Two seasons into the Wisconsin Badgers’ time with Luke Fickell, many now wonder if the program should have stuck with Paul Chryst. Why? For starters, Chryst was 67-26 in his time at Wisconsin with a .720 winning percentage and made it to the bowl game every year, losing just one. In contrast, Fickell’s two seasons have seen the Badgers lose their bowl streak and finally finish with a losing record last year, the first time since 2001. Still, all may not be lost, as a prominent national analyst comes with interesting predictions for the Badgers.

Let’s leave the Badgers’ 2024 record for a second and look at Fickell’s coaching prowess objectively. Sure, he has found it tough adjusting to the Badgers and the Big 10, but when you look at how he turned around Cincinnati, you feel tempted to believe in him. For starters, Fickell led the Bearcats to their first-ever playoff appearance in 2021, finishing with a 13-1 record. This was a monumental feat for a G-5 program, and all of this makes Fickell the right man to take Wisconsin to a playoff appearance.

J.D. PicKell of On3, in his 26th June episode, batted for Wisconsin to be the most impactful team in 2025, touting them to have “a massive ripple effect.” According to PicKell, Wisconsin’s schedule is something that could make things difficult for other programs, and that is something that other programs won’t even take into account before facing them. But what stood out for PicKell was Fickell’s ability and coaching prowess.

“Who’s Wisconsin’s head coach? Luke Fickell. What’s his DNA? Scrappy, drag you into the deep water and try to make you say uncle in the fourth quarter. The guy’s a wrestler from his athletic background; his team, I think, will ultimately reflect that out there in Madison,” declared J.D. Pickell. And the guy is right!!

Fickell has brought in Billy Edwards from Maryland, who is coming after producing 2,881 yards in the air, and will give a significant upgrade from what Fickell had in Locke last season. Add to that Fickell’s key players, including their running back Cade Yacamelli, are returning, apart from the wide receiver Vinny Anthony II. You just got yourself a team that has immense potential and would look to make a leap in the 2025 season. But this ‘leap’ could cost other big-name programs their whole seasons!!

J.D. PicKell highlighted how teams like Bama and Ohio State won’t be accounting for a loss from Wisconsin, and if the team hands them a loss, then their seasons will go into full chaos mode. “Wisconsin has a lot of tough opponents, and I wonder just maybe after they play Ohio State, what if they’re used to that kind of deal and they’re tougher for an Oregon or an Indiana, or maybe they end up getting Bama early because they come out guns blazing and then Bama’s got some question marks at quarterback? Wisconsin, nobody’s accounting for them being a loss on their schedule, so if Wisconsin is a loss on their schedule, that would, I think, be a little bit chaotic,” declared PicKell.

The Badgers have one of the toughest schedules in college football this year and are ranked 1st in the Big 10 in terms of toughness, as per ESPN. Their opponents include Alabama on the road in Week 3, followed by Michigan on the road in Week 6, then Ohio State in Week 8, and Oregon on the road in Week 9. But this isn’t where their tough games end.

The Badgers would also face Indiana in week 11 and Illinois in week 12. All these games are extremely tough and could be touted to be their curse. But if they can leverage it and churn out some wins, they could create playoff doubts even for teams like Ohio State and Oregon. Still, from their season’s perspective? The schedule is one of the worst and may not be too optimistic for Luke Fickell.

Luke Fickell is in deep mud despite the optimistic verdict

Last year, the Badgers under Luke Fickell finished with a 5-7 record and ended their 22-year Bowl streak. What was more concerning was the way they were losing games, starting from that Penn State game. They became one of the worst college football teams in that period. Fickell’s scoring offense was ranked 97th nationally and was ranked 102nd in passing offense. Not just that, but Wisconsin broke their dominant defensive tradition and allowed 40+ points in three games. And now? With this tough a schedule? Forget about a playoff spot; making even with a winning season will be a challenge enough!!

David Pollack, the CFB Hall of Famer, echoed just how big a problem Luke Fickell got in 2025 with arguably the toughest schedule in the country. “Oh my God, this is easy. This—this is murderers’ road! This is the worst schedule in all of college football. I’m not going to tell you the team, and you can just listen to this schedule and go: ‘Oooh, I’m not winning very many games.” So, what should Luke Fickell do now?

Well, realistically? It would be tough to churn out 10 wins or even 8 wins for them. But this could be one of the most memorable seasons in their history, with some of the most unexpected upsets. Could it be Ohio State? Or Alabama? Or Oregon? We don’t know yet! But one thing is clear: Luke Fickell has enough in his offense and defense to churn out one or two major upsets, right?