Bret Bielma to be hired as the next Arkansas head coach

[Fool]

I hope this doesn't mean Matt Canada is coaching the Rose Bowl. I hope Barry does.

[Ctrain07]

As a Badger fan this really irks me, but at the same time I cant blame him. Should be interesting to see Bielema implement the old Badger system into the SEC. He was big on getting walk-ons and recruiting the state of Wisconsin. It's going to be a huge change for Bielema. Im hoping the Badgers make a play at Peterson from Boise or bring back Chryst.

[mattz1212]

Rumors are that Wisconsin AD and former head coach Barry Alvarez may be taking over. That would be interesting!

That is the first thought that crossed my head after this news broke to see if this could even be an option. Would actually turn out great for Wiscy if this was the case.

I would feel so bad for Pitt if Chryst goes back to Wisconsin. I bet they would feel like the nightmare would never end...

[brewboy288]

Alverez
Cryst
Tressell

Those are my thoughts on who MIGHT be coming in. Its also kind of a wish list. I have reasoning though.

Alverez - Former head coach of the Badgers. Currently the Athletic director.

Tressell - Coached in the B1G in the past. Ohio State to be exact. I guessing that if he wants to come back, it would be to a B1G 10 school.

Cryst - Former Badgers D coordinator. Wanted to stay with Wisconsin, but also wanted to be a head coach.

Nothing to expertish. Just my thoughts.

[BradyIsTheMan12]

I'm not sure if Arkansas found the right guy. Bielema is a good coach, but the way Wisconsin wins in the Big 10 won't be as easy to do in the SEC. The front sevens in the SEC are leaps and bounds better than the Big Ten, and Bielema won't get the same caliber of athlete as Alabama and LSU in the SEC West. I don't think Arkansas whiffed, but it will be interesting to see how he does there.

Wisconsin should go after Paul Chryst, but I have a feeling he will stay at Pitt. I can't imagine Pitt not putting up a fight to keep him considering their ridiculous coaching turnover.

[steelcityroller]

Alabama, Florida, and LSU are the only jobs that are definitively better landing spots than Arkansas in the SEC.



I would think they go after him. Really sucks for Pitt given the tumult in their football program they've had recently.

I would say that Georgia and Texas A&M are both clearly better jobs than Arkansas.

I'm not sure if Arkansas found the right guy. Bielema is a good coach, but the way Wisconsin wins in the Big 10 won't be as easy to do in the SEC. The front sevens in the SEC are leaps and bounds better than the Big Ten, and Bielema won't get the same caliber of athlete as Alabama and LSU in the SEC West. I don't think Arkansas whiffed, but it will be interesting to see how he does there.

Wisconsin should go after Paul Chryst, but I have a feeling he will stay at Pitt. I can't imagine Pitt not putting up a fight to keep him considering their ridiculous coaching turnover.

Its a good hire but like you I wonder if he can make it work in the SEC at a school that isn't traditionally known for great recruiting.

[wwfd1220]

Best Badgers sports news I have heard all day..... replacement possibilties include Brad Childress, Chryst, Bob Bostadt, Doeren, or any good coach that is still employed in my opinion...should be interesting

[Ctrain07]

I'm not sure if Arkansas found the right guy. Bielema is a good coach, but the way Wisconsin wins in the Big 10 won't be as easy to do in the SEC. The front sevens in the SEC are leaps and bounds better than the Big Ten, and Bielema won't get the same caliber of athlete as Alabama and LSU in the SEC West. I don't think Arkansas whiffed, but it will be interesting to see how he does there.

I may be biased but I don't think by any measure that they are leaps and bounds better.

[steelcityroller]

guess he was intimidated by urban meyers recruiting savvy

This is immediately what I thought of when I heard about this...

Yep so intimidated by Urban Meyer's recruiting at Ohio State that he moved to Arkansas where he has very little to work with in state and only have to compete in a conference that currently has 6 of the top 10 recruiting classes in the country.... Hell Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are ranked 17th and 21st in the country in recruiting and they are bottom-level SEC schools.

[steelcityroller]

I may be biased but I don't think by any measure that they are leaps and bounds better.

They are up the middle. Go look up how many defensive tackles get drafted from the SEC compared to the other conferences. I remember seeing last draft that in the last 5 years the SEC had more than double the amount of defensive tackles drafted than the next closest conference.

[Bravo95]

I guess the Hogs are battling for that 7th-8th spot with a few others.

Titles
Bama - 23 SEC, 14 National
Tenn - 13 SEC, 6 National
UGA - 12 SEC, 2 National
LSU - 11 SEC, 3 National
Florida - 8 SEC, 3 National
Auburn - 8 SEC, 2 National

No other team has won the conference since 1976 (UK), and A&M's immediate future is looking very bright.

[Catfish1314]

I guess the Hogs are battling for that 7th-8th spot with a few others.

Titles
Bama - 23 SEC, 14 National
Tenn - 13 SEC, 6 National
UGA - 12 SEC, 2 National
LSU - 11 SEC, 3 National
Florida - 8 SEC, 3 National
Auburn - 8 SEC, 2 National

No other team has won the conference since 1976 (UK), and A&M's immediate future is looking very bright.

Those numbers are skewed. Football started in 1990 at my school

Jim Tressel would be an interesting choice at Wisconsin, especially considering the way he dominated the B1G at tOSU. Integrity issues or not, I think the Badgers would be foolish to overlook him. And his red flags are nowhere near as concerning as a Petrino or a Leach.

[steelcityroller]

Those numbers are skewed. Football started in 1990 at my school

Jim Tressel would be an interesting choice at Wisconsin, especially considering the way he dominated the B1G at tOSU. Integrity issues or not, I think the Badgers would be foolish to overlook him. And his red flags are nowhere near as concerning as a Petrino or a Leach.

But his red flags actually come with NCAA actions unlike with Petrino who is just a scumbag.

[BradyIsTheMan12]

I would say that Georgia and Texas A&M are both clearly better jobs than Arkansas.

Before this season I would have disagreed with you on Texas A&M, but their recruiting the past two seasons has gotten way better. Georgia is definitely a better job, and is probably a top ten job in the country.

Its a good hire but like you I wonder if he can make it work in the SEC at a school that isn't traditionally known for great recruiting.

Yeah, to play that brand of football in the SEC you need more talent than you would in the Big 10.

I may be biased but I don't think by any measure that they are leaps and bounds better.

Really? It isn't a coincidence that during draft time the SEC is basically the farm system for the NFL on the defensive side of the ball. The Big 10 does have good defenses, but they simply don't have the same caliber of athlete along the front seven. Ohio State can become an exception with Meyer's recruiting prowess, and maybe Michigan, but it's hard to match the SEC. I'll use an example of why this is the case even. Wisconsin had a top 10 rated defense going into the Rose Bowl last season, and what happened? Oregon beat them in the open field over-and-over. Then you see Oregon play Auburn who has a trench monster named Nick Fairley, and we all know what happened. You don't see guys like that on Big Ten rosters very often...and they are pretty common in the SEC. I'm not the type of college football fan that bows down to the SEC, but I'll always give them their due with regards to their defenses.

[WorldChamps1908]

Yep so intimidated by Urban Meyer's recruiting at Ohio State that he moved to Arkansas where he has very little to work with in state and only have to compete in a conference that currently has 6 of the top 10 recruiting classes in the country.... Hell Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are ranked 17th and 21st in the country in recruiting and they are bottom-level SEC schools.

All I said is that was immediately what I thought of...I didn't say that was the reason he was leaving..