Former Badger calls the current Wisconsin football expectations, "dark times"

The Wisconsin football program is not in an ideal spot after missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 years. This was demoralizing for a fan base that is used to consistent success, and this year, the Wisconsin faithful are preparing for another down year. Right now, FanDuel has the odds of the win total for UW at 5.5, which is one of the lowest in the Big Ten. If they hit the under, they are assuredly missing another bowl game.

It's not just the fans who are frustrated with the football program's current state; it's former players, too. Vince Biegel, a former star linebacker for Wisconsin who went on to play in the NFL, took to X to complain about the current expectations of Wisconsin football.

Vince Biegel complains on social media about the expectations under Luke Fickell

Vince Biegel is frustrated with the new standard that 5.5 is "good enough." He calls it dark times that the heavy favorite in sports betting on Wisconsin's win total is "under" on the 5.5. He concludes with "no words..."

There's a lot of unrest with the current state of the football program, and Biegel isn't the first to call it out. We've seen other former players say things about how frustrating it is right now, and even Barry Alvarez has called Luke Fickell out. It's hard to really win over a fan and alumni base when you aren't winning.

The problem for Fickell is that next season, he has one of the hardest schedules in the Big Ten. To turn things around, he's going to have to go through a gauntlet and steal some wins. The slate for next season is brutal, with Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and Illinois. All of those are projected losses, but Fickell needs to find a way to steal a couple of those to really change the expectations and culture.