Regardless of how many games are played to determine a college football national champion, there are always debates about who will be included. That was the case before the 1998-2013 BCS era, in the 2014-2023 four-team College Football Playoff era, and now in the 12-team CFP era.
And the coaches inside and (especially) outside any potential final field have often advocated for their teams through various media platforms. But a particularly interesting angle there is when coaches do that directly on their personal social media accounts. Both Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin and Illinois’ Bret Bielema did Sunday night:
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
(The cut-off top part of Kiffin’s tweet is about him discussing the three 9-3 SEC teams: Ole Miss, Alabama, and South Carolina. The cut-off bottom part concludes with “Clearly Ole Miss should be in the playoff over Alabama, but Bama is the bigger brand and more than likely will get in over Ole Miss.”)
The arguments made by Kiffin and Bielema are certainly worth considering. And yes, their teams may be on the outside looking in when the final CFP field is revealed. The Rebels and Illini came in at No. 14 and No. 23 respectively last week, and while both won this week and some other big teams lost, they’re only No. 15 and No. 21 in the current AP poll.
Of course, there are counterarguments that can be made for the likes of the Tide and Gamecocks. And there are arguments that can be made for many other CFB teams. In the end, the only votes that will actually matter will come from the CFP committee, but yes, everyone in the world can try to lobby them with particular cases before that. But it’s especially interesting to see coaches do that personally, and that adds to the many unconventional ways Kiffin in particular has used social media.
[Bret Bielema on X]
