Bigger is better. The more, the merrier. Everyone gets a seat at the table.
When it comes to talks about expanding the 12-team College Football Playoff, and potentially doubling it in size, many fans disagree. It turns out that Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema also disagrees.
But for different reasons.
While the vast majority of college fans are in favor of keeping the field at 12 teams, or potentially stretching to 16, Beileman claims that we aren’t thinking big enough.
“Personally, I would love to see as many teams included as humanly possible,” Bielema told On3 last week. “It can’t go to 64 — I’m not talking about that. I think somebody floated 32 last year or something like that.”
The main worry about expanding the playoff from 12 to 24 teams is that it would alter the way that we view the regular season, and potentially devalue these non-conference and conference games to the point where certain teams high in the standings might end up resting players near the end of the year — particularly in rivalry week. While this is something we see in the NFL, one of the great things about the fabric of college football is the intensity of late-season matchups, with do-or-die scenarios popping up across the nation.
Expanding to 24 teams would threaten that; going to 32 teams would kill it entirely.
For Bielema, the rationale comes from being at a smaller school that just wants a seat at the table, though. With a “chip and a chair” mentality, the Fighting Illini coach likes his chances of being competitive with one of the top teams in the nation, so long as he has a chance.
“I do feel that if you give somebody with a pretty good football team two weeks to prepare…” Bielema said. “I really learned that when I was in the NFL. When you had that two-week lead-in to the Super Bowl, it’s just a different preparation. And the equalizers become really more balanced. Anybody can get anybody.”
Of course, when you consider the fact that the Miami Hurricanes, who made it to the national championship game last year against the Indiana Hoosiers, almost missed out on the CFP altogether with a 10-2 record, you can see where Bielema is coming from. However, with 32 teams in the playoff, you would have multiple 9-3 or even 8-4 teams getting into the postseason, very few of which would end up winning against the top dogs with 12-0 or 11-1 records.
At that point, you’re just elongating the season and devaluing games earlier in the year.
There is still much discussion to be had about expansion, and at this point, it seems more a “when” than an “if” it happens. 16 teams feel reasonable, and 24 teams feel likely.
And then there is Bielema, who wants to see 32. Will his idea start to gain some traction?
My guess is no, but in college football, you never truly know what’s going to happen.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Bret Bielema proposes expanded 32-team College Football Playoff