Moving past the rebuilding phase, Bret Bielema is leveraging record-breaking stats and a new starting quarterback to transform Illinois from a bowl contender into a playoff threat.
Bret Bielema kicked off Big Ten Media Days in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, and he had a clear message for Illinois fans: It's time to take the next step.
Bielema has spent the last several years rebuilding Illinois football and spent his time at the podium acknowledging the successes of the past seasons but also giving folks a glimpse of what is next, a pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth.
The Illini head coach presented facts to the audience that the casual college football fan may not have been aware of. Illinois is ranked No. 4 in win percentage, Power 4 wins, home wins and ranked wins in the Big Ten Conference the last two seasons. The only teams ahead of them are Indiana (who just won the National Championship), Ohio State, and Oregon. Illinois may seem like the outlier in the group but that is the perception that Bielema is trying to change.
Illinois has won 19 games in the last two seasons, which is the most ever for the program in two years. The numbers represent a dramatic shift in what Illinois football looked like before Bielema arrived in Champaign. Bielema's intentions of bringing up those numbers were to validate where the work the program has done.
Bielema also took time to praise the Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, who recently signed a new extension that will keep in Champaign through the mid 2030's. The coach credited Whitman as a major reason for the rise of Illinois and emphasized the importance of long-term stability.
When asked what Illinois can do to contend for a Big Ten Championship, Bielema made it clear that the number one priority is to "win on the road." Although Illinois has done better in that regard, there were a few costly losses in recent history that may have prevented them from being in the College Football Playoff.
Next year's team will have a brand new quarterback now that Luke Altmyer will be playing in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. Bielema expressed confidence in Katin Houser to be able to continue the good quarterback play seen in Champaign the last few years.
As Illinois prepares for a tough schedule next season featuring National Championship hopefuls Ohio State and Oregon, along with reigning ACC Champion Duke, coach Bielema has made the message clear:
The focus is no longer just making a bowl.
Inside the coaches room, the expectation is going to be to compete for championships.
