College football is right around the corner, and ESPN has released an article titled "100 days until Week 0: Top storylines, games and predictions for the 2026 season." Buried in that article are the five coaches in the hottest of seats. Luke Fickell takes the No. 3 spot with Mike Norvell and Dave Aranda as the No. 1 and 2 hottest seats.
This isn't surprising. Fickell has been on the hot seat, and the only person who was keeping it from burning him up is now gone. Wisconsin's former athletic director, Chris McIntosh, was protecting Fickell from being torched, but he's off to the Big Ten offices. ESPN says, now Fickell can only do one thing if he wants to protect his job: Win.
ESPN is clear that "Fickell must deliver wins [for Wisconsin] in 2026"
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There are a couple of things working in Fickell's favor that should help him secure this directive. First, the schedule is far more attainable than it was in either of the last two seasons. Wisconsin played basically all the best Big Ten teams in 2024 and 2025; this season, there are only a couple of juggernauts on the calendar.
The roster is actually better for Luke Fickell this season, too, at least on paper. The defense was great last season despite only winning four games, and it has the potential to take another leap forward. The offense finally has a deep quarterback room, the running back room may be even deeper, and the offensive line isn't a piecemeal construction.
The biggest thing that Fickell is hoping for is that the quarterback stays healthy. He hasn't had a season with a healthy starting quarterback all year. However, if something happens to Colton Joseph, the emergence of both Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins is helping Fickell sleep at night.
So, Fickell's seat is really hot, and it won't get any cooler right away with Notre Dame on deck first (unless some crazy miracle win happens). But the rest of the way, Fickell should be able to crank out some wins and find some Badger momentum. That's the hope, at least. If not, it's time to find a new leader for the football program.
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