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Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz loves the idea of College Football Playoff expansion. His idea for more bites at the apple and “access” for additional SEC teams is a win for all parties and would keep fanbases interested through the regular season’s final weekend.

At SEC Media Days, Drinkwitz outlined a plan for an expanded playoff that various news organizations read as a “30-team bracket”, highlighted by 10 play-in games to determine a final 16-team bracket and half of the field in the recently expanded SEC and Big Ten getting in.

“My math could be wrong here, but if we did the 12, okay, and you had four automatic qualifiers? Everybody thinks that’s limiting,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s not limiting if you think about it from, you take those four automatic qualifiers and you divide that into eight opportunities, of eight play-in games. Now you’re thinking, the SEC is playing in for eight, the Big Ten is playing in for eight. Since we’ve expanded the bubble to 16, give three to the Big 12, three to the ACC, one, one.

“Now you’ve got 30 teams, 30 teams. Now you’re talking about an opportunity for 30 teams, 30 fan bases to be excited and engaged, engaged in giving revenue. You’ve got 30 teams with players who have access to compete for a championship,” Drinkwitz said. “So, for me, I think that makes a lot more sense.”

Drinkwitz went on to mention if college football’s trying to push closer to the NFL’s postseason model, the pro league already puts “44% of their teams” in the playoffs and that college football should follow suit by further expanding its bracket.

This isn’t going to happen anymore soon — or likely ever — but it’s the offseason, so why not have some fun and dive in.

What a 30-team playoff would look like

  • 4 automatic qualifiers from SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12
  • 3 SEC play-in games
  • 3 Big Ten play-in games
  • 2 ACC play-in games
  • 2 Big 12 play-in games
  • 1 at-large from highest-ranked Group of Five
  • 1 additional at-large representative 

In Drinkwitz’s authentic 16-team scenario, there are four automatic qualifiers (from SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12), one Group of Five and one at-large. The other 10 spots are determined by additional games during conference championship weekend from teams outside of top two in each respective Power Four league.

What Drinkwitz meant by “play-in” games was taking the voting for the final few spots out of the selection committee’s hands and deciding it on the field. Who would argue with that?

You wouldn’t hear commissioners Greg Sankey or Tony Pettiti complain if the SEC and Big Ten is combining for 60% of the total slots in a 30-team playoff. And you might not get much brush back from the ACC or Big 12 either with five teams from each conference guaranteed a look.

As Drinkwitz said himself, this would create more engaged fanbases in December with teams having a shot to play themselves into a playoff berth. 



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