The Leftovers: Wisconsin football's coaching decisions and the officiating controversy

A closer look at Luke Fickell's fourth-down decisions, controversial officiating, and what went wrong in Wisconsin's loss to UCLA.

A referee walks across the Wisconsin Badgers midfield logo at Camp Randall Stadium. Photo credit: Ross Harried.

Wisconsin football had an extra week to prepare for UCLA, a chance to get healthier, and some real momentum after consecutive Big Ten wins.

Then the Badgers went to Pasadena and reminded everyone why it’s been so difficult to trust this program under Luke Fickell.

The 17-7 loss to the Bruins exposed familiar problems, but after some time to process what happened, I wanted to revisit a few things. That’s really the idea behind The Leftovers. Not necessarily another game recap, but an opportunity to dig into the decisions, performances, and comments that deserve a little more attention.

And this week, there’s plenty to unpack.