Column: Wisconsin football needs to move on from Luke Fickell
After yet another embarrassing performance, it's painfully clear that Luke Fickell isn't working out in Madison and showing no signs of improvement.
It’s one thing to lose to a team you’re supposed to beat.
After all, upsets happen quite frequently in college football. With the Big Ten as deep as it’s ever been and parity slowly seeping into the sport on the heels of NIL and the transfer portal, some forgiveness for tough losses is warranted.
It’s an entirely different thing to come out completely flat at home as two-score favorites to a team that hasn’t sniffed the AP poll in six-plus seasons.
But Fickell has to deal with yet another backup quarterback!
But he’s had horrible injury luck!
But he’s working with an offensive line comprised mostly of backups!
Those things may be true. But they don’t explain the Badgers’ lack of cohesion. They don’t explain poor performances from established veterans up and down the Badgers' roster. They don’t explain the fact that the Wisconsin football team is seemingly getting worse each week.
While it’s certainly fair to wonder what divine powers Fickell pissed off, leading to some admittedly horrendous injury luck, he no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt.