I believe Illinois football has one of the best coaches in the college game with Bret Bielema.
I know that sounds like a homer, and believe me, I am a bit of a homer. But when it comes to coaching, there are a lot of reasons why you could put Bielema up there with the best of the best in the game today.
Bielema’s coaching career didn’t start with the Illini, though. So, I am not just talking about his stint with the Orange and Blue. His career with Wisconsin was legendary too, and I am hoping that Illinois is on the same path.
Last week, Paul Myerberg of USA Today came out with a Big Ten coaches ranking. The top of the list makes somewhat sense.
No. 1 is obviously Ryan Day with Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won a lot under Day, and they are coming off a national championship.
Bielema won’t be found in the following names, though. You have to go all the way down to No. 8 to find Illinois’ head coach. USA Today ranks Bielema as the No. 8 coach in the Big Ten. While this is likely up from last year, Bielema is still ranked too low, and it is a sign of disrespect.
Illinois has a top Big Ten coach in Bret Bielema, and it is time for people to realize it
The seven coaches ahead of Bielema on the list include No. 1 Day, No. 2 James Franklin, No. 3 Kirk Ferentz, No. 4 Dan Lanning, No. 5 Matt Rhule, No. 6 Curt Cignetti, and No. 7 PJ Fleck.
I don’t get how Rhule is in the top seven and ahead of Bielema. Is he a good coach? Sure, but Bielema has the numbers. Since Bielema took over the Illini in 2021, he has had a 56% win percentage. Rhule only boasts a 48% win percentage. On top of that, Bielema has done more with less. Nebraska has all of the resources in the world, but Bielema has a better winning percentage.
Fleck being ahead of Bielema is also a head scratcher. While Fleck has a slightly better winning percentage of 61.5% compared to Bielema’s 56%, the Illini head coach is 3-1 against Fleck since taking over in Champaign.
Another thing I want to note about the list is that Bielema has fared pretty well against the seven other head coaches who are ahead of him. Bielema is 6-7 against those coaches. There isn’t one team that has dominated Illinois since Bielema arrived.
Is Bielema the best coach in the Big Ten? Probably not, but he is better than No. 8. Bielema has been winning, and he can beat the best of the best in the conference. He should be in at least the top six, and you could probably make a case for higher than that. This list is a bit off.