The Big Ten is one of the best conferences for football, mostly due to the historic rivalries and passionate fans. But with that comes a lot of jealousy, anger and hate towards other programs and coaches. So which Big Ten coaches do Badger fans love to hate the most?
1. PJ Fleck
Fleck is far and away the most hated coach by Wisconsin fans, but to be fair, any coach at Minnesota probably wouldn't be receiving any Christmas cards from the Badger faithful. He's a very polarizing coach, and also had some decent success against Wisconsin, winning three of the last four matchups. The rivalry, and the battle for the Axe, is one of the most storied in football, add in a coach who likes to make waves and you get a whole lot of heated fans.
Wisconsin will take on Minnesota November 29th this season.
2. Bret Bielema
Despite bringing a lot of success to the Wisconsin football program, Bielema left unceremoniously, and it still annoys plenty of Badger fans. Even though he made back-to-back Rose Bowls, and what would have been a third, the coach jumped ship for a 4-8 Arkansas team, leaving Barry Alvarez to coach the final game. A lot of fans think Bielema bailed on the team, with the coach himself even adding a bit of fuel to that fire by saying, ''I just felt it was time for me to try and spread my wings and fly a little bit further.”
Now at Illinois, it's even easier to hate on Bielema and the rival school. The Badgers will face the Fighting Illini on November 25th this season.
3. Luke Fickell
Ironically one of the most hated coaches among Badger fans is their own. Fickell has yet to prove he's moving the program forward, and this year will be his most crucial yet. Some fans have already given up on him, but be assured, another poor season and fans might get their wish for a new head man. He did some good things this offseason, like changing the offensive scheme and hiring new coordinator Jeff Grimes, but until the on-field product improves, Fickell is going to be disliked by a large contingent of fans.