Missouri coach likes Big Ten's CFP plan, more system overhauls

Drinkwitz joins SEC This Morning and explains how the Tigers use the 'unity over self' mantra to avoid listening to outside opinions as they pursue their goals. (1:32)

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ATLANTA -- Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz on Thursday unabashedly advocated for a playoff format that runs contrary to the one supported by many of his SEC peers, aligning himself with the Big Ten's proposal of four automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten and SEC in a 16-team field in 2026.

Drinkwitz, speaking to ESPN on the last day of SEC media days, said he would "100 percent" like to eliminate the CFP selection committee from the process and isn't opposed to getting rid of the SEC championship game. He said increasing the field by two or four is "inconsequential," and his ideal model would allocate four guaranteed spots each to the Big Ten and SEC, three each to the ACC and Big 12, one for the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion and another at-large.

"Why are we wasting all this time discussing it?" he said. "If we're going to do something monumental, do something monumental. Think outside the box. It's a very easy approach. ... We've all complained. The commissioner got up and complained. Coaches got up and complained about the selection process, which is understandable. It's a human system that has no standard of picking. There's going to be implicit bias. Why would we add more to that? I don't understand that."

The SEC coaches began to lean toward the 5+11 model -- which includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams -- at their spring meetings in Destin, Florida, after seeing graphs and elements from a study of the playoff that simulated what would have happened in various models. While it wasn't unanimous -- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin this week continued to push for the 16 best teams without automatic bids -- the SEC's support for the 5+11 format elicited public and private sentiments of agreement from other FBS leaders, including in the ACC and Big 12.

Around two months later, Drinkwitz said now that he has had time to think about it, he believes the model with automatic qualifiers would best benefit a program like Missouri, which has been a Top 25 team recently but still out of reach for the CFP.

"When you actually sit back and can sit on a beach and read books and think through, you're like, 'Wait, this doesn't make sense,'" he said of the 5+11 model. "It doesn't make sense for the University of Missouri. It makes sense for blue bloods who are consistently ranked in the Top 25 and every year have the implicit bias of being ranked -- maybe not based off product, but based off of media marketing and branding. But if you're talking about in the SEC, you have to finish in the top eight to compete in the playoff? Or in the SEC you have to finish in the top three? That's a totally different challenge."

Earlier Thursday morning, Drinkwitz opened his remarks at the podium by conceding he realized what he was about to say "is not going to do me any favors with our commissioner." On Monday, Sankey said the SEC and Big Ten had a "different view" of what the playoff should be.

"I haven't picked the format," Sankey told ESPN on Wednesday about his playoff preference. "What I've said is, after our conversations, our membership is interested in moving to 16, I think that's a responsible way to communicate it."

Drinkwitz said models with automatic qualifiers were presented to the SEC coaches in Destin two ways: with and without the conference title game.

"I'm for the SEC championship game," he said. "I think it's a great game. We're doing more to eliminate it by adding an 11+5 model because what's the emphasis of playing that game?"

With the SEC championship game still a part of the process, the play-in games would include No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5. Without the SEC title game, there could be eight SEC teams playing for a spot on conference championship weekend.

"Would you rather miss the playoff because a selection committee didn't pick you? Or miss the playoff because you didn't win on the field?" Drinkwitz said. "Which one is easier for the fan base, the players and the coaches to accept? Instead we're going to get up here and complain about the selection committee that we know is a flawed process. I just don't understand. There's lies, there's damn lies, and there's statistics. We're going to rely on statistics."

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