Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has questioned the continued purpose of athletic conferences following the decision to eliminate conference championship games as the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams starting in 2027.
The College Football Playoff and ESPN inked a five-year deal to expand the postseason field to 24 teams beginning in the 2027 season, with ESPN’s Heather Dinich reporting the contract’s worth as nearly $1.7 billion. That structural shift forces the elimination of Power Four conference championship games.
The SEC announced that its 35th title game, scheduled for Dec. 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, will be its final one, while the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 also confirmed they will no longer play conference title games beyond this season.
Coach Eli Drinkwitz Questions Conference Realignment and Scheduling
Speaking to reporters, Drinkwitz voiced frustration over the rapid changes altering the sport, pointing to the combination of the expanded playoff, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules, conference realignment, and the transfer portal.
Times are changing, so you’ve got to adjust with the times. But my question is why are we associated with conferences anymore if we’re not playing for a conference championship? If the point now is just to be playing into a sea of 24, are we just doing it for scheduling affiliation? If we’re just doing it for scheduling affiliation, is there a reason to be flying all the way across the country to play games from a national perspective?
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri coach, via ESPN
Drinkwitz also argued that recent decisions have devalued historic elements of college football, including traditional bowl games and season-long program building. When he took over the Missouri program in 2020, one of his goals was to lead the Tigers to an SEC title. Missouri played in the SEC championship game twice, losing 59-42 to Auburn in 2013 and 42-13 to Alabama the following season.
“Have we cared about the fans?” Drinkwitz asked according to the source, pointing out that regional rivalries have largely disappeared alongside regional conferences.
Dickert Discusses Conference Championship Impact
It can benefit a team like us; it can hurt a team like us. So, there’s a lot of situations. You can play all sides of the coin. But to not say we’re going to have conference champions, why do we have conferences? I know there’s a lot of things that go into all that. Just feels odd.
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest coach, via ESPN
Dickert said that conference title games previously acted as elimination games for teams like Wake Forest, which sat 16th in the initial CFP selection committee rankings. By contrast, independent programs like Notre Dame are not required to play a conference championship game.
Bowl Game Executives Brace for Postseason Fallout
Florida Citrus Sports chief executive officer Steve Hogan said that removing 12 power-conference teams into the playoff inventory will drastically reduce the pool of winning teams available for the remaining postseason schedule.
Historic postseason contests, such as the Citrus Bowl, historically draw millions of viewers. Last year’s matchup between Texas and Michigan drew 9.1 million viewers, while the Pop-Tarts Bowl brought in 8.7 million. However, with top contenders moving into a 24-team playoff field, traditional bowls may find themselves pairing lower-ranked teams with records like 8-4 or 7-5.
Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli remains optimistic about the future of the industry, pointing out that non-playoff bowls on ESPN networks averaged 3.1 million viewers last season, marking a 13% increase from the previous year.
Even with 24 in the playoff, there’s still nearly 60 deserving teams that may want a place to play. It’s been proven that fans still love watching those games.
Nick Carparelli, Bowl Season executive director, via CBS Sports
As conferences and television networks prepare for the new format, discussions regarding future bowl contracts and scheduling structures are expected to accelerate before the end of the year once the playoff details are finalized.
