This list proves just how well Bret Bielema has turned Illinois football around

Bret Bielema took over in Champaign just five years ago, named as the Illinois Fighting Illini's head football coach in 2021.

Since then, he has won 37 games and lost 26, but his teams' performances over the last two seasons have earned Bielema a round of applause, if not a standing ovation.

Over the last two years, Illinois has won 19 games, and a list of every Power Conference team that had fewer wins shows just how well Bielema has turned the program around in just a few years' time.

Illinois is a top-12 team over the last two seasons

With 19 victories in two years, Illinois is tied for 12th among Power Four teams and ahead of many other teams, including seven SEC programs and three Big Ten programs, just to name a few:

Teams Illinois ranks ahead of based on 2024-26 season wins

1. Tennessee Volunteers
2. Missouri Tigers
3. Clemson Tigers
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. TCU Horned Frogs
6. Vanderbilt Commodores
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
8. LSU Tigers
9. Oklahoma Sooners
10. USC Trojans
11. Utah Utes
12. Florida Gators
13. Auburn Tigers
14. South Carolina Gamecocks

Trailing Illinois are three teams (Tennessee, Clemson, and Oklahoma) that made the College Football Playoff to cap off at least one of the last two seasons, despite the Fighting Illini missing the playoffs both years.

The team that Illinois is tied with for 19 wins? None other than the Texas A&M Aggies, who were the No. 7 seed in this year's CFP bracket with an 11-1 overall record.

Last year, Bielema led the Illini to a 10-3 overall record, including a bowl game win over the then-No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks. This year, Illinois finished the regular season with a 9-3 record before beating the Tennessee Volunteers in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl.

Now, let's just wait and see all that Bielema and the Fighting Illini can accomplish next season.