Eli Drinkwitz supports CFP expansion, but insists ‘committees are a bad idea’
By David Wasson
Published:
Put Eli Drinkwitz among those who doesn’t like committees making decisions – even if it is a decision he prefers.
The Missouri coach, who joined Kentucky’s Will Stein, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel on Day 1 of the SEC Media Days in Tampa, offered his opinion on a possible expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 teams to 16.
“I am for expanded opportunities for schools in the playoffs,” Drinkwitz said. “You have 138 Division I-playing schools. We have to have more opportunities for access.”
That said, Drinkwitz delivered his opinion on committees coming to the conclusion that CFP expansion is necessary.
“I am not for giving the committee more opportunities to put people in the playoffs,” Drinkwitz added. “Committees are a bad idea.”
The CFP appeared on the verge of expansion earlier in 2026, only to see that momentum stalled over the SEC and Big Ten not being able to agree both how many teams should be in the field (the SEC prefers 16, while the Big Ten is pushing for a 24-team playoff) and on how teams would earn qualification (the SEC prefers the 5+11 model where five automatic qualifiers representing major conference champions join 11 at-large teams, while the Big Ten’s proposal would eliminate conference champions).
The 12-team CFP is set to begin with first-round games Dec. 18-19 on campus sites, with the CFP title game scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027 in Las Vegas.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
