‘Why are we associated with conferences anymore?’ SEC coach questions the point of conferences in 24-team playoff
But my question is why are we associated with conferences anymore if we’re not playing for a conference championship?” Drinkwitz said, via ESPN’s Brandon Zimmerman.
Key points
- ‘Why are we associated with conferences anymore?’ During a press conference on Tuesday, Drinkwitz was asked about the elimination of conference championship games, and he had a pretty interesting response as he questioned the point of competing in a conference if it’s not for a conference championship.
- 24-Team Playoff On Monday, the CFP and ESPN agreed to a five-year deal worth nearly $1.7 billion that will expand the playoff field to 24 teams starting in 2027.
- Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images The College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams next season, and the change will also mean the end of conference championship games for the Power 4 leagues.
On Tuesday, Drinkwitz questioned why teams should even be affiliated with conferences anymore if they aren’t playing for conference titles, raising the idea of a more national schedule instead.
Additional details
- Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC logo seen on a chain marker during the third quarter of the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field.
- Nick Saban said that “there’s not 24 teams in the country that can win the national championship,” and that he hated to see games like the SEC Championship go away.
- It is worth noting, however, that there will still be conference champions in the new system; those champions will just be decided using regular-season standings and tiebreakers rather than a conference championship game at the end of the season.
- The field will include 19 at-large bids, the four Power 4 conference champions, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.
- But the Power 4 conference championship games will be eliminated, with each league expected to determine its champion through regular-season standings and tiebreakers, according to ESPN.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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