Bret Bielema rips AP voters after Illinois football was shelved over Big Ten team it beat

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema has been lighter on the 'X' machine these days outside of so-called "Bret Signals" for recruiting wins.

That is, of course, until the final AP Poll rankings were released Tuesday, which saw Illinois finish one spot short (by two points) of No. 25 in the final field of teams for the 2025-26 college football season.

All Bielema could do was laugh, as his Illini went 9-4 and finished with back-to-back bowl wins for the first time in his tenure (and program history, when omitting interim coaches). The season was capped by a thrilling 30-28 Music City Bowl win against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Not only did he defend his team, but also the Big Ten as a whole.

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"I know that me/we are in control of our work ahead for 2026 season," Bielema wrote. "I’m sure all voters knew that Iowa beat Vandy even though ranking is opposite…. TCU beat USC, and again, rankings are opposite. Maybe all these AP voters should do a story on each others voting logic."

That story will likely never happen, but it's interesting to dissect Bielema's words even further. For one, the USC Trojans fell four spots to No. 20 despite the Illini winning the head-to-head game in Champaign in September. Another nugget: the Trojans finished with an identical record as Illinois, as did the TCU Horned Frogs.

Luckily, On3's Brett McMurphy gave Illinois credit where credit was due, ranking it No. 18.

Bielema said he appreciated McMurphy's transparency. 

"Common sense starting to take place," Bielema wrote in a quote-tweet. "History is awesome but understanding the world today we live in is more important."

The poll will likely become an afterthought as the off-season moves further along, but Illinois was rewarded with a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

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So, not all hope is lost for Illinois. It will just have to keep pushing next fall and in 2027 to maintain sustained success.

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