Illini's Bielema jabs at CFP rankings: Would be top-15 team if we were in SEC

• ESPN

Nov 7, 2026, 10:28 AM ET

Big Ten coaches continue to be rankled by the initial College Football Playoff rankings, with Illinois coach Bret Bielema taking the latest veiled shot at the SEC after the Illini beat Nebraska on Friday night.

With the 24-13 victory, the Illini improved to 6-3 to become bowl eligible.

"I think about as we're building things here at Illinois, now we're three seasons in a row that we'll have postseason play, which is absolutely awesome and really hard for anybody," Bielema said following the game.

"... If we were in the SEC, we'd probably be a top-15 team. We've just got to continue to stay on track where we're at and do a really good job of holding the moment and putting ourselves in a position to be successful."

The SEC had five teams in the top 12 when the CFP rankings were released Tuesday, followed by the Big Ten with three and the Big 12 with two.

The placement of SEC teams such as two-loss Alabama (No. 5) and two-loss Texas (No. 7) has been a major talking point since the initial rankings were released, especially after the Crimson Tide lost consecutive games to one-loss Georgia (No. 2) and Tennessee (No. 13) in October.

Three Big Ten teams with two losses - Ohio State (No. 12), Iowa (No. 19) and USC (No. 20) - are outside the CFP's top 10.

Bielema said that while he's happy his team is bowl eligible, "a 9-3 team can get into the playoffs."

Earlier this week, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, whose No. 4 Hoosiers also have been the subject of conversation due to their nonconference opponents, took exception to the initial CFP rankings while advocating for the Big Ten.

"These people -- and there's a whole bunch of them -- they march out of the tent, they're given instructions on what to say and follow the company line," Cignetti said. "I don't need to go any further."