College football’s pregame saga has become as much a part of Saturdays as the games themselves. College GameDay, The Pat McAfee Show, and the viral soundbites decide which campuses get the spotlight, whose fans get the cameras, and which storylines dominate the weekend. But did it ever occur to anyone that there’s a little bias baked into that spotlight? It seems Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz is starting to think so.

The reason? The Tigers’ achievements over the years have been overshadowed. At Columbia, Eli Drinkwitz complained about never being invited to the Pat McAfee show. The Tigers are hosting one of the premier matchups against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and yet they haven’t been able to get GameDay to come to Missouri. Last season, Drinkwitz’s roster achieved a grand feat for the program. Defeating Iowa, 27-24 in the Music City Bowl, the Tigers recorded their eighth 10+win season.

“It’s something that they should take a lot of pride in back-to-back seasons,” Drinkwitz had said post-victory last season. “We knew we were going to and getting that 10th win and leaving our legacy and going out with a win.” But even with back-to-back 10-win seasons, the Tigers are yet got a got a long way to go to earn CFB’s respect, the head coach said.

GameDay announces its visit to high-clash marquee matchups, compelling storylines, or the allure of an electric fanbase. But with Alabama hitting the road to Missouri and with the Tigers posting a 5-0 record, undefeated till now, GameDay and McAfee’s lack of interest has Drinkwitz disappointed. Star quarterback, Beau Pribula, over five games has thrown nine touchdowns, with another three rushed TDs, boasting a QBR of 78.1.

The offensive backfield has also stacked up neat scores. Star running back Ahmad Hardy has registered nine touchdowns over five games, rushing for 730 yards, becoming one of the leading rushers across the CFB.  Over five games, he has tallied 100 yards per game.

Pribula’s roster has averaged more than 45 points per game, a productive metric, ranked No. 3 in rushing offense with 292 yards per game. The defensive unit? It ranks No. 2 in total defense and No. 10 in passing yards allowed, while topping the charts in rushing yards allowed. However, until now, they haven’t faced off against a program of the caliber of Alabama.

But nonetheless, the lack of acknowledgement of Mizzou’s achievements has put off Eli Drinkwitz. As of now, the focus is on defeating Alabama, which they haven’t been able to do in the last 50 years.

Meanwhile, to loosen up the crackling tension, Drinkwitz took a fun jab at Oregon’s Dan Lanning.

Eli Drinkwitz pokes a jab at Ducks HC

The GameDay panel, in a candid conversation with Dan Lanning, put up a show at Autzen. Nick Saban asked the head coach to rile up the electric crowd. Lanning obliged, and what followed was a treat for the fandom. The head coach and Pat McAfee stood up on the chair, facing the crowd, and pulled off their shirts. Lanning pulled off his black hoodie, facing the frenzied fanbase with a bare chest.

Now, at the Faurot Field, the announcers prompted Drinkwitz, if he was willing to do the same to cheer up the Tigers’ fandom. Clad in a white hoodie, Eli was asked, “Are you going to go to Dan Lanning and show us? Show us some chest.” The ehad coach didn’t buy their bait. His response? “I got a lot of things to discuss here,” said Drinkwitz. “The first one is, I mean, I didn’t shave my chest today, so there’s zero chance in season that I would ever be caught at a pool or take my shirt off,” he said, referring to the Lanning episode earlier.

This wasn’t the only time Lanning took off his shirt. Remember when five-star edge Richard Wesley committed to the Ducks? Dan Lanning celebrated the commitment by taking off his shirt and jumping into the pool alongside Wesley. Although Richard decommitted soon after, that moment remained treasured by the Internet.