The Wisconsin Badgers are entering into a crucial fourth full season under head coach Luke Fickell.
As head coach of the Badgers thus far, Fickell has compiled a 17-21 overall record and just one winning season since taking over from Paul Chryst.
With the mood already aimed towards the 2026 campaign being a make-or-break year for Fickell’s tenure, USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg’s recent Big Ten ranking, in which the Badgers were notched 12th in the conference, does not do him any favors.
“The bottom has dropped out in a flash for a program that was once among the most consistently successful in the Power Four. The Badgers were a consistent Big Ten contender punching above its weight through the latter stages of the Paul Chryst era,” opens Myerberg.
He then points to the Badgers’ lack of consistency under his watch.
“The poor results under embattled coach Luke Fickell have dropped Wisconsin into the bottom half of the league.”
Under Fickell, Wisconsin has gone 7-6, 5-7, and 4-8 in his three full seasons.
For what it’s worth, Wisconsin had an extremely difficult schedule in 2025. There’s no excuse for going 2-5 against ranked teams, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s the fact that both of their ranked wins came at home, and they were late in the year, so there’s a chance that momentum carries into 2027, though it’s clearly not enough to impress Myerberg.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin given desolate Big 10 ranking in all-important season
Reporting by Connor Mardian, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Connor Mardian, Badgers Wire | USA TODAY Network
