Wisconsin Coach Pulls Desperate Move As Program Hits Pathetic New Low

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is seemingly throwing anything he can against the wall to see what sticks.

Wisconsin is 2-3 on the season, 0-3 in its last three games and hasn't beat a single P4 team all season. Fickell is fighting to save his job.

Even with a $40 million buyout, he might not be able to save it against the brutal slate the Badgers have the rest of the way.

Now, he's made a significant QB decision.

Wisconsin is 2-3 and on its third QB of the season. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Luke Fickell makes QB change during 0-3 skid.

Starter Billy Edwards suffered a non-contact lower body injury in the first half of week one, and there's no timeline for him to return to 100%.

Danny O'Neil had started three games prior to being benched in favor of third string QB Hunter Simmons against Michigan.

Fickell announced Monday that Simmons will remain the starter until Edwards is a full go.

This reeks of desperation from Fickell. Simmons wasn't terrible against Michigan, but he was also far from impressive. Outside the opening drive, the offense did essentially nothing the rest of the game.

I'm also far from convinced there's a huge gap in talent between Simmons and O'Neil. Let's break down the stats:

• Danny O'Neil (three starts): 640 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, five interceptions, completes 70.6% of his passes and one rushing touchdown.
• Hunter Simmons (one start): 247 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one interception and completes 65.8% of his passes.

Neither is impressive, but there's no way to look at the numbers and think Simmons is a significant upgrade. There's a reason he started the season as the third string QB.

Luke Fickell announced Hunter Simmons will be Wisconsin's starting QB if Billy Edwards can't play. Edwards is dealing with a lower body injury. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

What this boils down to is Fickell is panicking. He appears in way over his head. Let's not forget the man had three timeouts at the end of the game against Michigan……and proceeded to not use a single one as the Wolverines ran the clock out in a two-score game. It was the most mind-boggling decision from a coach that I might have ever seen.

Now, he's making a QB change based on one game (a loss) when the two guys battling for the position are more or less the same.

Desperation at its worst. Wisconsin is in its worst spot in more than three decades, the offense is pathetic, Fickell is on the hottest seat in college football, fans have quit on the team and an October quarterback change isn't going to impact much.

These might not be fun facts for Wisconsin fans to hear, but they're facts nonetheless.

Will Wisconsin fire Luke Fickell? (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

I don't know how this circus will end, but I know it's far from over. As one of my favorite sayings goes, no matter how bad it is now, I can promise that it's going to get much worse. Welcome to the state of Wisconsin football in 2025. Let me know your predictions for the rest of the season at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.