Nov 17, 2012; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema motions to his team as they play the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Ohio State defeated Wisconsin in overtime 21-14. Mary Langenfeld-Imagn Images

Former Wisconsin Badger is honorable mention in ranking of Top 25 college football head coaches of 2000s

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated May 30, 2025 6:13 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers haven't had any all-time greats at head coach since Barry Alvarez, but their consistent run over the last few decades deserves some amount of recognition.

None of their coaches made it into The Athletic's ranking of the Top 25 college football head coaches, but one of them earned a spot as an honorable mention.

Bret Bielema is getting a lot of praise for the work he's done turning around the Illinois program right now, but his credit on this list is more for his 68–24 as Wisconsin head coach.

Only two coaches have won a national championship at multiple schools, and they top our list of the quarter-century's best.

From Nick Saban to Ryan Day to Chip Kelly, @ChrisVannini has the best coaches since 2000. pic.twitter.com/pcnW958N97
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 21, 2025

He led the Badgers to nine or more wins in five of his seven seasons running the show, culminating in three-straight trips to the Rose Bowl before he left for Arkansas.

Bielema's time with the Razorbacks was a bit more of a disappointment, but he has repaired some of his reputation with a 10-win season for the Illini.

No one is going to mistake him for a Top 10 coach with the likes of Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, but his success at multiple stops at least earned him some small recognition of jobs well done.