Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz becomes the latest SEC coach to make ridiculous complaints about Big Ten schedules
When college football changes, some things stay the same. This time, SEC coaches complained about schedules.
As we quickly approach the start of the 2026 season, the landscape of the sport has changed dramatically. In the pre-NIL era, the SEC, led by Alabama’s Nick Saban dynasty, ruled college football. In 10 years, from 2013-2022, SEC teams won six National Championships, three for the Crimson Tide, two for Georgia, and the 2019 LSU Tiger led by Joe Burrow.
But the NIL almost immediately reversed the formation of names, creating more equity in the game as, say, Alabama’s backups, took the big paydays to start elsewhere. As a result, there is a more level playing field in all of college football, some teams in other conferences have improved their rosters, and the top of the SEC is no longer head and shoulders above the competition.
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Nick Saban, former football coach at the University of Alabama, testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Wina McNamee/Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the SEC has failed to even reach the National Championship game in three consecutive seasons. Even worse, teams from the Big Ten Conference not only reached the finals, but won them in those years. Based on some rankings driven by preseason stats, the Big Ten could be favored to win its fourth straight title with Ohio State and sports-leading Oregon.
There are sound, logical explanations for this rapid change in power structures. And then there’s what Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has to say. At SEC press days, when explaining why the Big Ten outclassed its conference, Drinkwitz said it comes down to “When you don’t play an A4 (non-conference) game,” Brett McMurphy said.
Brandon Marcello from CBS Sports added that Drinkwitz believes SEC coaches are already “regretting moving to a nine-game schedule,” and that “Lane Kiffin has long been up front saying going to eight games would be a problem.”
Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ((Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
Ah. Hence the problem. The Big Ten didn’t have enough tough non-conference games. Well, let’s take a look at Missouri’s non-conference schedule in 2025 under Drinkwitz, shall we?
- Central Arkansas 61-6
- Kansas 42-31
- Louisiana 52-10
- Massachusetts 42-6
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A list of the strongest groups of real killers, right? Even better, Drinkwitz’s program with Missouri was very difficult to play, and this is no mistake, six straight home games to start the season. They opened the season on Aug. 28, with their first game of the year, and again, this is not a misprint, it was Oct. 18.
They played four road games, at Auburn, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Arkansas. They went 2-2. Their total distance traveled from Columbia for the entire season was 1,805 miles. Big Ten Conference team USC played a non-conference game against Notre Dame, which is nearly 2,100 miles from Los Angeles. One Big Ten team went more in one game than Missouri did all season. “And those things are important,” as Kiffin said while making vague, inaccurate excuses for the SEC’s recent underperformance.
It is a remarkable apostasy, and dishonesty. Yes, Missouri still played a tough schedule because of their conference games, but pretending the Big Ten only won the National Championship because of their non-conference schedules is ridiculous. Indiana finished its undefeated season with wins over Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and Miami. Missouri lost to Virginia, 13-7, in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. That’s obviously due to the tough non-conference situation Missouri has faced and its tough four-game road schedule where they literally do. you did not leave the zone of the middle time. It’s almost impossible to give yourself much smaller benefits than Missouri.
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All these reasons and explanations and excuses are wrong, and mean nothing. The Big Ten caught up with the SEC because of the NIL and the transfer portal. The depth of the SEC has improved because they spread tons of money to each program, they have huge fan bases that support the football teams, and there are fewer incentives to stay in Alabama now than ever before. Matchups between elite teams are usually 55%/45% or 60%/40% toss-ups, and contending programs like Texas or Georgia could win the title again this year.
Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Photos by Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn)
The SEC has long had the advantages of non-conference scheduling, with teams like Missouri offering four free wins, eight home games, FCS bye weeks in November and less travel. He then points to the losing streak, backed by four straight wins, as “proof” of how strong the SEC is. Now that other conferences are imitating them, they are crying under their breath. Of course, going to nine conference games will hurt their records. That’s what happens when benefits are taken away.
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It’s impossible to take these scheduling complaints seriously when the SEC is 2-7 against other Power 4 conference teams in the College Football Playoff over the past three seasons. Even including the games against them, the SEC is 5-9 in the last three contests. The Big Ten is 13-5. Maybe worry about that first.
