The Wisconsin Badgers’ hopes for a strong 2025 NCAAF season slowly faded week by week. That fade accelerated dramatically after a decisive loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where they failed to score a single point — a defeat that now puts Luke Fickell’s future as head coach of the team in serious doubt.
“There is no quit in me,” he said, per Zach Heilprin of 96.7 FM “The Zone.” Fickell remains firm in his stance — he’s determined to fight until the end. However, the growing question around Madison is what will happen with the head coach heading into next season.
In a recent interview with Jesse Temple, the veteran head coach was asked whether he had any clarity about his job status for what’s coming ahead. Fickell responded by saying he’s not concerned about it.
“I have not been told. I’m not worried about that. I understand if we don’t meet expectations and we don’t do the things we need to do, anything can happen,” he firmly stated.
Hunter Simmons #15 of the Wisconsin Badgers.
Harsh self-criticism from Fickell after loss to Buckeyes
It’s clear that the Badgers’ performance has been underwhelming for several weeks now, but the shutout loss — failing to put a single point on the board — marks a turning point for the program moving forward.
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“To not find a way to put points on the board will never give us a chance,” Fickell said after the game, via Jesse Temple of Badger Connect. “We know we have to find a way to be able to do that, and we’ve got to get a hell of a lot better at it.”
What’s next for Wisconsin?
With little room left to turn things around in the short term, these are the upcoming games awaiting the Wisconsin Badgers — many of them high-stakes matchups.
- @ Oregon, October 25
- vs Washington, November 8
- @ Indiana, November 15
- vs Illinois, November 22
- @ Minnesota, November 29
