Sources: Arkansas to hire Bret Bielema

[Deleterious]

Sources: Arkansas to hire Bret Bielema - Yahoo! Sports

In a stunning coup, Arkansas will hire Wisconsin's Bret Bielema as its next football coach, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

Bielema, who has taken the Badgers to three straight Rose Bowls, was nowhere on the radar amid months of speculation over who Arkansas would hire.

An announcement will come today, sources told Y! Sports, but Bielema is not expected to be introduced until Wednesday.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Hopefully Wisconsin hires Al Borges to be there next coach.

[ballmich]

Hopefully they hire someone really crappy.

[tigerkid23]

Very surprising. I'm assuming he's going to get a fairly significant pay raise, lots of Walmart money at Arkansas and not to mention Jerry Jones. Still, it's probably the third best open job in the SEC with openings at Auburn and Tennessee as well. I wonder who takes over at Wisconsin, I wouldn't be surprised to see Barry Alvarez coach the Rose Bowl in the interim.

[hail2mich]

And OSU's division has suddenly become even easier.

This is certainly out of nowhere. It's a lateral move at best for Bielema, so obviously he is going for the money. I'm pretty glad he's out of the Big Ten, he is a jerk. I doubt Wisconsin will let him coach the Rose Bowl. Maybe we'll see Alvarez coach the bowl game.

[froggyvk]

Paul Chryst was the engine behind the Badger teams/offenses that dominated the past two years. Bielema more of a figure head.

[Deleterious]

Bret Bielema leaving for Arkansas, dealing a major blow to Wisconsin and Big Ten | Dr. Saturday - Yahoo! Sports

No matter what happens with the Wisconsin job, this is a pretty embarrassing blow to the school. It might be even more embarrassing to the Big Ten.

Agree.

[T&P_Fan]

I don't see how this is embarrassing to the Big Ten, in a week no one will even be mentioning this.

Pretty obvious that the SEC jobs are the hot ticket item.

[drownwithyou]

Rick Pizzo ‏@BTNRickPizzo
#Badgers source also tells me #bretbielema knew at least two weeks ago that he was leaving, but was weighing "a couple" SEC schools.

[Porcelain God]

It's definitely embarrassing when a coach from a power team from the Big Ten takes a job with a second tier SEC school, raise or not.

[Nolan]

Was it embarrassing for the SEC when Urban Meyer left UF for OSU?

[Nastradamus]

That didn't really happen though.

I don't know if its embarassing, but its likely a blow to the Big Ten. Bielema is a hell of a coach. It will be interesting to see if Wisconsin can regroup after this. I'm not sure Arkansas is second tier either, they were getting pretty good under Petrino, before all that happened before the start of this year.

[Truth]

That didn't really happen though.

I don't know if its embarassing, but its likely a blow to the Big Ten. Bielema is a hell of a coach. It will be interesting to see if Wisconsin can regroup after this. I'm not sure Arkansas is second tier either, they were getting pretty good under Petrino, before all that happened before the start of this year.

He certainly had a system that worked but I am not sure he's a great recruiter, the type he is going to have to be. On the other hand he's going to have some advantages with facilities and maybe conference that he didn't have at Wisconsin.

[Bubba]

Im putting chances of Paul Chryst heading back to Wisky at 60%

[Amish Love Machine]

I doubt Wisconsin will let him coach the Rose Bowl. Maybe we'll see Alvarez coach the bowl game.

I hope they don't, though I certainly will lose no sleep over it if they do.

[Amish Love Machine]

Bret Bielema leaving for Arkansas, dealing a major blow to Wisconsin and Big Ten | Dr. Saturday - Yahoo! Sports

Agree.

If the pay, benefits, etc. are the same (or close to the same), then I'd agree. If Arkansas is throwing considerably more money at him, I don't see how this embarrasses the conference.

[T&P_Fan]

If the pay, benefits, etc. are the same (or close to the same), then I'd agree. If Arkansas is throwing considerably more money at him, I don't see how this embarrasses the conference.

I agree. I also don't believe the notion that Arkansas is second tier SEC team.

[Deleterious]

If the pay, benefits, etc. are the same (or close to the same), then I'd agree. If Arkansas is throwing considerably more money at him, I don't see how this embarrasses the conference.

Because the B1G likes to fancy itself as a top football conference. Losing your top coaches to other conferences is embarrassing no matter the reason. Its even worse when said coach was born in B1G country and graduated from a B1G school.

Hey, if he was going to Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, etc. Then I can see it. But Arkansas? No.

[Deleterious]

I agree. I also don't believe the notion that Arkansas is second tier SEC team.

In 20 years they have never won an SEC title. They are the definition of 2nd tier.

[Deleterious]

As Bret Bielema heads for Arkansas, Big Ten's allure fades in shadow of SEC - Yahoo! Sports

[T&P_Fan]

In 20 years they have never won an SEC title. They are the definition of 2nd tier.

Who cares? Not once coach in this country outside of Saban and Miles would find Arkansas to be second tier. Petrino made them relevant and a big name. They were second tier when they entered the league, but not even close any more.

[Deleterious]

Who cares? Not once coach in this country outside of Saban and Miles would find Arkansas to be second tier. Petrino made them relevant and a big name. They were second tier when they entered the league, but not even close any more.

Really? Mack Brown is going to Arkansas? Will Muschamp? Chip Kelly? Lane Kiffin? Bob Stoops? Brian Kelly?

Crazy talk.

[Deleterious]

Here is another way to view it.

I don't even have a clue who the new Wisconsin coach will be. But I would bet large sums of money they win a conference championship before Arkansas does.

[T&P_Fan]

Really? Mack Brown is going to Arkansas? Will Muschamp? Chip Kelly? Lane Kiffin? Bob Stoops? Brian Kelly?

Crazy talk.

You underestimate the draw of the SEC. The format of college football has changed. The SEC, and the teams in it, will only grow stronger.

I don't think Wisconsin will win another Big Ten title before Arkansas wins an SEC title, not even a little bit.

[Sparks4Ever]

Who cares? Not once coach in this country outside of Saban and Miles would find Arkansas to be second tier. Petrino made them relevant and a big name. They were second tier when they entered the league, but not even close any more.

Arkansas' AD is flush with money, but they are 2nd tier at best in everything else (recruiting base, tradition/prestige, etc). They have never finished higher than #16 in Rivals.com recruiting rankings. Petrino was a good coach, but his record in the SEC was only 17-15, not much better than Houston Nutt's 42-38. Two good seasons does not elevate a program to first tier status.

[T&P_Fan]

Arkansas' AD is flush with money, but they are 2nd tier at best in everything else (recruiting base, tradition/prestige, etc). They have never finished higher than #16 in Rivals.com recruiting rankings. Petrino was a good coach, but his record in the SEC was only 17-15, not much better than Houston Nutt's 42-38. Two good seasons does not elevate a program to first tier status.

Petrino was 12-4 in the SEC in his last two years. That is a better barometer, his first two years he had none of his players.

This isn't about programs being vaulted, this is about an entire conference. Arkansas will play with the big boys.

[Deleterious]

You underestimate the draw of the SEC. The format of college football has changed. The SEC, and the teams in it, will only grow stronger.

I don't think Wisconsin will win another Big Ten title before Arkansas wins an SEC title, not even a little bit.

How exactly am I underestimating it? I fully admit a second tier SEC team is more appealing than a first tier B1G team. As a fan of the B1G I find that embarrassing. If anything, you are overestimating the B1G by trying to say Arkansas is a top tier program in the SEC.

[T&P_Fan]

How exactly am I underestimating it? I fully admit a second tier SEC team is more appealing than a first tier B1G team. As a fan of the B1G I find that embarrassing. If anything, you are overestimating the B1G by trying to say Arkansas is a top tier program in the SEC.

Well, we are going to have to see how it plays out. But I think Arkansas has something there, a top tier program going forward. I just don't find them second tier anymore, Petrino changed that.

[Sparks4Ever]

From my eyes, this is the current pecking order in the SEC:

Alabama
LSU & Florida
Georgia
Auburn
A&M
Tennessee (sleeping giant)
South Carolina & Arkansas
Missouri
Doormats

Tied for 8th in the SEC = 1st tier?

[Sparks4Ever]

Petrino was 12-4 in the SEC in his last two years. That is a better barometer, his first two years he had none of his players.

And then JLS finished 2-6 with Petrino's players.

This isn't about programs being vaulted, this is about an entire conference. Arkansas will play with the big boys.

Which is a double edged sword. A good coach could easily finish 3-5 every year at Arkansas, and get canned after 3 or 4 years. I give Bielema a lot of credit for having the balls to take the job, but more than likely he'll be out of a job in 4 years. He could easily have been coach for life at Wisconsin.

[T&P_Fan]

And then JLS finished 2-6 with Petrino's players.

JLS was a joke. With him coaching this was predictable.

Which is a double edged sword. A good coach could easily finish 3-5 every year at Arkansas, and get canned after 3 or 4 years. I give Bielema a lot of credit for having the balls to take the job, but more than likely he'll be out of a job in 4 years. He could easily have been coach for life at Wisconsin.

I think the opposite. I think Bielema makes Arkansas a legit contender and that team will play with the elites for years to come.

[Sparks4Ever]

I think Bielema could elevate Arkansas to the 3rd best team in the SEC west, but SEC west titles would still be few and far between. And then USC, OSU or Iowa (his dream job) will poach him. More likely, it won't be a good fit and his teams will mostly flounder.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

I think the opposite. I think Bielema makes Arkansas a legit contender and that team will play with the elites for years to come.

I think that if you need to hire an elite coach to make you elite then you currently are 2nd tier.

[Sparks4Ever]

Bielema's buyout clause is very favorable to Bielema:

Bret Bielema's contract details released by Arkansas

Obviously, he understands the risks of taking this job. He probably also understands that Iowa will be waiting for him with open arms whenever Ferentz retires/gets canned, regardless of how this Arkansas thing turns out.

[T&P_Fan]

I think that if you need to hire an elite coach to make you elite then you currently are 2nd tier.

Well, I don't find them 2nd tier currently or before they hired Bielema.

[Nastradamus]

Really? Mack Brown is going to Arkansas? Will Muschamp? Chip Kelly? Lane Kiffin? Bob Stoops? Brian Kelly?

Crazy talk.

Those guys aren't leaving for ANY job.

Arkansas is 2nd tier to Alabama I suppose, but they can compete in that conference with anyone. They are just as good a job as Auburn or Florida or South Carolina at this point. They were the 13th ranked team in the nation to finish last year and had a chance to be a similar team with a healthy QB and their HC in place.

[Nastradamus]

From my eyes, this is the current pecking order in the SEC:

Alabama
LSU & Florida
Georgia
Auburn
A&M
Tennessee (sleeping giant)
South Carolina & Arkansas
Missouri
Doormats

Tied for 8th in the SEC = 1st tier?

Theyre right there with an Auburn and knocking on the door of a team like Georgia.

[Deleterious]

Those guys aren't leaving for ANY job.

Arkansas is 2nd tier to Alabama I suppose, but they can compete in that conference with anyone. They are just as good a job as Auburn or Florida or South Carolina at this point. They were the 13th ranked team in the nation to finish last year and had a chance to be a similar team with a healthy QB and their HC in place.

But I responded to a post where someone said Saban and Miles were the only two coaches in the country that would consider Arkansas second tier. I listed off a bunch more that would absolutely consider Arkansas second tier.

And no offense, but Florida is a much better job than Arkansas and honestly, its not even close.

[Sparks4Ever]

Theyre right there with an Auburn and knocking on the door of a team like Georgia.

By this logic, Kansas State is also a 1st tier program up there with the likes of Auburn and Georgia. They did just have 2 good years after all.

[pfife]

And no offense, but Florida is a much better job than Arkansas and honestly, its not even close.

yes