Urban Meyer Shares Insane Take About Wisconsin Football Coach As Program Burns

Is Wisconsin too poor to fire Luke Fickell?

The Wisconsin Badgers are in an awful place as a program. The idea of even going .500 this season with Luke Fickell at the helm is as comical as it is pathetic and sad.

There was a time when Wisconsin could be counted on to win 10 games and appear in major bowl games. That was the standard. That was the expectation.

That no longer exists, as Luke Fickell sits at 15-15 since coming to Madison. Wisconsin is 2-2 on the season, and coming off a blowout loss to Maryland. Fans have given up, there might not be another clear win on the schedule and Fickell's seat might be the hottest in college football.

However, Urban Meyer thinks he'll be fine.

Will Wisconsin fire Luke Fickell? He's just 15-15 since being hired by the Badgers. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Urban Meyer doubts Wisconsin can fire Luke Fickell. 

While Wisconsin fans are ready right now to move, Meyer is skeptical it's even financially possible for the university.

"I’m worried about this one. But I’ll say this again: Wisconsin doesn’t have that money. There’s no chance they’re writing a check for $25 million. It’s not happening this year," Meyer said on "The Triple Option" podcast, according to On3.

To be clear, Luke Fickell's buyout isn't currently $25 million. It's $40 million, but it does drop to $25 million at the end of the season.

Meyer also said, "I was a little worried when he first went there because Wisconsin is not the same job it was before the four teams from the Pac-12 came in. And then they moved the West division to now it’s just the best two. Wisconsin was a very good job, is a very good job, but it’s not the same job. As a result, I think they’re in trouble."

Urban Meyer seems to think Wisconsin can't afford to fire Luke Fickell. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

I'm not really sure I have any idea what Meyer is talking about when he says Wisconsin can't afford the buyout. The Badgers are far from poor.

As of 2023, Wisconsin athletics generated just under $200 million annually and the program was valued at $838 million. It was the 15th most valuable sports program in America per that data.

Wisconsin football has a lot of problems at the moment. Money is absolutely not one of them. That's the least of the concerns that have to be worked through.

What the university absolutely can't afford is to have a football program that isn't competitive. It's the face of the state's flagship university, and it's responsible for bringing in absurd revenue for the community. If fans stop showing up - like they abandoned Camp Randall last Saturday - then Wisconsin could be facing a huge economic problem.

What's worse: Spending $40 million on a buyout or long-term financial losses as the program racing towards being irrelevant?

The answer is the latter, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand how money works.

Is Wisconsin too poor to fire Luke Fickell? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

What do you think will be Luke Fickell's fate? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.