Bret Bielema took over in Champaign just five years ago, named as the Illinois Fighting Illini's head football coach in 2021.
Since then, he has won 37 games and lost 26, but his teams' performances over the last two seasons have earned Bielema a round of applause, if not a standing ovation.
Over the last two years, Illinois has won 19 games, and a list of every Power Conference team that had fewer wins shows just how well Bielema has turned the program around in just a few years' time.
Illinois is a top-12 team over the last two seasons
With 19 victories in two years, Illinois is tied for 12th among Power Four teams and ahead of many other teams, including seven SEC programs and three Big Ten programs, just to name a few:
Teams Illinois ranks ahead of based on 2024-26 season wins
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Missouri Tigers
- Clemson Tigers
- Michigan Wolverines
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- LSU Tigers
- Oklahoma Sooners
- USC Trojans
- Utah Utes
- Florida Gators
- Auburn Tigers
- South Carolina Gamecocks
Trailing Illinois are three teams (Tennessee, Clemson, and Oklahoma) that made the College Football Playoff to cap off at least one of the last two seasons, despite the Fighting Illini missing the playoffs both years.