Bret Bielema says SEC needs to play 9 conference games for CFP to expand
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Bret Bielema believes the SEC should play 9 conference games if the College Football Playoff expands to 14 or 16 teams.
Bielema, a former SEC coach at Arkansas, gave his thoughts on Monday before Illinois night at Wrigley Field.
“I don’t think there’s any way we can do a 16-team playoff if (the SEC is) not at 9 (conference games),” Bielema told media members. “We voted unanimously as Big Ten coaches to stay at 9 and actually maybe have an SEC Challenge. I was told that [the SEC coaches] voted unanimously to stay at eight and not play the Big Ten. But then some people pop off and say what they want to say.”
Bielema is not the first B1G figure to hold the stance that the SEC needs to add another conference game if the CFP is going to expand. At last month’s SEC Spring Meetings, Greg Sankey pitched a possible 5+11 format of 5 automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids, an alternative to the multi-bid models of 14 or 16 teams. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported on May 28 that Big Ten athletic directors would not support the 5+11 model unless the SEC added a 9th conference game.
Notably, LSU coach Brian Kelly spoke out in favor of playing 9 conference games and a Big Ten opponent.
More from Bielema:
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) June 17, 2025
“We voted unanimously as Big Ten coaches to stay at nine and actually maybe have an SEC Challenge. I was told that [the SEC coaches] voted unanimously to stay at eight and not play the Big Ten. But then some people pop off and say what they want to say.”
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
