TIGER EXTRA

Why Eli Drinkwitz supports permanent opponents in new SEC schedule model for Mizzou football

Matt Stahl
Columbia Daily Tribune
Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz calls a play off his play sheet during the Tigers' 40-12 loss to Kansas State on Sept. 10, 2022.

The SEC football scheduling model is set to change soon, with the conference reportedly preferring a nine-game league schedule that gives each school three yearly opponents.

Coaches have shared mixed opinions on the model, with Alabama’s Nick Saban saying the three likely rivals for the Crimson Tide, Tennessee, Auburn and LSU, would be an exceptionally difficult draw. 

On Thursday, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz reiterated his support for a schedule that preserves the traditional rivalries of the SEC. 

“Call me old fashioned or whatever, I believe that the thing that makes the SEC great is its established southern traditions,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s the passion that our fans have for the game. It’s the passion that our fans have for family, and tradition and going out on Saturdays.” 

A hallmark of the reported schedule model would be SEC schools getting to play every other team in the conference, home and away, over the course of four years. Drinkwitz said he wasn’t as excited about that change as others. 

He said he’d prefer to keep as many great regional rivalries as possible. 

“I think any time you have more sporadic opponents, it’s tougher to gauge,” Drinkwitz said. “You may have your best team you’ve ever had, but you’re going against brand new opponents and there’s a lot more variables there. I think when you can consistently recruit against permanent opponents, you have a better chance to gauge how your program is growing and developing.”

The three-permanent opponent model would eliminate some permanent games from the divisional system. However, it preserves more than another the SEC reportedly has considered, an eight-game conference schedule with one regular opponent and the rest rotating. 

Missouri’s three regular opponents would likely include Arkansas and Oklahoma according to most predictions. Other possibilities for the third game include Vanderbilt and South Carolina. 

“I can’t imagine some of these SEC schools not playing each other every year,” Drinkwitz said. “As someone who grew up in SEC country, it’s hard for me to imagine that certain rivalries would not be played on a yearly basis.” 

Drinkwitz addressed the argument that the remaining teams would still play each other every two years, questioning how that model has worked out for the Olympics. He reiterated his support for teams developing yearly rivalries to “stoke the fires of competition.” 

He also pointed out that having yearly games that fans care deeply about can only benefit the sport. 

“With the new wave of college athletics, we need fan engagement,” Drinkwitz said. “Now more than ever, in order to fund NIL, ticket sales or whatever it’s going to be in order for our game to be great. I’m for permanent, whether that’s eight or nine, I’m for some sort of permanent opponents.”