Ranking all 14 Big Ten head coaches entering 2023 season
6. Bret Bielema, Illinois
Bielema has been around the Big Ten for quite a while and has seen success at every stop. It began as a player and later a defensive assistant at Iowa before Bielema eventually earned the defensive coordinator position at Wisconsin in the mid 2000s, and later took over for longtime head coach Barry Alvarez. With a 68-24 record all time in Madison, Bielema bolted to Arkansas where he didn鈥檛 quite find the same success.聽
After stints in the NFL with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, he returned to the college sidelines in 2021, leading Illinois to a 5-7 record. However, it was last season that the Fighting Illini took a big jump, going 8-5 and making it to the ReliaQuest Bowl with wins over rivals Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Bielema undoubtedly has this program on the rise, and his experience makes him one of the best coaches in the conference.
