Illinois Coach Bret Bielema Says His 6-3 Team Would Be Ranked in the SEC

Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema says he believes his 6-3 Fighting Illini would be ranked if they were playing in the Southeastern Conference instead of the Big Ten. The comment came after Illinois beat Nebraska 24-13 on Friday night, improving the team’s record to 6-3 as the regular season enters its final month.

“But to be in this job, where we’re at right now, 6-3, we beat another 5-3 team. If we were in the SEC, we’d probably be a top-15 team,” Bielema said.

Bielema’s remark adds him to a growing list of Big Ten coaches weighing in on the SEC this week. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti earlier criticized the conference after the initial College Football Playoff rankings were dominated by SEC teams.

Illinois’ current wins include a victory over Oregon, though that Oregon team was without starting quarterback Dante Moore. The Illini’s three losses this season came against Purdue, Duke, and Ohio State, the last by a 42-19 margin.

A Mixed Track Record in the SEC

Bielema has his own history with the conference he’s now comparing his team to. During his five-year tenure at Arkansas, he went 11-29 against SEC opponents, including an 0-8 mark in his first season there. That stretch predates his current run at Illinois, and the roster he inherited at Arkansas was not one he built himself.

Observers note that if Illinois were playing an SEC schedule this season, the team would likely be ranked at 6-3, though it’s unclear whether a top-15 placement would be warranted given the strength of the opponents involved. Whether Illinois would even be sitting at 6-3 against a full SEC slate is a separate question, given the composition of its wins this season.

A Down Year for the Big Ten

The broader context is a Big Ten conference having a weaker season than recent years. Ohio State and Oregon have both lost their starting quarterbacks to injury, and Penn State and Michigan have struggled. Indiana, currently ranked fourth, needed overtime to defeat both Michigan and Minnesota this season.

Complaints about the CFP committee showing bias toward SEC teams in its initial rankings have circulated widely this week, even as the Big Ten’s own options for ranking-worthy teams remain limited this season.