Could Eli Drinkwitz's Proposed Playoff Model Work?

Don't be fooled by the misleading shock value of Eli Drinkwitz's proposal for the College Football Playoff, which would include 30 teams playing meaningful games in the postseason.

Though the proposal might be far fetched, it would create plenty of entertainment for fans and benefits for players and athletic programs.

And also a solution for those like Lane Kiffin and Shane Beamer, who were unhappy with the selection committee's process last year. Plus, the people who grew tired of hearing the two head coaches complaining about said process.

"Would you rather miss the playoff because a selection committee didn't pick you? Or miss the playoff because you didn't win on the field?" Drinkwitz said to ESPN. "Which one is easier for the fan base, the players and the coaches to accept?

Before explaining his idea Thursday morning at SEC Media Days, Drinkwitz added a preface: "This is not going to do me any favors with our commissioner," he said.

The discussion of an expansion to the field and setup for the Playoff has caused a stalemate between the Big 10 and the SEC. Drinkwitz's model builds off the one favored by the Big 10, where the SEC and Big 10 would each be granted four bids, two to both the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked Group of Six conference champion, plus three other at-large bids.

The SEC, however, favors a model where each Power Four conference championship winners, plus the highest-ranked Group of Six conference winner would be guaranteed a spot, while the 11 other spots would go to the remaining highest-rated teams.

The main problem Drinkwitz sees in both of these fields is how much weight it puts into the rankings of the selection committee.

"The problem is we have a human committee that has no standard set of structure, of how they're going to select," Drinkwitz said at the podium. "They're all human beings. They all have implicit bias."

Drinkwitz's suggestion is closer to the Big 10-backed model, as it keeps the guaranteed tally for the Power Four conferences. His idea, however, relies on play-in games to determine what teams qualify for a spot, rather than the selection committee. Drinkwitz suggests all the play-in games could be played during conference championship weekend, so the schedule wouldn't have to be extended.

The benefits this idea would bring to all college football fans seems obvious. 14 other fanbases that otherwise wouldn't be included in meaningful December football would be a part of the race.

Sure, some wacky upsets would prematurely end seasons for some teams capable of long playoff runs, but isn't that the same chaos that makes the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament so exciting?

Making the doors to the playoff more open also makes nearly every single game in the regular season all the more meaningful and exciting.

For example, Missouri's regular-season finale against Arkansas was a nail-biting finish that meant nothing outside of bragging rights to send out Missouri's seniors. Under this proposed model, Missouri's postseason hopes would've been on the line, making Brady Cook's game-winning drive all the more thrilling.

"When I think about college football right now and think about what do we need to do, I think it really comes down to two things: what is best for our players and what is best for our fans," Drinkwitz said.' "The rest of us are really only important because of the players and the fans."