The Wisconsin Badgers football team may be on a bye this week, but it doesn't take away from the fact that people are still quite upset with Luke Fickell. Whenever you lose a rivalry game to Iowa that's going to be the case, especially when the score is 42-10.
Things aren't going to get easier for Fickell and Co. next time they're on the field. In Week 12, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks are ready to make their way to town for a battle in front of a packed crowd in Madison. There are also going to be countless viewers across the country too.
That's because it has been announced that Wisconsin vs. Oregon is getting the primetime treatment on Nov. 16, with NBC televising the game nationally at 6:30 p.m. CT, 7:30 p.m. ET. Wisconsin will hope to make this a close one, but Fickell and Co. also face extra pressure with so many people ready to watch this one:
🚨 6:30 PM CT kick vs Oregon on NBC 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8HsQgegJca
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 4, 2024
Oregon vs. Wisconsin will be a primetime showdown for Week 12
Fickell is 0-5 against ranked teams as head coach of the Badgers. Plenty of Wisconsin supporters are ready to assume he's going to fall to 0-6, as the Ducks have looked downright sensational this year. Dan Lanning has his team cooking, but the same can't be said for Fickell.
It felt like things reached rock bottom following the 32-point loss to Iowa. Losing The Heartland Trophy by more than 30 points was an embarrassing performance, as Kaleb Johnson and the Iowa ground game could not be stopped.
That was on Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel for not having his guys ready to rock. That simply can't be the case against Oregon, as Lanning's players will make Wisconsin pay in a big way if they come out of the locker room looking sluggish. It's on Fickell to prevent that from happening and with this being a primetime game, he simply can't allow things to go down that way.