The Illinois football program has clearly has improved under the leadership of Bret Bielema.
The man has done wonders for a program that for decades was at the bottom of college football’s power conferences.
Bret Bielema (.486) currently has the best winning percentage of any Illinois coach since John Mackovic (.649). Mackovic’s tenure as head coach ended 33 years ago.
Bret Bielema has already surpassed Lovie Smith’s career total of 17 wins for Illinois. And he did it in 21 fewer games.
Bret Bielema currently has 12 Big Ten victories as Illinois’ head coach. Tim Beckman, Bill Cubit and Lovie Smith have combined for 16 Big Ten victories.
The level of football in Champaign is currently higher than it has been since Michael Jordan won rings in Chicago.
When you look at Bielema’s tenure at a micro level, there is certainly cause for complaint. It would be foolish to disagree.
However, if you look at Bielema’s tenure on a macro level, there simply has to be more appreciation than there currently is.
Illinois has reached the five-win mark in each of Bret Bielema’s three seasons.
The program had not won five games in three consecutive seasons since 1999-2002.
Illinois won nine games, reached the Rose Bowl in 2007 and won a total of eight games in the next two seasons.
I really think some people forget how bad this program was before Bielema took over.
Illinois was competitive in the Big Ten and had a realistic chance to bowl in each of Coach B’s first three years. That’s not up for debate.
Should this be the standard for Illinois football? Possibly. I’m sure everyone has their own opinion.
Personally, I think it’s a phenomenal starting point. Illinois was nationally relevant in 2022, which hasn’t happened in 15 years.
The 2021 and 2023 seasons weren’t quite as great, but still significantly better than the average Illinois football season over the last 30 years.
As I said, looking at Bielema’s tenure game by game raises concerns.
In 8 of Bielema’s 19 losses, Illinois led in the fourth quarter. They had trouble finishing games, especially critical Big Ten games.
I won’t be the one to argue this, but you could say that it’s actually a positive that Illinois has led in the fourth quarter in 26 of its 37 games. I’m not a big believer in the “moral victory” myself.
Bielema is still looking for a reliable quarterback, who has been a constant in Illinois football for decades.
The defense collapsed rapidly in 2023 after being the best in the country the year before.
The Illini’s recruiting rate is still not above average compared to their Big Ten opponents, which is not exactly cause for optimism.
Nevertheless, the results on the pitch speak for themselves and are the best in a long time.
Bret Bielema is the best coach Illinois has had in a long time.
Take a moment to realize this before the first week if you want to fire him for a holding offense.
