CHICAGO – It's no secret college football doesn't look the same as it did five years ago; however, for Illinois' Bret Bielema and Josh Whitman, it's a whole new ball game.
Bielema and Whitman spoke Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days about the ever-changing landscape of college football.
"NIL and revenue share," Bielema said. "When those two things came into college football, everything changed."
As programs across the country keep changing to respond to compensation, transfer portal movement, and revenue sharing, Illinois is entering the 2026 season embracing the new landscape.
"The rosters have changed because of those two components, the transfer rule and revenue share," Bielema said. "It's a different world."

#bielema #illinois #Share #changed

A remark in Bret Bielema's introductory statement Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days lingered until he was asked about it. When the question arrived minutes later, he knew what he had done.
"Well, I think I just made the headline, right?"
Yes, but not only that — the sixth-year Illinois head coach also stoked the flames of a fiery debate about college football's most dominant conference.
While at the podium discussing the sport's ever-changing landscape, Bielema conveyed his excitement about the state of both his program and the game overall. Soon after that, he took a swing at the SEC, the conference he coached in for five seasons from 2013-17 as Arkansas' frontman.
"They kind of want to live in 2005 forever," he noted mid-sentence. That line followed Bielema touting the vision of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and acknowledging that his former commissioner, Greg Sankey, has to protect the SEC.

#well #soon

Jul. 14—Illinois generated plenty of headline-makers, with multiple Illini teams finding both regular season and postseason success. Beat writer Scott Richey spotlights the 10 most publicized Illini during the 2025-26 school year:
The first mentions of Wagler came via summer buzz out of Ubben Basketball Complex a year ago and then grew exponentially as he put together the best single season by an Illinois freshman in program history. There was a lot to document, including a 46-point game during the Illini's win at Purdue, his slew of individual awards and honors and, ultimately, the end of his one-and-done Illinois career as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
How Illinois built its roster ahead of the 2025-26 season became a national story. With Tomislav Ivisic already in the fold, the Illini quadrupled down adding his twin brother, Zvonimir, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and Mihailo Petrovic. The Illinois staff invaded the Balkans and came away with four key players for a 28-win team. Unfortunately, all five never played together at any point during the season, with Petrovic not in the rotation.
One of the first items Bret Bielema said heading into training camp of his first season at Illinois was his quarterback would be front and center. An important voice and a face of the program. While that didn't exactly hold true with Brandon Peters during that 2021 season, Altmyer's role in Champaign fit the bill for three straight seasons. Especially last year when he eschewed a major payday from Tennessee to stick with the Illini for his final season.
Underwood was the first hire of what's become Illinois' Big Three coaches. It took a couple years to start paying off, but the way Underwood has turned the Illini into a consistent Big Ten contender now elevated to a national stage was exactly what a "basketball school" like Illinois needed. Underwood is still chasing that elusive national championship, but his team's success has kept the program in the headlines both locally, of course, but more nationally.

There is little debate that new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is a well-respected coach in the college game. His hiring at Penn State, although arguably a bit delayed in the process, is regarded as one of the better coaching hires of the most recent round on the coaching carousel. But where does Campbell, most recently among the best coaches in the Big 12, now rank compared to his new Big Ten coaching circle?
USA TODAY writer Paul Myerberg shared his ranking of Big Ten coaches ahead of the 2026 season, and Campbell sits in the middle of the pack of Big Ten coaches. In fact, he sits almost smack dab in the middle of the Big Ten coaching hierarchy ahead of the upcoming season, ranked No. 8 in Myerberg's coaching rankings.
"After a decade at Iowa State, Campbell takes on a much tougher level of competition and distinctly higher expectations as James Franklin’s successor with the Nittany Lions," Myerberg writes in his coach rankings. "The track record is very strong: ISU went 72-55 under Campbell and had some of the best seasons in program history, including a school-record 11 wins in 2024."
Campbell's track record at a program with far fewer amenities and luxuries as Penn State is as solid as you can find. What Campbell does with the resources available to him at Penn State is one thing to watch closely as he and his staff get going with establishing their mark on the program moving forward and connecting on the recruiting trail.
As for where other coaches in the Big Ten rank, it is no surprise who the top three coaches are in the Big Ten heading into the 2026 season. Reigning national championship head coach Curt Cignetti at Indiana tops this year's ranking from Meyerberg. He is followed by Ohio State's Ryan Day and Oregon's Dan Lanning, respectively. Campbell is one spot behind Illinois head coach Bret Bielema and one spot ahead of Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule.