Help with eggs for a large group

You could try to do it in a muffin pan or two, in the oven. I'd fill the cavities with water about 1/3 of the way or so, to get the eggs floating and to raise them to the wider part above so they don't take the shape of a cup. And if you serve them on halved circle buns or sliced bagels, the round shape might actually make them look more formal.

ri...I don't know how formal your affair is, but I ran across this recipe for a strata that looks interesting and can be prepped ahead.
http://www.examiner.com/article/eggs-benedict-strata-with-easy-hollandaise-sauce-for-a-relaxing-weekend-brunch

Depending on how deep your ramekins are you can "coddle" them in a bain marie for about two minutes. You might want to look for pasteurized eggs as these have already had a degree of heating.

Take a look at this...maybe it will help
http://www.food52.com/recipes/15100_baked_eggs_benedict_in_crispy_bread_boats

"purist"...I want the effect without the effort! I can poach eggs...but not for 30 people!

I'd rather not simmer/poach....really want to bake or coddle for ease of prep/transport

Are you making coddled/baked eggs or poached eggs (the latter being the traditional eggs Benedict preparation)?

You can pre-poach eggs, drain and keep refrigerated, resting on paper towels, until service. Then just heat them in a pan of barely simmering water for 30 seconds to 1 minute before serving.

There are a million techniques for poaching eggs, depending on your preference and how much of a purist you want to be. If you're not comfortable poaching directly in water, you can wrap each egg in a piece of oiled saran wrap and drop that in the simmering water for 3 minutes or until done to your liking.