Central Michigan head football coach Matt Drinkall has opinions.

And he's never been that shy about sharing them.

"How long would you like me to answer?" Drinkall said with a smile, during a press conference this week.

The question Drinkall was asked was about the proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff, which, according to reports, appears poised to double to 24 teams for the 2027 season.

The CFP last expanded to 12 teams in 2024. The CFP launched as a four-team playoff in 2014.

Drinkall said the latest proposal is continuing the trend of college football power brokers chasing the almighty dollar, with little regard to what is best for the sport and the student-athletes.

"Everything since COVID has just 100% been reactionary," Drinkall said during his weekly press conference Tuesday, Oct. 20. "No one has ever said, 'OK, well, if we do this, what does this look like 15 years from now? What does this look like 10 years from now? Is this in the best interest culturally of everyone, or is it all, just how do I save my ass and make the most money right this second?'

"Whoever has to sell TV spots or tickets at every school or promote a conference, they're not interested in what's good for the sport of football. They're not itnerested in what's good for young people coming up. They want to know what makes my job the most amount of money right now.

"So everything since COVID (has been) all reactionary. Conference realignment, eligibility, paying players, transfer policies. None of it's good. None of it is in the best interest of the student-athlete."

Drinkall was just getting started in a rant that lasted longer than six minutes.

"It's just like everybody went nuts at once, and it's just been a downward spiral that is nonstop, until it's going to be a smoldering Dumpster fire left, like the Truffula Trees in 'The Lorax,'" Drinkall said, referencing Dr. Seuss. "They are going to ring the sport out for every cent they can, as long as they can, and prostitute the sport for financial gain until people stop caring, just like they did with boxing back in the '20s (1920s)."

"It's going to make whoever a bunch of money, everybody's going to watch for a while. When it starts to lose its luster, whatever that looks like, they're going to change it again and tell us it's in the best interest of everybody.

"... As long as we make money, who gives a s***?"

Drinkall said the proposed CFP expansion would continue the trend of pushing the sport into the professional realm, and it will render the regular season practically meaningless. Under a 24-team playoff, four-loss teams could theoretically make the field. He also said the proposal will continue widening the gap between the Power Four and the Group of Six, even though the current 12-team CFP guarantees one spot to the Group of Six and the proposed 24-team setup is likely to award one, as well. ("A carrot to dangle in front of everybody," Drinkall said.)

Drinkall also worries that the money is getting so big, and will continue to get bigger, for the Power Four football programs thanks in large part to lucrative TV deals, that there could come a day when those football programs make a push to stop sharing those revenues with the rest of the sports at their schools. That would seriously jeopardize the sustainability of nonrevenue sports. Big-time football programs largely subsidize entire athletic departments.

Drinkall even suggested this trend toward a more professional model in college sports could one day lead to the end of the NCAA, which already doesn't oversee the CFP.

"That's what's coming next," Drinkall said. "It's just a matter of how fast."

A final decision on whether the CFP will expand to 24 teams for 2027 — a proposal originally pushed by the Big Ten — is expected by Dec. 1. It is worth noting, the Division II football playoffs have 32 teams, and the Division III football playoffs have 40 teams. But they don't have the bowl-game setup that's long been a staple of big-time college football. The sustainability of the bowl system as we know it, too, is threatened by continued CFP expansion.

Several bowl games have pulled the plug in recent years, including, most recently, the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit's Ford Field. Drinkall's Chippewas played in the Detroit bowl in 2025.

Drinkall, 43, is in his second season as head coach at Central Michigan. The Chippewas are 3-4 and coming off a 21-14 loss to chief rival Western Michigan. Central Michigan plays at home against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Oct. 24.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Central Michigan coach rips proposed College Football Playoff expansion

For many years, I felt like my offensive previews for the Texas A&M Aggies were all about the same when talking about a Jimbo Fisher offense. Since the Aggies made the swap the Mike Elko as the head coach, though, the Tide hasn’t played them, so this is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at the Aggie offense under Elko and offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins (formerly Alabama’s WR coach).

And, uh, it’s not been good.

They’re 71st in the country in scoring with 29.4 points per game, but that’s been buoyed with big days against Missouri State, Arizona State, The Citadel, and Arkansas. In their three other games, they’ve scored all of 6 points on LSU, 6 points on Missouri, and 21 points in a loss to Kentucky.

There’s a lot of negative in their stats, but the biggest issue has been that they have one of the worst passing attacks in the whole country – they’re ranked #122 in passing EPA/play and #132 in passing explosiveness, completing less than 56% of their passes.

After a promising season a year ago, QB Marcel Reed has been awful so far in 2026 for whatever reason.

And the responsibility starts with quarterback Marcel Reed and offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins.

Texas A&M managed just two first downs through three quarters. Two.

The Aggies gained a laughable three yards during the entire third quarter. Eight offensive possessions lasted four plays or fewer.

Reed threw two interceptions, completed just five of 13 passes in the first half and went nearly 14 minutes without completing a throw.

That’s not the production of a quarterback capable of leading an SEC contender.

It’s the production of a quarterback who needs to watch the next game from the sideline.

Reed’s struggles aren’t isolated to Missouri, either. Against LSU, he completed 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards and an interception in a 35-6 defeat.

Against Kentucky, he threw two more interceptions as the Aggies fell 31-21.

Texas A&M has now lost three of its first four SEC games, dropping to 3-3 overall.

Meanwhile, Wiggins has done precious little to demonstrate that he can fix the problems.

The first-year offensive play-caller inherited a quarterback with considerable experience and an offense that averaged 444.5 yards per game last season.

What he’s producing instead is an unimaginative, predictable attack that can’t consistently sustain drives, establish offensive balance or threaten opposing defenses.

Reed isn’t passing the ball well, and he isn’t even being particularly effective as a runner, either, getting all of 175 rushing yards on 54 carries. It’s somewhat difficult to really evaluate his receivers with as poor as the QB play has been. Mario Craver was an excellent slot receiver a year ago and leads the team with 24 catches for 241 yards. Then there’s Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, who was 280 yards on 20 catches as the more downfield outside receiver. Past these two, the rest of the receivers only have a handful of catches. Deep threat Terry Bussey is out for the season. Freshman Aaron Gregory as scored 3 times on 10 catches, which is pretty cool. And to top things off, Craver is dealing with a nagging injury and may not even play against the Tide.

On the other hand, things have been more positive for the Aggies in the run game. Rueben Owens has been an excellent lead back for them, putting up 314 yards on 76 carries, while freshman KJ Edwards has been something of a revelation, putting up 317 yards on only 47 carries. Carsyn Baker and Jamarion Morrow also rotate in and have 155 and 122 yards, respectively, with Morrow leading the team with 4 touchdowns.

They’ve been especially good rushing off tackle, averaging over 5 yards per carry off both edges.

Interestingly, check out this snippet on their offensive line. Turns out, Wilkin Formby is one of the best pass blocking tackles in the country, but the lowest graded run blocker on his own team. Who would have thought?

When looking at the state of the Aggies offensive line, it’s first important to view the numbers by who is on the field the most. A high-win rate, but a low snap percentage, doesn’t necessarily make a player better on paper, as the number of times they are tested can change the results.

Three players have been consistent on the field throughout the season; left tackle Tyree Adams, center Mark Nabou Jr., and right tackle Wilkin Formby. Their numbers all reflect the amount of time they have spent on the field, and of offensive lineman with at least 100 snaps, those three are the highest rated pass blockers.

Formby paces the team in pass blocking, not only as the highest graded Aggie, but is the highest graded tackle in the country. He has allowed 0 sacks on the year, and just four quarterback hurries. While Formby is the lowest graded run-blocker with at least 100 snaps, Nabou Jr. is the team leader, and has been a really strong part of the interior, allowing just one sack this season.

The guard spot is where the Aggies have really struggled, and at times have led to their detriment. Trovon Baugh, who has the fourth most snaps amonst offensive lineman, has given up the most sacks on the team with four.

To their credit, the Aggies did try something new against the Tigers, moving Formby to the guard spot while placing Lamont Rogers at the right tackle position. Unfortunately he graded as one of the worst pass blockers in the contest, while surrendering three pressures, the team-high for the game. That same result was found in Sam Roseborough, who the program tried to give playing time as well.

While we don’t really know what Wiggins is as an OC at this point in his career, I expect the Aggies to come at Alabama with a very similar gameplan as what Tennessee did: Run the ball and throw quick screens. For one, they will want to protect Marcel Reed from giving Alabama freebie. And for two…. Well, it worked for the Vols, why not do the same thing?

While Reed and the running backs will get some rushing yards on the Tide defense, I have trouble seeing how this offense can really threaten the Tide too much, unless the Alabama offense just gives them ball in good field position over and over (which is definitely not out of the realm of possibilities). I think the Alabama defense mostly self-corrects some of their flaws from a week ago, though the questionable nature of Zabien Brown’s injury may affect things.

Still, I think that this is an OC that is probably out of his league against a more experienced Kane Wommack, and there’s been nothing to suggest that Marcel Reed won’t continue to self-sabotage. So let’s go with 12-14 points for the Aggies.

Roll Tide

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount says he feels a different level of anxiety watching the Milwaukee Brewers now than when he was playing for them during their only other World Series run.

“It’s almost like watching your kids play,” said Yount, who was the American League Most Valuable Player when the Brewers reached the 1982 Fall Classic. “You’re a lot more nervous watching your own kids play than when you played yourself. And I kind of feel that way now.”

Yount and the rest of the 1982 Brewers are hoping this year’s Milwaukee team can settle some unfinished business by winning the franchise’s first World Series title.

The 1982 Brewers won the AL pennant and led 3-1 in the sixth inning of Game 7 of the World Series that year before falling 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers are finally back on this stage 44 years later.

The Brewers swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL championship series to earn this matchup with the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. Game 1 is Friday in Milwaukee.

“In my 80 years on this planet, I have never been more impressed with a team — the way they played against the Dodgers — in my entire life,” said Larry Hisle, who played nine games for the Brewers in 1982 before undergoing shoulder surgery that essentially ended his 14-year major league career.

On the surface, this year’s Brewers don’t have much in common with the 1982 squad.

The 1982 team was known as Harvey’s Wallbangers, a nod to Milwaukee’s drinking culture, Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn and the fact that the Brewers hit an MLB-leading 216 homers that year. This year’s Brewers hit just 154 homers to match the second-lowest total in the majors.

But the two teams do share some traits.

Jerry Augustine, a pitcher on the 1982 team, said that squad “had respect for each other about going out and playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

“This team is exactly the same,” Augustine said. “They respect each other. They go out and play hard. They don’t give up. When you play this team, you’d better be ready to play 27 outs.”

Cecil Cooper, a first baseman on the 1982 team, said he’s appreciated the Brewers’ approach at the plate during this playoff run.

“You watch every at bat, these guys are grinding,” Cooper said. “They’re not out there just wailing away at the first pitch. They’re grinding at bat after at bat. That’s what you do. That’s what winners do.”

That 1982 team’s star-studded roster featured five Hall of Famers in Yount, third baseman Paul Molitor, catcher Ted Simmons and pitchers Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton.

The list of familiar names on that team isn’t limited to the players. Florida Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito was a Brewers bat boy and clubhouse attendant that year. He did laundry, rubbed mud on baseballs for better gripping and played catch in right field with outfielders between innings.

Zito brought the Stanley Cup into the Brewers’ clubhouse during the summer of 2024, after the Panthers won their first of two straight NHL championships.

Would his name be on the Stanley Cup twice if he hadn’t been a Brewers bat boy? Zito doesn’t think so.

“I’m guessing maybe some of the guys working there now realize what an unbelievable opportunity it is, to learn and to be around professional sports,” Zito said. “The lessons that you take away, maybe I didn’t understand them at the time. … But now, reflecting back, they were all so important.”

The 1982 squad remains beloved in Milwaukee and was a subject of a documentary, “Just a Bit Outside,” that came out in 2024.

Milwaukee started slowly that year until Kuenn took over and provided a spark after the June firing of Buck Rodgers. The Brewers clinched the AL East title by winning a winner-take-all game at Baltimore on the final day of the regular season. They rallied from two games down to beat the California Angels in the best-of-five ALCS.

Longtime Brewers fans continue to vow that the Brewers would have won the World Series if Fingers hadn’t injured his forearm that September, preventing him from pitching in the postseason.

“We got a parade when we lost the World Series,” Yount said. “How often does that happen?”

Yount, who is generally regarded as the greatest player in Brewers history, has called that 1982 postseason the greatest time but also the worst time of his career because of the way it ended. The pain of losing Game 7 sticks with him.

“Yeah, it stings,” the 71-year-old Yount said. “It hurts. I’m not going to lie, I’ll never get over it until the Brewers win one. So I’m hoping. I hope this happens more often than every 44 years, but I’m pretty excited this year. If it takes another 44, I’m not sure I’m going to be here for that one.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Steelers Release Veteran Safety Before Paris Game In Latest Shake-Up to Secondary originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The reshaping of the Steelers' secondary will continue into Week 7.

A few weeks after trading Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys, with safety DeShon Elliott likely to return from injury soon, Pittsburgh announced it is cutting ties with a veteran safety on Wednesday.

Rayshawn Jenkins will hit free agency after struggling with the Steelers over the first six games of the 2026 season.

Here's what to know about Jenkins' release and what it means moving forward.

The Steelers announced the release of Jenkins on Wednesday after he played in all six games for the team so far, including one start.

However, for the most part, Jenkins — a 10-year veteran who has had stints with the Chargers, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns — struggled to emerge as a starter despite his experience, with 562 total tackles, 11 interceptions, 5.5 sacks and 34 pass deflections in his career.

After starting all 17 games for the Browns last season, Jenkins landed with the Steelers in the offseason, but was quickly replaced by seventh-round rookie Robert Spear-Jennings in the starting lineup. Per Steelers Now, Jenkins was targeted five times before his release from Pittsburgh, allowing five completions for 120 yards, one touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

For the Steelers, the move likely indicates that they didn't have a need for Jenkins because Elliottt will return soon, out since October 2025 with hamstring/knee injuries. Elliott had a setback in the preseason and was unable to start the season for the Steelers.

Elliott's 21-day practice window was opened on Oct. 8, and head coach Mike McCarthy has remained hopeful that he'll be back on the field soon.

Whether Elliott will be ready for the Paris matchup against the Saints remains to be seen, but he's likely to return at some point soon.

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