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

ATLANTA — Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz on Thursday unabashedly advocated for a playoff format that runs contrary to 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%» 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 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