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Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema remains unapologetic about a potential 24-team College Football Playoff, as he is one of a few coaches who have been openly supportive of implementing the idea in college football's current landscape.
In doing so, Bielema clarified a few remarks he had previously made about the format and why this change could benefit all parties involved.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday night in Chicago ahead of an MLB game between the Cubs and Athletics, Bielema weighed in on how his team had been directly impacted in the last two seasons.
"I don't want 32, but a 24-team playoff? I think it will actually enhance, in my opinion, in the regular season," Bielema said.
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More specifically, Bielema cited a critical example where a 24-team field would have benefited his team: a late-November loss against the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison that ended the Illini's fringe chances as one of a potential 12 teams to qualify.
"You look at a game like us at Wisconsin a year ago, and Wisconsin beat us, it kind of knocked us out of that conversation. We play Northwestern every year at the end, that game now for them or us to get in the playoff? Or if we go to 24 probably the two first games are going to be home games."
Bielema said he would like to host a home playoff game at Gies Memorial Stadium, something the program has never experienced.
"To have a home game in Champaign-Urbana in the middle of December would be pretty awesome," Bielema said. "I think the 24-team playoff format would actually increase the value of the regular season, not decrease it. That's just a narrative that someone wants to put out there. I'd say there'd be more of an emphasis on teams that would be in that nine, 10, 11 wins that every win you hold on to is a chance to put you higher, whether it be a bye or a home game or seeding. It's just a really, really high value."
Bielema's team has arguably been just three wins away from at least one CFP appearance in his Champaign tenure thus far. In 2024, it dropped a critical November home game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, which was the difference between two and three losses.
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Last season, the Illini were two wins away from being in the conversation again. But additional defeats to Ohio State and Indiana put a damper on a season that included a key road win against the Duke Blue Devils and a last-second home win vs. the USC Trojans.
Nonetheless, Bielema may have a point. But it'll be up to the powers that be in order to make the change a staggering reality.
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