With Big Ten Media Days here, who knew that Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was going to have everyone in SEC country pretty dang upset? Bielema is no stranger to the SEC, having previously been at Arkansas from 2013-17. He also took down Tennessee in the Music City Bowl last campaign, which has him puffing his chest a bit. This now includes a wild shot at the conference.
With his opening remarks at the podium to help kick off the Big Ten event, his past of working with both conferences was brought up. In his usual fashion, Bielema responded in an eye-opening way, taking a bit of a shot at the SEC for no reason. Yup, no one is going to like this, including the good people over in Knoxville.
Illinois’ Bret Bielema: “The SEC would like it to stay 2005 forever.”Says the changes with NIL and portal have benefited teams like his. pic.twitter.com/SHdShI5Z98
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) July 28, 2026
Bret Bielema has SEC fans livid with his unneeded shade during Big Ten Media Days
Really, Bret? Let’s talk about your days as head coach at Arkansas real quick. He went 29-34 in five seasons, with an 11-29 record against SEC opponents. Those stats alone should prevent him from thinking he can take a shot at inarguably one of the best conferences in football. Just because he’s now in the Big Ten he thinks he can mouth off a bit? Please…