Illinois coach Bret Bielema calls out popular college football analyst’s power ratings, analyst fires back

With the college football season finally coming to an end, the offseason is officially underway. Notre Dame and Ohio State concluded their respective seasons on Monday night, while other teams have already started their offseason workouts. Although the transfer portal window has closed, players can still commit to the schools they intend to play for next season.

The end of the season also means the release of final rankings. The final AP Poll came out yesterday, and, as expected, Ohio State and Notre Dame finished at No. 1 and No. 2. Meanwhile, teams like Alabama, South Carolina, and Miami saw significant drops following their bowl losses.

On the other hand, Illinois rose to No. 16 after a dramatic bowl win against South Carolina. The game had its fair share of drama, particularly when Shane Beamer and Bret Bielema got into a heated exchange. Bielema led the Fighting Illini to an impressive 10-3 record, with two of their losses coming to Oregon and Penn State—both of which made the College Football Playoff.

With the AP Poll out, several college football analysts released their end-of-season rankings. Josh Pate, a prominent college football analyst, shared his own top 25, also known as the JP Poll.

However, Illinois was completely left out of Pate's top 25. Bielema wasn’t pleased with being left out and voiced his frustration on social media.

"Thought today was January 22nd," Bielema posted. "April 1st must’ve came early this year."

When Pate publishes these rankings, he makes it clear they are not official by any means, but rather his personal take. He responded to Bielema’s comment with a calm clarification.

"Sir, this is not a ranking," Pate wrote.

Bielema is the first coach to openly react to Pate’s rankings. While Pate doesn’t intend to offend anyone with the JP Poll, it’s clear that Bielema took it personally.