Illinois Coach Bret Bielema Outflanks Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin to Make CFP Case

It wasn't quite a social-media troll, but the Illini coach used the Ole Miss coach's logic against him on X

Nov 23, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema looks on during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Illinois coach Bret Bielema comes off as an affable old-school guy, but he's also a competitive Gen-Xer who isn't shy about speaking his mind on social media.

On Sunday evening, Bielema hopped on his X social media account to do a bit of public jockeying and make his case for his Illini (9-3) as the College Football Playoff committee reaches the final stages of settling on the participants for the 12-team year-end college football tournament.

The apparent catalyst? A tweet from the X account of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who at 4:46 p.m. CT on Sunday posted a screen shot of an unattributed argument making the case for the Rebels' inclusion in the playoff, with no other comment aside from a tag of the College Football Playoff account.

Bielema, recognizing the irony – and perhaps a potential opportunity – hopped on Kiffin's proxy evidence with the following tweet at 6:30 p.m.:

I couldn’t agree more @Lane_Kiffin here is a thought for the @CFBPlayoff

Ole miss #31 strength of schedule and has 3 losses to unranked Kentucky, Florida and 8-4 LSU team 🤷‍♂️#Illinois HAS #30 strength of schedule and has 3 losses to #1 Oregon and #4 Penn State and a one… https://t.co/Bw8haGFf8s

— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) December 2, 2024

Comparing the Illini's resume to that of the Rebels (also 9-3), Bielema noted Illinois' superior strength of schedule (No. 30 vs. No. 31) and quality of losses (citing Illinois' defeats to No. 1 Oregon and current No. 4 Penn State).

Ahead of Tuesday's penultimate CFP ranking – the final decision on CFP selections will come Dec. 8 – Ole Miss ranked No. 14, seemingly on the outside of the tournament looking in. Kiffin's screen-shot argument specifically pushed for the Rebels being a better choice than either South Carolina (No. 15) or Alabama (No. 13).

Concerns among college football's rank and file speculate that the game's bigger brands – such as Alabama – will receive preferential treatment from the CFP committee, whether as a sign of respect for past performance, a preference for bigger fan followings (and, theoretically, more profits) or both.

Illinois has yet to appear in the 10-year-old College Football Playoff – and, in fact, just finished the regular season in the AP Top 25 (at No. 21) for the first time since 2007. Although the Illini weren't the lowest-ranked three-win team in the CFP rankings entering the week, only Kansas State (No. 24) and Colorado (No. 25) were behind them.

In his tweet, Bielema signed off with a line that seemed to speak to those brand-name concerns – and suggest a bit of a chip on his shoulder: "How about we just take the best 12 teams and see where it goes ...."

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