In the first year and a half of Luke Fickell’s reign, the Wisconsin Badgers football head coach has overseen a lot. Fickell’s experienced the hope of taking over a historical college football program, the bittersweetness of changing an iconic system, continuous recruiting successes and most importantly, the frustration that building progress at Wisconsin has not been easy. But in the last three weeks, Fickell has experienced something completely new.
Over their last three games, Wisconsin has looked like a truly disciplined and complementary football team. With dominant wins over Purdue, Rutgers and now Northwestern, Fickell’s Badgers have put together satisfying victories over Big Ten opponents — something that hasn’t come easy these last two seasons.
Wisconsin’s air raid offense has shown it can be dangerous, and its defense has finally looked formidable under defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. For the first time, Fickell’s visions have come to fruition, sparking hope that perhaps this whole engagement could prove fruitful.
“This team, we’re getting better,” Fickell said following Saturday’s win. “We know where we need to go.”
Three weeks ago, Wisconsin’s season had great potential to spiral out of control. Underwhelming season-opening wins against below-average opponents were wildly uninspiring, and falling flat in consecutive high-profile games to Alabama and University of Southern California sprouted doubts surrounding Fickell’s plan for Wisconsin’s future.
The three-game stretch that followed provided opportunities for reflection and improvement, but after seeing how Wisconsin had been shellacked its previous two games, it felt like a waste of time to try to convince yourself that the Badgers could turn its season around.
But against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, Wisconsin has shown a change in identity. The all-out domination against Purdue allowed Wisconsin to tangibly realize its potential. In their shellacking of Rutgers, the Badgers traded in their previous meagerness for a fresh coat of confidence. Quarterback Braedyn Locke has played his best football during this stretch alongside a defense that has grown into a force.
Before this stretch, Wisconsin looked vastly unprepared for another tilt with a big-name program. But now, with the undefeated No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions strolling into Madison for a primetime showdown, the Badgers seem up for the challenge.
For Fickell, the last three games were something of a checkmark. In beating Purdue and Rutgers so dominantly, Fickell showed Wisconsin can play four quarters of complimentary football against Big Ten opponents. And in this stretch, Wisconsin’s defense has finally unleashed their true potential, playing fast and trusting one another. They held their opponents to less than seven points in a game.
For so long, this dominance was to be expected at Wisconsin. The program was built on consistently beating the middle of the Big Ten, often doing so largely on the backs of a smash-mouth defense. But until now, the Fickell-era Badgers had fallen flat.
This was a large reason for the doubts that had been laid upon the program. Fickell was supposed to bring Wisconsin to new heights, but until this October, he hadn’t even proven he could maintain the standard. Now, he can point to progress.
It is time for Wisconsin to prove they can beat tougher opponents. Delivering a major upset against Penn State will be an entirely different beast than beating the lackluster trio Wisconsin has faced this month, but it is one that Fickell and the Badgers would love to add to their resume.
Wisconsin hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent since 2021, and a top-three team since 2010. Under Fickell, the Badgers are 0-4 against ranked opponents. But a win this weekend would push Wisconsin’s season to new heights and energize a fanbase desperately waiting for a signature win.
Alternatively, if Wisconsin flops and Penn State leaves Madison with an easy victory, every ounce of doubt that has been cast upon the Badgers this season will be pushed back to the forefront. Fickell will be once again questioned, and the good vibes Wisconsin has suddenly found will be forgotten as quickly as they came.
After three straight victories, the Badgers aren’t thinking about that scenario. These last three weeks have set up Wisconsin with the opportunity to do something special. A victory this weekend would be a massive step in the right direction and just the kind of victory that can jumpstart the program.
A win won’t come easily, but after an impressive win streak, Wisconsin is trending in the right direction.
“There’s an incredible mountain ahead of us that we know we’ve got to continue to climb,” Fickell said. “The most important thing for us is to continue to get better. I feel like that’s the case right now with this group.”
