Asmussen | A free Saturday ... what is a Coach to do?

Aug. 26—CHAMPAIGN — Bret Bielema is spending Saturday at home with the family.

It is his final free weekend until Oct. 28, when his Illinois football team has an open Saturday.

Any plans?

"If I'm in that pool by 8:30 or 9 (Saturday morning), I won't be out until noon when (his daughters) take a nap and I'm sure I'm going to be summoned right back into it," Bielema said. "I'll watch some college football. My wife (Jen) and I have a couple spa appointments, as well. Kind of relax and chill and put ourselves in a good position to get ready to rodeo on Sunday."

In Bielema's first two seasons in C-U, Illinois played Week Zero games. It meant another opening during the season.

The coach is a proponent for built-in downtime during the season. Would he have liked another one this year? Kinda, sorta.

"Well, if you told me six months ago, we'd be ready," Bielema said Friday at the Smith Center. "But I'm glad we've got this week. To me, this has really been awesome. I'm a big fan of Week Zero. We've done some things proactively to make sure they happen in the future."

Not having it this time worked out well.

"To have this many new players here in fall camp and to get this week to go to classes has been worth its weight in gold," Bielema said.

The advantage for the Illini in 2021 and 2022 was having an additional open week because of the early game. A chance to heal and rest.

"You only get that during a normal season if you do Week Zero games," Bielema said. "To each his own. I'll keep our scheduling in-house until we have to. Obviously, the schedule is going to change a lot next year with the addition of four Big Ten teams (Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington join the league next summer)."

Here's an idea

In 2024, most college football teams should be settled into their "permanent" conferences. Good time to make decisions on the future of scheduling.

Starting in 2006, schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision were allowed to play a 12th game each season. We're coming up on 20 years since the additional game, which means millions in extra cash for the schools at the gate and from their TV partners.

The addition of a 13th game for everyone is inevitable.

Athletic department budgets need the revenue, especially if some form of player payments is on the way. It is easier to add the additional game if there are also added benefits to the people playing them.

Call it a stipend or a bonus or whatever you want. But the added revenue from the 13th game will help pay for it.

When the 13th game is implemented, the folks in charge of the College Football Playoff need to step in. Strongly suggest to the conferences they all play the same number of league games. Preferably nine.

The SEC will have fewer reasons to howl if they are allowed to continue playing their annual scrimmages against the Football Championship Subdivision programs. Just add another conference game to get to nine like everyone else vying for the big prize.

The 12-team playoff should cut into the fear of some conferences (looking at you Greg Sankey) that the teams will knock each other out of contention.

Unless the SEC is counting on 10 playoff teams each year, it will still get more than its fair share. If you are playing at an elite level in the SEC, you will make the field. There is no doubt about that.

Pros and cons

The media partners want more games. Both in total and in the conferences.

More Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Oregon, Texas and Florida State. Lots of football fans in those locations. The kind who watch the games without fail and likely purchase the products they see advertised. (No more yellowing toenails promises one).

So the networks and streaming services will love the idea. Live sports are gold, especially with TV and movie writers and actors on strike. What else are fans going to do with their free time ... Talk? Exercise? Maybe not, though certainly worthy of consideration.

Will the players fight against the idea of additional games? None of the guys I talk to will.

The goal for most of them is to graduate to the NFL, which plays 17 games in its regular season. Winding up from 12 isn't impossible, but 13 to 17 is easier.

So the TV partners, fans and players will go along with an additional game. Which leaves one interested party that might not be on board: the coaches.

Yes, it is an another opportunity to win a game. But for the Debbie Downers in the profession, it is a chance to lose another, too.

Bowl eligibility, which comes with bonuses for many coaches, is easier when you only have to win half your games. If it goes to seven, it won't happen as often. Pressure mounts, more guys get fired, with some going from running their own program to being the offensive line coach in the Group of Five.

Guess it would be wise to wait on discussion about a 14th game for another day.