The Wisconsin Badgers will enter Week 9 having not scored a point in eight quarters. The Badgers were outclassed on Saturday by No. 1 Ohio State by a score of 34-0 in front of 72,795 fans at Camp Randall Stadium.
More News: LSU’s Brian Kelly Issues Serious Warning to Team Amid Calls for His Firing
Questions about the status of head coach Luke Fickell’s future with the program ramped up this week. Wisconsin was blown out 37-0 to Iowa at home in Week 7.
On Sunday, Penn State fired James Franklin, adding outside pressure from fans for UW to make a similar decision with Fickell.
More news: Lane Kiffin Caught Joking With Ref at Kirby Smart’s Expense
Per Colton Bartholomew of the Wisconsin State Journal, Badgers athletic director Chris McIntosh met with players last week regarding the status of Fickell for 2026. Multiple players told WSJ that they believe Fickell will return next season after the meeting with McIntosh.
“The Badgers athletic director met with the team this week to discuss uncertainty surrounding coach Luke Fickell’s job security,” Bartholomew wrote. “Players came away from that meeting believing Fickell would be back next season, according to multiple players who spoke with reporters.”
Fickell is now 15-18 at Wisconsin. The Badgers are 2-5 overall this season and 0-4 in Big Ten play.
One Badgers player told WSJ that the team has confidence in the program, knowing that McIntosh has no plans to fire Fickell during or after the season.
“It just gave me more confidence for coach Fick,” the player said. “I was so excited to hear that because I don’t want him to go. Everybody blames him, but it’s not his fault. I believe it’s the team, it’s the players, it’s the whole Wisconsin Athletics as a whole. It’s not just coach Fick. He can’t go.
“That’s the guy that recruited me, that’s the guy that trusted in me to be able to play on the field. Hearing that was a blessing. It’s like OK, now we don’t have to worry about that. Not saying we did, but you hear the outside noise around social media. It just gave me a sense like OK, he’s going to be here.”
Wisconsin will travel to play No. 8 Oregon in Week 9. The Badgers have a bye in Week 10 before playing Washington, No. 3 Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota to end the regular season.
Fans were not happy with the performance of the Badgers against Ohio State. Despite McIntosh trying to calm emotions in the locker room, pressure will continue to ratchet up on the outside if Wisconsin keeps losing.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
