Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell has long since entered make-or-break time in Madison.
Ultimately, that’s what a 16-20 record over three full seasons will do.
USA TODAY’s Blake Toppmeyer listed Fickell in his article titled “College football hot seat list: 11 coaches facing heat, with Bill Belichick on fire,” placing Fickell under the subheading, “College football coaches on a scalding hot seat.”
“Chris McIntosh, Wisconsin’s athletic director who retained Fickell, left in April for a job at the Big Ten offices. That leaves Fickell on a scorching-hot seat, working for a boss who didn’t hire him. It’s win or walk, and Fickell knows it,” closed Toppmeyer.
While the Badgers have been dealt a bad hand in terms of injury luck and hires during Fickell’s time, the urgency for the once steady Big Ten squad to amp up its production is at an all-time high.The 2026 season couldn’t start off on a harsher note, as Fickell and Co. must take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, while also wading through the conference waters of Penn State, USC, and Iowa.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: USA TODAY places Wisconsin's Luke Fickell on "scorching" hot seat