Eli Drinkwitz Proposes Mindblowing College Football Playoff Format

The Missouri coach had a unique take on potential College Football Playoff expansion.

Nov 9, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz calls a timeout during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This post has been edited to reflect the logistics of Drinkwitz's proposal, as he explained on social media after his press conference.

ATLANTA — Eli Drinkwitz is an enigma. The Missouri Tigers addressed everything from his team's offseason mission trip to Jamaica to the Epstein files and the JFK assassination in his opening statement at SEC Media Days.

But the highlight from his time at the podium came in his unique proposal for how to fix the College Football Playoff.

Drinkwitz does not concern himself with matters as trivial as an expansion to 14 or 16 teams like most fans and analysts are debating. Instead, he has a far more robust idea, a system with far more play-in games, giving 30 teams the opportunity to make the field.

Yes, you read that right.

Thirty teams.

What Drinkwitz is advocating for is not 30 playoff bids. Rather, for the SEC and B10 to each be given four bids, the ACC and Big 12 three each. The top spots in each conference would be automatically given to the conference champions, but the other spots would be determined by play-in games.

"Now we're talking about an opportunity for 30 teams, 30 fan bases to be excited and engaged, giving revenue to 30 teams with players who have access to compete for a championship," Drinkwitz said in his press conferences. "So, for me, I think that makes a lot more sense."

Drinkwitz's reasoning for this format is simple. It boils down to the idea that players and teams want to compete for national championships and deserve the opportunity to do so. He also loves the way the home College Football Playoff games worked out last December.

"I think we all would agree that the four College Football Playoff games at home campuses were a huge win for college football," Drinkwitz said. "We need to expand that opportunity, energy, and excitement."

I think we should go back and try to find more ways to include teams. How do we get more people involved? 'Cause that's better for the players, that's better for the player experience to have more people involved in of the potential to play for a championship.

Is a thirty-team playoff going to happen anytime soon? Logic would say probably not. But when looking at just how absurdly different the state of college football is right now compared to where it was five years ago, is it really that crazy to think that maybe we could one day see something like this implemented? Drinkwitz certainly doesn't think so. And if it potentially brings a home playoff game to Columbia, Tigers fans will surely at least entertain the idea.

"When you're at the University of Missouri, you say you just have to finish in the top eight to have a chance to play in the Playoffs, that's a win every day," Drinkwitz said. "I'm all for that. I think that's awesome."