Luke Fickell Reveals Why He Took The Wisconsin Job, Talks Upcoming Alabama Series

The draw of competing in the Big Ten was a major factor in Luke Fickell's decision to take the Wisconsin job.

The former Cincy coach is now the man in charge in Madison, and it's the start of a new era of college football for the Badgers.

While there are a lot of reasons why he left the Bearcats to coach the Badgers - including a massive payday - Fickell felt like being in the Big Ten or SEC was perhaps the only way to secure your future.

Luke Fickell talks taking Wisconsin job. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Luke Fickell explains the draw of the B1G.

"Well, I think that's probably one of those things we didn't talk about and say hey, 'What kind of fell in line with you to taking this job?' The Big Ten had a big part of it. Kind of felt like if you weren’t in the Big Ten or the SEC, then who knows where you’d be in the next two-three years. I just see the Big Ten continuing to move in that direction. Whether it’s expanding, growing, adding teams. Yes, there’s going to be a completely different look," Fickell said while talking with Greg McElroy about why he took the job and the Big Ten's continued rise in power.

His comments make sense once you consider the fact we're racing towards a world of haves and have nots. The B1G has the richest media deal in the history of college sports, and the SEC is second.

We're already in a world where the SEC and Big Ten call the shots. Everyone just hopes not to get pillaged.

Luke Fickell explains why he left Cincinnati for the Wisconsin Badgers. (Credit: Getty Images)

Fickell reacts to upcoming Alabama series.

As college football fans know, Alabama and Wisconsin start a home-and-home series in 2024. Is Fickell pumped about playing college football's most historic powerhouse in years two and three of his reign in Madison? Not exactly, but ultimately, it obviously wasn't his decision.

"I'm not sure I would have picked Alabama. I'm not sure that would have been the first one. I don't think that was brought up when I was talking about taking the job or looking into it. People would even ask, 'Do you know who you guys play?' No, that had no bearing on envisioning where you're going," he explained with a slight chuckle.

Luke Fickell reacts to Wisconsin's upcoming home-and-home series against Alabama. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While the future is uncertain, it's clear things have changed in a huge way in Madison. That's great news for fans. Fickell is bringing new energy to the program, and despite having a rough non-conference schedule starting in 2024, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. It sounds like Fickell is ready to roll. Fans are certainly riding with him. There's no doubt about that at all.