Eli Drinkwitz says SEC coaches are questioning move to 9-game conference schedule
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Eli Drinkwitz, never shy about saying whatever is on his mind, got a really early start on being outspoken and honest on Monday morning at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
The Mizzou head coach was asked about the SEC going to a 9-game conference schedule in 2026 and whether his fellow coaches around the league are already asking themselves why they were OK with going to 9 games.
With the Tigers facing an SEC gauntlet this fall that’s 1 game longer than the previous 8-game SEC schedule, Drinkwitz believes there’s already some headshaking around the conference among coaches as they descend on Media Days this week. With fall camps coming up, Drinkwitz has no doubt it’s a touchy subject that’s already gaining steam.
“We’re all saying it. I think we’re all saying it when we look at our schedules. It’s going to be a real challenge,” Drinkwitz said. “I think (LSU coach Lane Kiffin) has been somebody, whether publicly or privately, someone who has been at the forefront even last year at these meetings, saying it’s not the right play for us. At the end of the day, it is what it is, and we need to meet these challenges head on now.”
Drinkwitz pointed to a factor that doesn’t get enough attention when it comes to the difficulty of playing in the SEC, something not even the recently completed World Cup could show.
“I think the one thing we don’t get enough credit for in the SEC is the challenges at the stadiums we play in and the environment we play in. That’s a tremendous challenge for everyone to walk into,” said Eli Drinkwitz about playing on the road in the SEC, especially at night as he also mentioned.
Drinkwitz will be trying to push Mizzou into relevancy in the SEC title discussion, no matter how many conference games the Tigers are playing in 2026. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Mizzou’s chances among the usual list of SEC powers who are contending for the conference championship this fall:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
