Just a week after both Virginia Tech and UCLA fired their coaches just three weeks into the season, another proud program continued its freewill into the sewer in college football. Wisconsin football dropped to 2-2 on the season with a 27-10 home loss to Maryland on Saturday.
This resounding defeat, in which new quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. failed to take down his old team, came on the heels of another blowout loss. Wisconsin was beaten handily by Alabama 38-14 in Week 3, so this is now two consecutive blowout losses for Luke Fickell and company. Those losses have led to Badgers fans getting impatient and chanting “Fire Fickell” near the end of Saturday's loss in Madison.
If Fickell were to be fired at the end of this season, Wisconsin would owe him $25.4 million for his buyout. according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports. That drops just under $20 million following the 2026 season, but the Badgers will be on the hook for a big check if it wants to part ways with Fickell any time soon.
Fickell's seat is certainly warming up, and he has to turn it around quickly if he wants to keep his job. However, it doesn't appear as if the Badgers are ready to make any drastic changes any time soon. Athletic director Chris McIntosh backed his head coach on Saturday following the loss, via ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.
“When you have kids that have given it all and are faced with, as a program, adversity like this, I think it's a time for our people to come together,” McIntosh said. “I think it's a time for me to express my support.”
Wisconsin missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2001 last season, and it looks like it could be trending in that direction once again after this loss. The Badgers do have a week off before taking a trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. Fickell and company also have games against Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Illinois this season, so the margin for error is very slim.
On paper, Wisconsin might not be favored in any of its games for the rest of the season, so Fickell and his staff will have to figure out a solution quickly. If not, he could be out of a job sooner rather than later.
