It’s deja vu all over again for Wisconsin football.
At this time a year ago, Wisconsin’s starting quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke, suffered a season-ending injury in a 42-10 loss to No. 4 Alabama, dropping the team to 2-1 on the season. The injury would derail Wisconsin’s entire season, and the Badgers would finish the season 5-7, losers of their last five, to end a streak of 22 straight bowl game appearances.
This year, Wisconsin was once again without its starting QB against Alabama, though this time the injury occurred in the season-opener when transfer Billy Edwards Jr. went down with a knee sprain. Regardless, the Badgers found themselves on the same end of another ass kicking, as No. 19 Alabama won 38-14.
The result shouldn’t be a surprise. Wisconsin was a three-touchdown underdog before it set foot on the field in Tuscaloosa. It’s hard to imagine there were any Badgers fans expecting their squad to go down South and come home with a win. It’s just as hard to imagine any Badgers fans who remain optimistic about the state of the program.
Rough stretch ahead for Fickell, Badgers
This game was the beginning of a gauntlet for Wisconsin in 2025. One that is imposing enough to make you wonder how solid the footing is that Fickell stands on in Madison. Given a schedule that consists of remaining games at Michigan, Oregon and Indiana, as well as home dates with Ohio State, Washington and Illinois, it’s hard to know what success for Fickell looks like in 2025.
Where did this all go wrong?
All we know is that whatever the goal is now, it certainly isn’t what the goal was when Fickell was hired. He was brought in after leading Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff and chosen over a beloved fan favorite and Badger great Jim Leonhard because Wisconsin felt Fickell was better suited to turn the program around.
The foundation had begun to rot under Paul Chryst, and Fickell could restore it and build upon it to create a program ready to compete for playoff spots in an expanded era. While recruiting results have improved, the product on the field is moving in the opposite direction, and it can’t all be blamed on injuries at the QB position.
Following this latest loss to Alabama, Wisconsin has gone 8-13 against Power Four competition under Fickell and is only 3-8 against it since the start of last season. Chryst was 10-10 against Power Four teams in his final three seasons before being fired during the 2022 season.
| Season | Overall Record | Big Ten Record | Bowl / Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1‑0 | N/A | Won Guaranteed Rate Bowl | |
| 2023 | 7‑6 | 5‑4 | Lost to LSU in ReliaQuest Bowl | |
| 2024 | 5‑7 | 3‑6 | Failed to qualify for bowl game | |
| 2025 | 2-1 | N/A | TBD |
Will the Badgers actually make a move away from Fickell?
I don’t believe Wisconsin plans to move on from Fickell following the season because of recruiting results and understanding the difficult circumstances he’s operating under, but nobody can be sure. Fickell fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo during the offseason and completely overhauled his defense, particularly along the defensive line, but those changes don’t appear to be enough.
Further complicating matters is what’s taking place elsewhere. Fickell was chosen over former Badgers star Leonhard, but now there’s another former Badger out there turning heads among Wisconsin fans and fans of other programs.
Jason Eck, who played as an offensive lineman at Wisconsin under Barry Alvarez in the late 1990s, is a rising star on the coaching circuit. He went 26-13 in three seasons at Idaho and made the playoffs all three seasons. Last year, his Vandals team made life miserable for the Oregon team that won the Big Ten early in the season. Eck parlayed that success into the New Mexico job and began the 2025 season by giving Michigan the same migraines his Idaho team gave Oregon.
On Friday night, Eck’s Lobos went into the Rose Bowl and beat UCLA 35-10. As more jobs open, it’s easy to imagine the Wisconsin native becoming an attractive candidate at a number of different schools. Will Wisconsin want to risk missing out on another Prodigal Son to give Fickell one more crack at turning things around?
It’s hard to say with certainty, but if the Badgers continue suffering losses like the one they took to Alabama today, it’s not as hard to imagine which way the wind may start blowing off Lake Mendota.
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