Wisconsin did the unthinkable: it won a Big Ten game. Wait, they did another unthinkable thing that hasn't happened in the Luke Fickell era: beat a ranked team. Chris McIntosh needed this like the crops needed the rain, more than even Fickell. However, fans found hope before the game even started when they saw what Fickell was wearing on the sideline.
Luke Fickell has been wearing a T.E.A.M. vest basically every game since he's been the coach (he brought it with him from Cincinnati), and it infuriates fans as it represents losing more than winning. The letters mean "Together Everyone Acheives More," and since it's never been part of a winning program, fans have hated it.
When Fickell marched out with just a plain Wisconsin hoodie on, fans took notice and began to think a win was actually in the works. And sure enough, the Badgers actually did it. All the posts below are before the game.
If the Badgers win today, we can all agree Fickell's T.E.A.M. vest was the problem the whole time, right?
— Christian Borman (@christianborman) November 8, 2025
Little victories. I appreciate that Fickell ditched the dumb vest for this game. Thats growth on all sides.
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) November 8, 2025
No vest. No T.E.A.M. It’s a new era in Madison. pic.twitter.com/55suSOycYc
— Evil Luke Fickell (@EvilCoachFick) November 8, 2025
Luke Fickell without his T.E.A.M vest
— ghost of college football (@ghostofcfb) November 8, 2025
No matter what happens in this game, this is a win for the program#OnWisconsin #Badgers pic.twitter.com/ggWsmLWbK2
Luke Fickell is never allowed to wear the T.E.A.M. vest ever again
It was a game that actually felt like Wisconsin football, where the leading passer was the punter. He had one trick play for 24 yards, and that was enough to be better than anything else that the quarterbacks tried. The game was won on defense, special teams, and a decent running attack, oh, and it was in the snow —about as Wisconsin football as it gets.
The Badgers had 157 yards on the ground and only 48 total yards passing between a punter and two quarterbacks. It was an amazing win, and Fickell finally has his first victory against a ranked team and his first victory this season against a Big Ten opponent.
The vest may have been the problem all along. Or at least it signals the end of an era and the start of a new one, which is exactly what this team, this program, and these players need.