Eli Drinkwitz Questions Point of Conferences in 24-Team CFP
Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert question what conferences are for as the 24-team CFP era takes over.
Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz is questioning the purpose of conferences in a playoff expanding to 24 teams. The last conference championship games in the SEC, Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten will occur on December 5, marking the end of traditional conference championships. Wake Forest Demon Deacons coach Jake Dickert shares Drinkwitz's concern, as his team is well-positioned to compete for the ACC's final title game in Charlotte.
The new bracket will begin in 2027, with the Army-Navy game receiving special consideration as the playoff teams rest. Drinkwitz argues that if the main goal is to compete in a sea of 24 teams, why should conferences matter? The SEC has avoided this issue, as the Pac-12 dissolved after the 2023 season and the Big Ten and ACC span across various states.
Dickert's Demon Deacons faced Cal in October, winning 41-7, but he acknowledges that a conference title game could potentially eliminate Wake Forest from contention. Notre Dame, an independent, does not face this risk. Drinkwitz set a goal of winning a conference championship upon joining Missouri in 2020, with the Tigers having reached Atlanta twice, losing to Auburn in 2013 and Alabama in 2014.
He admits that while conference championships are no longer important, their absence is disappointing, as a victory against SMU could determine whether Wake Forest competes for the ACC title on December 5.
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