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
"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
7 hours ago
