Why major head coach firings elsewhere make it harder for Wisconsin Badgers to fire Luke Fickell

Schools across the country seem more willing than ever to buy-out expensive contracts, but the more coaches that get canned, the better the odds are that Fickell doesn't.

College football only has so many quality coaching candidates available to fill head coaching vacancies.

With double-digit jobs now open, it's going to be a fierce competition for athletic directors to land the best names.

Wisconsin isn't in a good position to not only pay Fickell's buyout but then also get into a bidding war for his replacement.

The Badgers aren't as enticing of a landing spot as some of other schools available.

Top coaching candidates will prefer the pedigree and resources of SEC schools like LSU, Florida and Auburn.

Add in the better Big Ten opening at Penn State, and Wisconsin would be left settling for lesser options for the team's most important role.

Badgers fans might still feel like that can be an upgrade over Fickell, but the optics could be tricky to go from a highly coveted, big name coach like him to a lesser-known, less proven replacement.

The athletic department keeps giving signals that Fickell will be sticking around. The landscape of college football is making that easier to justify.