Bret Bielema claps back at Lane Kiffin over College Football Playoff posturing

Bret Bielema is likely aware that his 9-3 Illinois team, though wrapping up its best season in almost a decade, has no realistic shot at the College Football Playoff. That’s probably why he appears tired of hearing SEC head coaches campaign about a 3-loss team being worthy of a spot in the 12-team bracket.

It has been the talk around town coming out of Week 14, especially as other top contenders like Miami and Ohio State fell over the weekend. Shane Beamer is not shy about believing his 9-3 South Carolina squad deserves a CFP shot, and even Kirby Smart believes 3-loss SEC teams should be evaluated on “the quality of the schedule” involved.

However, Bielema saved his frustrations for Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin who spent some time Sunday trying to build the case for his 9-3 team. Kiffin admittedly has a reason to be frustrated if it’s possible for South Carolina, a team the Rebels beat comfortably, to hop Ole Miss in the rankings.

“Why do we even play the games?” a frustrated Kiffin wondered if head-to-head results and similar league records do not matter in rankings. He later shared a screenshot on social media comparing the records and scoring margins of Alabama and Ole Miss side-by-side, two programs that also have 3 losses but both beat South Carolina.

Apparently Kiffin’s in-depth analysis was the last straw for Bielema. He clapped back at Kiffin by comparing the body of work for his Illini, something Bielema appears to believe fares favorably with Ole Miss.

Bielema pointed to a better strength of schedule than Ole Miss and 2 losses to ranked opponents. Meanwhile, all 3 of Ole Miss’s losses have come to teams to finish the year unranked.

Take a look at Bielema’s message:

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

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Admittedly missing from Bielema’s analysis is a look at the best wins of each team. In addition to the win over South Carolina, Ole Miss also beat Georgia, the No. 5 team in the AP Poll after Week 14.

As for the Illini, their best win on the season currently looks like a 21-7 victory over Michigan. The Wolverines finished the year unranked while the 2 early-season ranked wins for Illinois (vs. Kansas and at Nebraska) came against teams that will also finish the year unranked.

Ultimately, all that matters is how the CFP committee feels about 3-loss SEC teams in relation to the other 1 or 2-loss contenders from the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to find out that answer.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.