Illinois Coach Bret Bielema Addresses His 'Beef' With the SEC at Media Days

Bielema discussed his regular defenses of the Big Ten and his pushback on the "SEC rules all" narrative

Jul 22, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Illinois head coach Bret Bielema speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

He had a titanic run-in with South Carolina's Shane Beamer at last year's Citrus Bowl. He has needled back at fans dumping on his Arkansas days. When many other coaches would have avoided the hassle or the potential blowback, Illinois' Bret Bielema hasn't kept his mouth shut or fingers from tapping away on his X account.

In his defense, he seems incapable of doing otherwise.

"I learned early in life, if you don't stand up for yourself, no one else will," Bielema said Tuesday at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas. "So sometimes that's a little bit driven on what I believe in."

The comment was part of a larger response from Bielema addressing his inclination to stand up for his players, back the Big Ten and, specifically, to take exception to the narrative that, within the context of college football, the SEC is all that really matters. Why is he, Bielema was asked, the man for that job?

"I'm not the right guy to do it," Bielema quipped. "I may do it. My wife will tell you, she gives me a couple of slow-your-roll deals once in a while when I'll get going."

And then he got going.

At the podium as the first speaker of the day, Bielema talked about playing for and working under legendary Iowa coach Hayden Fry, working with Fry's successor, Kirk Ferentz, serving as an assistant under Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez – and eventually eight-time Super Bowl winner and current North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. He told a story about being pulled aside at his first Big Ten spring meeting by Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel, then head coaches at Michigan and Ohio State, respectively, and being told he would need to become a voice for the game.

"Those first four guys, in college football, those guys are all first-ballot Hall of Famers, right?" Bielema said. "And I, today, represent a lot of what they taught me.

"Your opinion is great to express on your own, but, like, you have to listen to others, right? ... I don't go after the SEC. [I'll make] points or retweets, but I want to make college football great. I want all of us to get to a place that everybody can have success."

Illinois’ Bret Bielema showing off his Citrus Bowl ring. Illini are moving up in the world. pic.twitter.com/PEtTimOlFD

— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) July 22, 2025

He referenced a previous question regarding the debate around expanding or contracting the College Football Playoff. Bielema is for more games, more teams playing late into the season – and anything that amplifies the relevance and vibrancy of college football in the sports biosphere.

"Why the hell would you not want to play another game?" Bielema said. "Like, keep everybody going in the right direction. College football is at a [place] where the depth that you can acquire and attain [can be done] however you want to do it."

The implication: The playing field has been leveled. Even given NIL money and collectives and the perks and traditions that may seem to give college football bluebloods a leg up over everyone else, Bielema believes development, opportunity and loyalty – not to mention a crack staff that works their tails off – make Illinois a power player, even if folks in "football country" won't give the Illini the time of day.

So does that make Bielema an SEC hater?

"I know that I get labeled that a little bit, but I would tell you there's several coaches in the SEC that I consider very great friends," Bielema said. "[Kentucky's] Mark Stoops and I, we used to share a hotel together in spring recruiting, when we both made $50,000; we split the Motel 6 for 32 bucks a night so that we could keep our per diem money. And when he got his big contract – I know I got a little bit of one now, too – but I said, man, we've come a long way since Motel 6, right? So some of those guys are my best friends, and I respect the hell out of who they are and what they are."

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