Sports

Wisconsin Will Not Cave To Fanbase’s $25 Million Demand Surrounding Scoreless Football Team

#Wisconsin Badgers
by
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin Badgers

© Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


The Wisconsin football team is not planning to move on from head coach Luke Fickell. Reports of the administration’s outlook have surfaced online.

That news comes in the wake of an awful scoring drought that’s going on two games. The Badgers‘ fanbase is fed up!

Wisconsin has historically been a major player in the Big Ten. Between 2005 and 2019, the program recorded 10 seasons of 10 wins or more.

Paul Chryst was the head coach from 2015-2022. He posted a 67-26 overall record. He won nine games in 2021. He was fired midway through the following year.

The Badgers started 2-3 that season. Chryst was replaced by Luke Fickell at year’s end. Now, it’s Fickell’s seat that’s hot.

Who is Luke Fickell?

Fickell is Big Ten born and bred. He is from Columbus. He played football for Ohio State. He later coached as an assistant with the Buckeyes, being tasked with the interim head coaching role for the entire 2011 season.

In 2017, he landed the Cincinnati gig. He shined with the Bearcats.

His program went 57-18 across 75 contests. He led his team to the College Football Playoff in 2021. Most believed success would continue when he was hired by Wisconsin. It hasn’t.

The Badgers went 12-13 across his first two full seasons. They’re 2-5 in Year 3. The wheels are starting to come off.

Wisconsin is a bad football team.

The Badgers hosted Ohio State on Saturday. They were shut out, 34-0. That came on the heels of a 37-0 loss to Iowa.

Luke Fickell’s offense has not scored a single point in eight quarters of football. It has not scored a touchdown in 11 quarters dating back to the first period of a 24-10 loss to Michigan.

Fans are reasonably upset.

The students’ section was heard chanting “Fire Fickell” throughout the most recent defeat. It’s a feeling many within the fanbase are experiencing.

It does not seem, however, that those angry supporters will get their wish – at least not this season.

The Badgers will not fire their football coach, yet.

The most recent whispers out of Madison suggest Luke Fickell will continue leading the Wisconsin football program. He has the backing of the administration.

That could change, obviously. Scoring points will play a massive role in the decision making.

There are other factors, too. One is the roster. Fickell has yet to have a healthy quarterback room for a full season. Another is the buyout, which sits at $25 million at this point in time.

While it is not as high as former Big Ten rival James Franklin’s, the number is notable. A mitigation clause would help offset the damage, but Wisconsin must determine if moving on is worth the cost.

In the meantime, Fickell will have a chance to turn things around. He will not be fired amid this scoreless run.

Unfortunately, the road doesn’t get much easier. Wisconsin will face Oregon, Indiana, and Illinois over the next over the next month. Points could be tough to come by.