. 8 in the standings, No. 2 would play No. 7 and so on.
In Drinkwitz's ideal model, he suggested the Big Ten also stage play-in games for its top eight, and that the ACC and Big 12 each stage three play-in games for a total of six teams apiece. He also said 'one and one,' which presumably means a pair of Group of Six conference representatives.
'Now we're talking about an opportunity for 30 teams, 30 fanbases, to be excited and engaged; engaged and giving revenue,' Drinkwitz said. 'Got 30 teams with players who have access to compete for a championship. And so, for me, I think that makes a lot more sense.'
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It's not entirely out of left field. The legendary late coach Mike Leach, on multiple occasions, suggested expanding the CFP to 64 teams, including in his time coaching Mississippi State on the SEC Media Days stage in 2021.
Even at half of that, Drinkwitz's suggestions aren't overwhelmingly likely to get off the ground any time soon. Anything that provides a barrier of entry — as the potential for an upset in a No. 1-8 play-in game could — isn't going to thrill commissioners and TV executives.
It would, however, benefit the likes of Mizzou. In each of the past two years, had Drinkwitz's suggestions been in place, that would have landed the Tigers in a play-in game. Of course, in smaller fields, Mizzou did not make the four- or 12-team field in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
'When you're talking about the NFL playoff system, not only is it 14 teams (in the playoffs), but you only have to be the best out of your four-team division. You've got to compete against four teams in order to make the playoffs," Drinkwitz said. "When you're at the University of Missouri, if you say, 'Hey, you just have to finish in the top eight to have a chance to play in the playoffs,' that's a win every day. And I'm all for that. I think that's awesome.'
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 30-team CFP? Missouri football's Eli Drinkwitz talks playoff expansion