Bret Bielema has a knack for stirring things up, especially when it comes to the Big Ten vs. SEC debate. This time around, the $7 million Illinois head coach went a little further, accusing the Greg Sankey-led conference of being stuck in the past. And how could Paul Finebaum have taken it lightly when his beloved conference is under attack? He fired some of his own shots at Bielema.

“He never fails to be the village idiot at Big Ten Media Days,” Finebaum said on ESPN when asked about Bielema’s thoughts on the SEC wanting to live in 2005. “I have no earthly idea where that came from or why he said it. First of all, 2005. Since that moment in time, the SEC has only won 13 national championships.”

“So, let’s go back to Bret Bielema in the SEC at Arkansas. He didn’t make it. His last year, he was 1-8 in the SEC. His overall record in the SEC is 11-29. He was a complete and total disaster, but he always shows up there and gives us something to laugh about, but mostly to laugh at him,” he further added.

During his tenure at Arkansas (2013–2017), Bielema never posted a winning conference record, culminating in a dismal 1–7 SEC mark in his final season before he was fired. Finebaum also reminded the Illinois head coach of the number of national championships SEC programs have won since 2005. It’s another thing that the last three national champions came from the Big Ten.

Finebaum’s tirade followed Bielema’s remarks at the Big Ten Media Days. “Sankey, I know he’s got to protect the SEC, and they [SEC] kind of want to live in 2005 forever, but I think the forward-thinking of where we are in college football is an awesome thing.” While the remark could be linked to the disagreement between the Big Ten and the SEC over the future of college football playoffs, Finebaum still went personal on Bielema.

The back-to-2005 statement was too simple to decipher. He was saying that the SEC is back in the Ice Age, when NIL did not exist. According to Bielema, modern rules have leveled the playing field, breaking the historical stranglehold the SEC once enjoyed.

Bielema also emphasized that five years ago, it would have been difficult for them to land their current starting quarterback, Katin Houser. He emphasized that rosters everywhere are now entirely fluid due to transfer rules and revenue sharing.

After joining the Fighting Illini, he transformed a struggling program and rebuilt it to its finest. While his overall record is 37-26, Illinois is coming off 10-3 and 9-4 seasons, respectively. In both the previous two seasons, Bielema led the program to bowl wins.