Complacency is the enemy of progress, and Bret Bielema wants to continually reshape what the College Football Playoff looks like.
In a recent interview with Pete Nakos of On3.com, Bielema talked about the College Football Playoff and how many teams should get in the end of the season tournament. The Illini head coach didn’t just stop at a little expansion, though.
“Personally, I would love to see as many teams included as humanly possible. It can’t go to 64 (teams), I am not talking about that. I think somebody floated 32 last year or something like that.”
NEW: Illinois' Bret Bielema tells @PeteNakos the more teams in the College Football Playoff the better🏆
— On3 (@On3) May 20, 2026
"Personally, I would love to see as many teams included as humanly possible. It can’t go to 64 — I’m not talking about that. I think somebody floated 32 last year or… pic.twitter.com/diRUyumCuL
The College Football Playoff started back in 2014 as a four-team tournament. In 2024, that number expanded to 12 teams. Now, the talks about expansion continue, and at this point, they seem inevitable.
People will complain about more expansion. They complained about college football when the voters determined the national champion back in the day. They complained about the computers and the BCS determining the champion. They complained when the College Football Playoff started, saying it would water down the regular season. They complained when the expansion went to 12 teams, reiterating the water down narrative.
Those people still watch the product. No one is turning off the televisions because there are more teams in the postseason tournament. It is simple, people just like to complain.
Bielema is right in this case. The College Football Playoff does need to expand. Now, full disclosure, the fan in me obviously wants this. Illinois football hasn’t had much of a chance to make the College Football Playoff at 12 teams, so expansion to 24 or 36 teams would likely get us in.
That thought is why I want expansion. From a sports point of view, it would be good for the game. The narrative that expansion would water down the regular season is mostly being spewed by the fans of the top programs in the country. They want the club to be exclusive to them.
Why would a team like Georgia, Alabama, or Notre Dame want more teams to enter the College Football Playoff? They have their own little club.
More spots in the College Football Playoff benefit so many programs in the country. Instead of 15-20 teams fighting for a spot in a 12-team playoff, there will be 35-40 teams fighting for a spot in a 24-team playoff.
With something like a 24-team playoff, you will have games matter in October and November that never mattered before. Ohio State vs Michigan will always matter, but a game between Iowa and Illinois late in the season could be the determining factor on who gets a spot in the 24-team playoff. That makes for engaged fanbases.
Illinois football could have been a dangerous team in the 2025 College Football Playoff with the expansion
I feel like 36 teams will probably not happen anytime soon, but I could realistically see a 24-team playoff in the near future.
If that had been the case in 2024-25, Illinois would have secured a spot in the College Football Playoff. We finished the 2024 season ranked No. 20 in the CFP.
Illinois was electric that season. We knocked off No. 19 Kansas, No. 22 Nebraska, and No. 24 Michigan. This led to a 10-3 record, which included a Citrus Bowl win over No. 14 South Carolina.
I believe the Illini could have won at least a game in the College Football Playoff in 2025 if it were expanded to 24 teams. Hopefully, we can get a chance in the future to compete for the prestigious postseason honor.
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