Big Ten coach wants ‘as many teams’ as possible in new expanded CFP
With College Football Playoff expansion talks at the forefront, Illinois coach Bret Bielema claims we aren't thinking big enough.
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.