Wisconsin Fans Deserve Better

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 7:12 AM ET

Wisconsin’s demise has been sad to watch. A once proud program has been relegated to moral victories and excuses. That is what head coach Luke Fickell has accomplished since he was hired on November 27, 2022. And Wisconsin fans deserve better.

I have discussed this since the beginning of the 2024 season. Fickell tore away Wisconsin’s identity and then floundered during his attempt to rebuild it. But the mess he created became too much for him to clean up. That was once again very evident during yesterday’s 38-14 loss at Alabama.

Only Wisconsin fans with the brightest Badgers’ glasses on had any hope that yesterday’s game would conclude with a win. Many would have been thrilled if the Badgers were competitive. Neither happened. Wisconsin totaled 209 offensive yards while giving up 454. Their offense never made it into the red zone. Whatever important stat you look at, Alabama dominated.

And after the game Fickell’s words were far from uplifting or hopeful. He knew that Wisconsin didn’t stand much of a chance against Alabama and he knows that the remainder of the season will be a struggle.

Last night, Chip Edwards reported that Fickell’s days in Madison, Wisc. may be numbered. And that number is six days, with a loss against Maryland (3-0) on Saturday possibly ending his tenure.

This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. The Fickell experiment has been dead for over a year and if I was a Wisconsin fan, this is the news I would have been hoping for. And even if the Badgers manage a win against the Terps, their following four games are against No. 23 Michigan (2-1), Iowa (2-1), No. 1 Ohio State (3-0) and No. 4 Oregon (3-0). Wisconsin fans will be able to turn the page sooner than later.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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