Wisconsin Coach Gets Brutally Honest About Program As Fans On Verge Of Revolt
The Badgers are in big trouble, and fans have had enough.
Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is very aware of the situation he's found himself in.
The Badgers have fallen on very hard times as a football program. The days of consistently winning 10+ games a year and appearing in big bowl games are in a different lifetime.
Fickell was hired prior to the start of the 2023 season to get the program back to its winning ways. That absolutely hasn't happened.
Wisconsin is 13-13 since hiring Luke Fickell. He was expected to turn the program around, but it isn't working. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell address mounting pressure in Madison.
Instead, Fickell is a pathetic 13-13 during his time in Madison, and major changes have been made. Jeff Grimes was hired as OC to get back to a run-first, pound and ground offense instead of the stupid air raid.
With pressure mounting, Fickell isn't ignoring the fact his seat is getting hotter and fans are done tolerating losing.
"I felt it in Year 1, I felt it in Year 2, believe me, I don't sleep well when we don't play well. I don't sleep well when I don't feel like we're growing and getting better. And, unfortunately, there are times when it's a rollercoaster, and that's not good enough in this league. We're 5-2 with some really big games in front of us and an opportunity to maybe do something big, and we went the opposite direction. So there's no more pressure than that on myself, whether it's what fans expect, what the program expects. I live it every single day.," Fickell said in an interview with CBS Sports released on Monday.
Luke Fickell acknowledges mounting pressure in Madison. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
As I've said before and will say again, the biggest issue for Fickell isn't just turning the program around. It's the fact Wisconsin might have the hardest schedule in America in 2025.
The Badgers play Alabama, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota.
There's a very real chance they will be underdogs in all nine of those games. Wisconsin went 5-7 last season.
It's very possible there's an even worse season looming around the corner. If that happens, I truly don't know how fans or the program will react.
Of course, I don't need to tell Fickell that. He should know it better than anyone.
How many games will Wisconsin win in 2025? (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Wisconsin opens the season August 28 against Miami (OH). We'll see how it shakes out. Hit me with your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.