I get where you are coming from, but I think that's the exact point here. This shokugeki was never meant to be a real one in a sense that the shokugeki on itself is the important part, the circumstances simply do not fit. I said this before, but I think that this shokugeki is a medium for something bigger. I mean till know many people questioned Eizan's cooking abilities, which made Soma's comment all the more hilarious, but it was dead on the mark. Eizan isn't so serious about cooking itself. He was also chosen to become a part of the Elite 10 because of his ridiculous management skills, not by having a shokugeki for the spot. Yes there is no doubt Eizan has the skills, but it's also true that he doesn't take pride in them like most cooks and that's what is momentarily screwing him up.
Just look at how this shokugeki is proceeding. Soma was allowed to prepare his dish before they started and even choose the theme. Eizan however decided to not do anything. Only halfway the contest he decided to make a dish, one he decided on very rapidly. Rindou immediately knew which dish he was going to prepare. This means that what Eizan made was something rather standard. Yes no doubt it's an amazing dish, but ironically enough this is what Subaru once explained. Any decent cook can make on the spur of the moment a respectable dish, but it will be no match against someone who thoroughly prepared. Something similar happened before. Soma had a long time ago an unofficial match with Isshiki, which ended in a draw. Ibusaki commented on this that the dish he made was way too much of a safe bet. Well this is exactly what Eizan now did. He made a safe dish on the spur of the moment. Because of his skills it's a good dish beyond all doubt, but seen in an overall perspective it's actually a half-assed dish. You can also see this from the reactions of Rindou, Soma and the judges. They are rather lacking in impact compared to many others.
If Soma indeed wins, it's not so much that he beat him in cooking, but that he actually was able to out scheme Eizan. If Eizan simply had stuck to his original plan, he would have had a 100% guaranteed win. However when he decided halfway to make this more into a genuine shokugeki, he actually gave Soma the edge. Soma from that point on had the advantage because he had been thinking about his dish much more thoroughly.
Also don't forget that if Soma wins, it simply means the PSD will not be closed down. This was not a shokugeki where Eizan was risking his seat. That's why I think the purpose of this contest was to deal a blow to Azami's new system. So far he has been on the offensive and only achieved victories, but just when his system started to take root, it seems he's going to suffer a defeat for the first time and this in front of the entire school. That's what I believe is the reason for this all and not Soma beating Eizan.
