Wisconsin needs to part ways with HC Luke Fickell after Ohio State loss

It's time for the Wisconsin Badgers to pull the plug on the Luke Fickell era.

With fellow Big Ten programs the UCLA Bruins and Penn State Nittany Lions already in the hunt for a head coach after firing DeShaun Foster and James Franklin, respectively, the Badgers should soon follow suit. 

On Saturday, Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4 in Big Ten) dropped its ninth consecutive conference game, 34-0 at home against Associated Press No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten), the team's second consecutive shutout loss at Camp Randall after last Saturday's 37-0 loss to Iowa (4-2, 2-1 in Big Ten). Wisconsin's last Big Ten win came on October 19, 2024, at Northwestern.

Luke Fickell's era has reached the end of its course

What once looked like a home-run hire has turned into a disaster, as Wisconsin has reached its lowest point since the Don Morton era (1987-89). Fickell led Cincinnati to an unprecedented College Football Playoff berth in 2021, becoming the only mid-major program to reach the four-team CFP in its 10-year existence (2014-23), and looked like an excellent choice after the university fired former head coach Paul Chryst five games into the 2022 season.

But the Badgers have regressed under Fickell's watch and are on track for consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1989-90, Morton's last season and the first year under future Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez.

The offense has devolved to become not only the worst in the Big Ten but in the country. Entering Saturday, Wisconsin ranked No. 131 in FBS in scoring (15.5 points per game) and No. 130 in total offense (292.5 yards per game). It's one of two power conference teams (North Carolina Tar Heels) to fail to average at least 300 yards per game.

The program should be much further along in its development with Fickell as head coach. But it's increasingly clear that the Badgers are waiting for a breakthrough that will never come.

Keeping Fickell through the regular season would only delay what should be an inevitability. It could also be costly. 

Per CBS Sports, the Badgers are on the hook for 80 percent of the money owed on Fickell's initial deal — $25 million at the end of the season, so slightly more with five games remaining — with a buyout. Firing Fickell in-season would give him time to pursue other jobs, cutting into the amount the Badgers owe him in future years. 

With the losses piling up and a brutal schedule the rest of the season, it's pointless to extend the Fickell era any longer. Wisconsin's final five opponents are a combined 26-7 (.788), making it unlikely the team will experience a late-season surge and become bowl-eligible. It's time for the Badgers to look toward the future, which Fickell has no business being part of.