For Illinois coach Bret Bielema, transparency is paramount in the ever-changing world of college football. It's no different when it comes to the expanded College Football Playoff and the intrigue with the Big Ten and the SEC.
Within the last day or so, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia made selective comments toward the Big Ten, which got back to Bielema.
“He’s regurgitating what’s been said to him, probably, I think,” Bielema said. “Listen, the Big Ten, I grew up in this league. Played in this league. Was very successful at Wisconsin. My first bowl game, we beat an SEC team that I actually ended up working for later. I think on any given Saturday, anybody can get anybody. That’s what would play out in a bowl game, right?"
Bielema added college football couldn't be in a better place now, and people will have to get used to it.
“It’s just kind of one of those moments where, I think the last three years, the evolution of college football with the portal and the NIL has created a level playing field that’s never been seen before," Bielema said. "I think it’s trending more that way than going back the other way. A lot of people want to live in the past and stay by the rules of the past. I just don’t see it as part of the future.”
Bielema's team has a chance to do something special this fall after finishing 10-3 last season with a Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina. Illinois gets seven home games, including defending champion Ohio State in mid-October.
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August is 10 weeks away, making this coming season one of the most anticipated seasons in program history.
It's up to Bielema to make it happen.