Colorado and Syracuse tried to break some ground this spring, discussing a potential intersquad scrimmage in place of the traditional spring game, before the NCAA denied their request. Had the two sides been allowed to play, at least one other Power 4 conference coach was playing close attention, and even had an ideal opponent in mind.
Illinois's Bret Bielema says he reached out to his former boss, North Carolina's Bill Belichick, about a potential scrimmage in the event of an NCAA rule change.
“The one thing that was really intriguing to me in the NFL was those minicamps where teams would get together and compete with one another,” Bielema said during an appearance on the See Ball Get Ball podcast with David Pollack (35-minute mark below). “This past spring, I think it was Colorado and Syracuse were talking about getting together, and there was a moment where we thought some teams might get together, either in the spring or in the fall. ... I just reached out to him and said, ‘Hey, if we could go a little challenge with North Carolina and Illinois, either now or in the future, would you be interested?’ That was really the genesis of it.”
Bielema noted that in the NFL, these joint practice sessions are usually held between "organizations that think alike or act alike and know what the other one are expecting," and in all likelihood, North Carolina and Illinois fit the bill. After his stint at Arkansas, Bielema left college ball for his first NFL job as a consultant and later defensive line coach under Belichick with the New England Patriots from 2018 to '19.
The NCAA rule amendment didn't come to pass in 2025, but the possibility for some notable offseason scrimmages is definitely an exciting alternative to the traditional spring practices, and one that a number of coaches seem excited to explore should that rule be changed in the future. A preseason showdown between Belichick's first Tar Heels team and an Illinois squad coming off of a 10–3 season and entering 2025 with some serious hype would certainly be a headliner.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Big Ten Coach Wanted Scrimmage With Bill Belichick's UNC Before NCAA Decision.