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Where Does Illinois' Bret Bielema Rank Among Big Ten Football Coaches?

The conference is loaded with coaching talent, including several up-and-comers – but Bielema just keeps getting better with age
Jason Langendorf|
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks across the field as the team arrives prior to the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks across the field as the team arrives prior to the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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How do you quantify coaching? The simple answer is, of course, winning. But does that make Penn State's Joe Paterno (409 career wins) the GOAT? Is Iowa's Kirk Ferentz – the winningest active Division I coach – the current best? Or is it all about what you've done for me lately, and Ohio State Ryan Day – coach of the No. 1 and defending national champion Buckeyes – at the top of the mountain?

Taking the meausure of coaches may be even more complicated in the Big Ten, where Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck and Illinois' Bret Bielema have seemingly turned around previously moribund programs, doing more with less and leading grassroots movements rather than inheriting thriving college football brands. Does Bielema, for instance, get bonus points for taking over a 2-6 team and a program that hadn't won more than seven games in a season in the 13 years before he arrived?

So we asked the question of our esteemed Illinois on SI staff members: Where does Bielema rank among his current Big Ten coaching peers?

Jason Langendorf

It's hard to know precisely how much credit should go directly to Bielema, but his teams are motivated, resilient, adjust appropriately in games and consistently come out ahead in the dying moments. And he has done it, to this point, with mostly three-star recruits and previously unproven staff members. Day started on third base but has absolutely delivered. Oregon's Dan Lanning tidied up a juggernaut that had fallen into a bit of disrepair. They deserve the top two spots. Next? Hands down, it's Cignetti, who conjures magic wherever he goes. But Bielema is hot on that trio's heels

Where Bielema ranks: fourth

Steve Greenberg

Illini fans won’t love this answer, but until Bielema builds this thing into a mini monster – one 10-win season doesn’t equal that – there should be proper skepticism. His Arkansas success fizzled fast. His 2023 Illini team was a major disappointment. I still put him behind Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Penn State’s James Franklin and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz without having to think about it. Oregon’s Dan Lanning is a young star, deservedly. Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and USC’s Lincoln Riley are well regarded here, too – though so is Bielema, who has gotten better with age.

Where Bielema ranks: fifth, at best

Jackson Langendorf

Few coaches in the Big Ten, let alone the country, have shown the ability to rebuild a program better than Bielema. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle. Taking everything into account (Xs and Os, recruiting, motivation, meshing unique personalities, etc.), Bielema ranks in the upper-echelon of coaches in the conference – but not quite at the apex. Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Ohio State’s Ryan Day sit above Bielema for now.

Where Bielema ranks: fourth

Pranav Hegde

Coming into the season, the Big Ten’s coaching hierarchy seemed clear: Day, Lanning and James Franklin – in whatever order you preferred – stood at the top. But a few months later, that picture looks a lot different. Day and Lanning have maintained their grip on the conference, but Franklin’s disastrous season at Penn State has opened the door for others to rise. That brings us to three strong contenders for that third spot: Cignetti, Bielema and Kirk Ferentz. Right now, Cignetti probably has the edge, but Bielema isn’t far behind. Sitting as the fourth-best coach in an increasingly loaded Big Ten says plenty about how far Illinois has come – and how much higher Bielema can still take them.

Where Bielema ranks: fourth

Jared Shlensky

There's no denying Day (two Big Ten Titles and last year's national championship) is atop the list simply because of his resume, but after that, an argument can be made for five or six coaches. As far as I'm concerned, Lanning is the clear-cut No. 2, followed by Indiana's Cignetti and Iowa's Ferentz. And then it's Bielema. Could USC's Lincoln Riley be ranked ahead of Bielema? Maybe, but I don't see it that way. No one in college football has done less with more than Riley over the past two years.

Where Bielema ranks: fifth

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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