"The passion from their fan bases is unparalleled": Bret Bielema reveals what makes SEC - Big Ten special compared to other leagues

The SEC and Big Ten are slowly growing as two of the most dominant conferences in college athletics. With the recent conference realignment, some of the top football programs are now part of these two leagues.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema appeared on the "Triple Option" podcast on Monday and shared his experience playing in various conferences and on different teams. The Urban Meyer-led panelists asked Bielema about what makes the two conferences so dominant. Without any second guesses, he said it was the passion of the fans that makes it so incredible.

The veteran coach spent a brief time at Wisconsin as head coach until 2012 and then shifted to Arkansas before joining the New York Giants as DL coach in 2018. He claimed the pay grades back in those days were limited at the Big Ten, and that led him to Arkansas in hopes of better pay. However, things have changed in the last couple of years with NIL and revenue sharing taking over college athletics.

“It's like arguing about two premium businesses, like, whether you know, whether you like Chevy or Ford, or maybe it's maybe more a Jaguar or Rolls Royce, like it,” Bielema said. [Timestamp - 6:00] “Whatever you want to say, two incredibly gifted leagues. The passion from their fan bases is unparalleled. The difference is, I would say, probably jumping out right away is, you know, just the venues you play in, like Ohio State is an incredible stadium, but, you know, and Michigan is a big house, a great stadium, I think our place is going to turn into that. We just had our first sell out in over 20 years. "But in the SEC, it's those small market values, right? And the passion in those little I remember, you know, the furthest you had to stay away from a game a hotel, when you're playing the big Te was 20 minutes you go to the SEC, and you might have to drive an hour and a half to get to the hotel,” he added.

Bret Bielema will look to make the playoff in 2025

Last season turned out to be a successful one for Bret Bielema's Illinois, where they wrapped up the campaign with a 10-3 record. This year, they will face USC, Ohio State and Washington as some of the top opponents in 2025.

Quarterback Luke Altmeyer's health will prove significant since he will be looking to build his NFL draft stock for the 2026 NFL draft.

Last year, he racked up 2,717 passing yards and scored 22 touchdowns while throwing 6 interceptions. Being in a highly competitive Big Ten, at least an 11+ winning games season is essential to make the playoff, as four teams from the conference are expected to make the 12-team bracket.

Edited by John Maxwell