Illinois’ Bret Bielema rails against CFP committee in latest chapter of Big Ten-SEC feud originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The College Football Playoff — and the voting process that brings it to fruition — has long been an object of scorn among masses of college football enthusiasts. Those hoping to shade the entity have another high-profile figure to walk behind — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema.
Advertisement
Bielema’s Fighting Illini have enjoyed another solid campaign, crossing the six-win threshold for the third time in successive seasons. The team’s success has tended to go under-the-radar, an unfortunate reality for a team perpetually locked into the middle-class of the Big Ten.
The 56-year-old coach wonders whether that would be the case if his team were plying its trade in the SEC, a conference whose members have tended to get far more favorable treatment than its counterparts in recent history.
Here’s what you need to know.
MORE: Updated 12-team bracket revealed in first CFP poll of 2026
Advertisement
Illinois’ Bret Bielema rails against SEC, CFP committee
Bielema became the latest Big Ten coach to express dismay against the CFP committee’s so-called “SEC bias.” Speaking with media after the Fighting Illini downed Nebraska to become bowl-eligible, Bielema launched a veiled shot at the powers that be in charge of CFP rankings.
“If we were in the SEC, we’d probably be a top-15 team,” Bielema said. “We’ve just got to continue to stay on track where we’re at and do a really good job of holding the moment and putting ourselves in a position to be successful.”
Bielema’s comments come days after the first iteration of the CFP rankings saw five teams from the SEC earn a spot in the top-12. Two of those sides — No. 5 Alabama and No. 7 Texas — already have suffered two losses on the year. The Crimson Tide suffered their defeats in back-to-back games.
Advertisement
Bielema joins Indiana’s Curt Cignetti as Big Ten stakeholders to throw shade at the CFP for its seemingly partisan ways. The Hoosiers decried the voting process — a method that saw three two-loss Big Ten sides (Ohio State, Iowa and USC) fall outside of the playoff places.
“These people — and there’s a whole bunch of them — they march out of the tent, they’re given instructions on what to say and follow the company line,” Cignetti said. “I don’t need to go any further.”
MORE NCAAF:
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
