Wisconsin Coach's Fate Might Be Sealed As Program Becomes Pathetic Joke

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell's buyout number might be much lower than publicly believed.

That's bad news for him.

Wisconsin's football team is currently 2-4 and has lost four straight games. Losing four games in a row is always bad.

The Badgers didn't just lose. They were outscored 126-34 in those games. That's simply unacceptable, and Ohio State is up next on Saturday. To tell you how little faith fans have in the team, tickets to the game cost under $30 as of Wednesday.

Luke Fickell's tenure in Madison has been a disaster. (Credit: Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Luke Fickell's buyout might be lower than thought.

It's been widely reported that Luke Fickell's buyout if he's fired before the season ends is a staggering $40 million. That number has led people to believe that Fickell might be too expensive to fire during the season. The buyout reportedly drops significantly to around $27 million once the season ends.

However, it appears the $40 million might not be the real number.

Colten Bartholomew of BadgerExtra reported Wednesday morning that the current buyout number is far south of $40 million.

It currently sits at $28,207,780.82 as of October 15th going into the Ohio State game, and it drops to around $17,000 per day until the end of the season.

That is a *HUGE* difference from Wisconsin having to bite a $40 million bullet.

Luke Fickell's true buyout number might be lower than initially thought. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images)

Wisconsin could afford a $40 million buyout. It would be painful, but it's manageable. Paying around $28 million is no sweat.

That could be done with absolute ease, and that likely means Fickell's fate is sealed. It's important to note that the further Wisconsin slides into being irrelevant, the more money the school and community will lose over time. It's simple economics when it comes to college sports.

The fact of the matter is it will take a miracle for Wisconsin to remain competitive against Ohio State. The line for the game is currently -26.5 points in favor of the Buckeyes, and the game is in Madison at Camp Randall.

It's beyond embarrassing and pathetic. It's borderline impossible to believe that it's real.

Luke Fickell is on the hottest seat in college football. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Depending on how things go Saturday in Madison, there is a very real chance fans might watch Fickell lead the team for the final time. I won't be surprised at all if he's gone by this upcoming Monday. What do you think? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.