Illinois coach Bret Bielema comes off as an affable old-school guy, but he's also a competitive Gen-Xer who isn't shy about speaking his mind on social media. On Sunday evening, Bielema hopped on his X social media account to do a bit of public jockeying and make his case for his Illini (9-3) as the College Football Playoff committee reaches the final stages of settling on the participants for the 12-team year-end college football tournament.

It's politicking season, as coaches try to lay out their team's case to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field. In the spirit of argument, Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin took to social media over the weekend and posted a photo that compared the Rebels' résumé to those of Alabama and South Carolina,

Later on Sunday night, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema took to X and responded to Kiffin's tweet. However, Bielema was making his case for his Illinois team while appearing to tease Kiffin.

Selection Sunday is still a week away but that just means more time for politicking for college football coaches. Lane Kiffin started things off with an opening salvo Sunday, then Bret Bielema followed up with a shot across his bow.

The Ole Miss Rebels are highly unlikely to be part of the 12-team College Football Playoff field, but Lane Kiffin is still trying to make the case. The Illinois Fighting Illini are not even on anyone’s radar to make the field,