Latest news with #PatForde
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz backs CFP play-in games, expanding to 30 — yes, 30 — teams
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.' More: Missouri football's Eli Drinkwitz says QB Sam Horn will compete in 2025 despite MLB Draft pick More: Moving on from Burden, Wease, where do Missouri football's wide receivers stand in 2025? 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
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Report: Notre Dame football could see its long-standing rivalry with USC coming to an end
When USC joined the Big Ten, many wondered what would come of its rivalry with Notre Dame football, and on Monday, there was some clarity on the issue. The Irish recently announced a multi-year battle with Clemson, but Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde is reporting that the Trojans games could be a major question going forward. Notre Dame's athletic director Pete Bevacqua wants the rivalry to continue, as he told Forde 'I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played.' Advertisement The Irish want to continue playing USC every year, but that might not exactly be how the Trojans see it. Forde is reporting that 'USC has expressed reluctance to enter into a long-term deal due to uncertainty about the future College Football Playoff format, and while assessing the demands of greater travel as a member of the Big Ten.' At this point in time, not many know if Notre Dame and USC will continue playing each other, but we do know that both sides do want to be part of this tradition. The question is will they be able to work out a deal in the near future. This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: There is potential that Notre Dame and USC could end its rivalry
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
USC pushes for annual Notre Dame series renewal until CFP automatic bids are clarified
With the contract between USC and Notre Dame set to expire and one of college football's most storied rivalries in serious danger of ending, officials at USC extended an offer to Notre Dame earlier this month in hopes of continuing the historic series for at least one more season — through the fall of 2026 — a person familiar with the negotiations not authorized to discuss them publicly told The Times. The future of the rivalry beyond that, in the eyes of USC's leaders, hinges in large part on what happens with the format of the College Football Playoff — namely, the number of automatic qualifiers guaranteed to the Big Ten in future playoff fields. And until those questions are answered, USC leaders agree the best course forward for its century-old rivalry with Notre Dame would be to continue their arrangement one season at a time. Anything else would be 'a strategically bad decision,' a USC source said. That timeline is where the two rivals find themselves at an impasse. Notre Dame is seeking a long-term extension of the series, and in an interview with Sports Illustrated earlier this week, Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua not so subtly suggested that it was USC putting the rivalry at risk. 'I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played,' he told SI's Pat Forde, 'and SC knows that's how we feel.' The two blueblood programs have played 95 times since 1924, when the story goes that the wife of legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne convinced her husband to schedule the series so she could visit Southern California every other year. In the century since, only World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic have stood in the way of USC and Notre Dame meeting on the football field. Between them, the two rivals boast 16 national titles, more than any other teams that play an annual college football series. They're scheduled to meet again in October in South Bend. What happens to the historic series after that matchup may come down to who blinks in a high-stakes game of chicken between the two schools. USC has no plans to budge on its position without clarity over whether the Big Ten will have four automatic qualifiers in any future playoff format, a source told The Times. With nine conference games already built into the schedule and the possibility of an annual crossover matchup with the Southeastern Conference still on their radar, USC officials see no reason to commit long term to the Notre Dame matchup without assurances they wouldn't be punished for scheduling such a marquee nonconference matchup. The demands of Big Ten travel have also been a part of the conversation at USC, to the point officials broached the potential with Notre Dame of moving the game to the first month of the season. The hope was to better balance its future slate of travel to the Midwest and East Coast. Last season, in their Big Ten debut, the Trojans lost all four of their Big Ten road trips. But Notre Dame was not receptive to the idea of moving the game, which traditionally has been played in the latter half of the football season. The Irish agreed earlier this month to a 12-year home-and-home scheduling agreement with Clemson. But while that deal seemed like a precursor to moving on from the USC series, Sports Illustrated reported this week that it was not expected to stand in the way of continuing with the Trojans. Uncertainty has loomed over the rivalry since last summer when USC coach Lincoln Riley was first asked about its future at Big Ten media days. Riley said at the time that he hoped to continue the series, but hinted pretty strongly at the possibility that USC could drop the game if it would better position the team to win a national title 'I know it means a lot to a lot of people,' Riley said. 'The purist in you [says] no doubt. Now if you get in a position where you got to make a decision on what's best for SC to help us win a national championship vs. keep that [game], shoot, then you got to look at it. 'And listen, we're not the first example of that. Look all the way across the country. There have been a lot of other teams sacrificing rivalry games. And I'm not saying that's what's going to happen. But as we get into this playoff structure, and if it changes or not, we're in this new conference, we're going to learn something about this as we go and what the right and the best track is to winning a national championship, that's going to evolve.' Those comments led many to point fingers at Riley for laying the groundwork for the rivalry's possible demise. But as the two sides now stand at an impasse, a person familiar with the discussion at USC insisted that any decision on the series and its future would come from athletic director Jennifer Cohen. She'll have plenty to weigh on that front in the coming months, with both schools likely to dig in their heels for the long haul, slinging mud at one another in the meantime.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New report suggests USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is in danger of ending
It is certainly a tense time at USC football, particularly regarding the future of the USC-Notre Dame football rivalry. The two schools, who have met every year but one since World War II, do not currently have a contract for the series beyond 2026. On Monday, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported that the series appears to be in serious jeopardy. According to Forde, "USC has expressed reluctance to enter into a long-term deal due to uncertainty about the future College Football Playoff format, and while assessing the demands of greater travel as a member of the Big Ten. USC has broached the idea of moving the game to a season-opening spot on the schedule, sources tell SI." Advertisement Forde later updated the story to include statements from both USC and Notre Dame officials. "'We want the USC–Notre Dame rivalry to continue, which is why we offered an extension of our agreement,' USC associate athletic director Cody Worsham tells SI. 'It's a special game to our fans and our institution. We will continue to work with Notre Dame on scheduling future games.'" Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua added, "I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played, and SC knows that's how we feel." While college football has changed a ton over the decades, the USC-Notre Dame rivalry is one of the few constants that has remained constant. Hopefully, the two schools will be able to come to an agreement, and one of the great rivalries in all of sports will not fall victim to the new era of college athletics. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Report suggests USC-Notre Dame football rivalry could soon be stopped
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New report suggests USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is in danger of ending
New report suggests USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is in danger of ending There is legitimate reason to worry about the future of the USC-Notre Dame football series, and the Trojans are the ones unsure of whether they want this rivalry to continue. It is certainly a tense time at USC football, particularly regarding the future of the USC-Notre Dame football rivalry. The two schools, who have met every year but one since World War II, do not currently have a contract for the series beyond 2026. On Monday, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported that the series appears to be in serious jeopardy. According to Forde, "USC has expressed reluctance to enter into a long-term deal due to uncertainty about the future College Football Playoff format, and while assessing the demands of greater travel as a member of the Big Ten. USC has broached the idea of moving the game to a season-opening spot on the schedule, sources tell SI." Forde later updated the story to include statements from both USC and Notre Dame officials. "'We want the USC–Notre Dame rivalry to continue, which is why we offered an extension of our agreement,' USC associate athletic director Cody Worsham tells SI. 'It's a special game to our fans and our institution. We will continue to work with Notre Dame on scheduling future games.'" Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua added, "I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played, and SC knows that's how we feel." While college football has changed a ton over the decades, the USC-Notre Dame rivalry is one of the few constants that has remained constant. Hopefully, the two schools will be able to come to an agreement, and one of the great rivalries in all of sports will not fall victim to the new era of college athletics.
