Wisconsin Coach Crushed By Enraged Fans After Humiliating Loss: REACTIONS
Luke Fickell's fate appears to be sealed after getting dominated by Maryland at home.
It's Sunday morning and Luke Fickell is, somehow, still the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers.
Fickell's seat has been hot for an extended period of time, but what unfolded Saturday at Camp Randall against Maryland was nothing short of a massacre.
Wisconsin entered the game as a 10.5-point favorite at some sportsbooks. The Badgers left the field licking their wounds after getting blown out 27-10. It was much more lopsided than the score would indicate.
Fickell's team didn't just lose. They got dominated in all parts of the game, looked uninspired, were clearly not prepared and the program's head coach couldn't seem to muster any energy or passion.
Luke Fickell might have sealed his fate with a 27-10 loss to Maryland. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Luke Fickell crushed by Wisconsin fans
One of the best parts about college football is the passion fans have, and that passion cuts both ways. A coach is a hero when things are going well. He's public enemy number one when the train falls off the tracks, and that's where Fickell now finds himself:
Facing the full wrath of an enraged fanbase.
There's plenty more where that came from, and I'll tell you a moment that was truly stunning after the game. Fickell was asked about the deafening chants in Camp Randall to fire him……and he made a quip about if something was said.
The Badgers just got boat raced and Fickell apparently thinks he's now a comedian. A comedian with a $40 million buyout and a salary of $7.7 annually.
Look at the stands in the photos below from late in the game when it was clear Wisconsin had no hope. They're borderline empty.
Not a single person five years ago would ever have believed Camp Randall would empty out against a team like Maryland.
Yet, here we are and this is Wisconsin's new reality.
Wisconsin lost to Maryland 27-10 at home, and Luke Fickell is in big trouble. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Will Wisconsin fire Luke Fickell after losing to Maryland? (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
There's simply no way Fickell is still Wisconsin's coach by next season at this rate. The buyout doesn't even matter. What matters is now allowing a once-proud program that regularly won 10+ games a year implodes. The University of Wisconsin is the state's crown jewel and the football program is the most forward-facing part of the school.
The damage that will be done if the Badgers slip into irrelevance will be felt in ways people can't even imagine yet. It's simple economics, and the photos of Camp Randall sections empty should tell the administration everything it needs to know.
Wisconsin's football program is one fire after getting destroyed at home by Maryland. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Paul Chryst got fired for far less than what Luke Fickell has brought to Madison since arriving as the program's head coach. At this point, it seems like it's a matter of when and not if he's fired. There's no coaching seat hotter in America. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com if you agree.