Bret Bielema roasts Nick Saban, SEC, at Big Ten media days: 'They want to live in 2005 forever'

Bert Bielema fired back at Greg Sankey and the SEC at Big Ten media days, saying they want to "live in 2005 forever" while NIL has leveled the field.

With Jim Harbaugh long gone to the NFL, the Big Ten Media Days don’t have quite the same edge. When the three-day event kicked off at the Hilton Chicago on Tuesday, there was a lot of inside-football talk about 3-3-5 defenses and plenty of coach-speak about leadership and cohesion. But there also was substantive discus

Is There Any Truth to Bret Bielema's Jab at Greg Sankey and the SEC?  Sports Illustrated

Bielema addressed how transfers and athletes' NIL deals have reshaped the game.

The Big Ten and SEC are widely considered the premier conferences in college football heading into the 2026 season.

Despite having coaching experience in the SEC, Illinois coach Bret Bielema wanted no part of Nick Saban favoring his former conference, even though the Big Ten had won three consecutive national titles. The Illini are 2-1 in their last three bowl games.