The leadership at Wisconsin, from Luke Fickell to Chris McIntosh, seems to have thrown this year away. The offseason and in-season messaging have all been about how big a "mountain" the schedule was this year. Between that and the injuries, especially at quarterback, has been the go-to excuse for why Wisconsin football has been non-competitive this season.
It seems as if Luke Fickell and Wisconsin leadership are banking on 2026 being much easier. There's no arguing that it isn't easier on paper, but it won't be a walk in the park either, especially if the football team is as non-competitive next season as they are this season.
How many wins is enough to show a turnaround for Luke Fickell next season?
Related: Chris McIntosh’s incompetence on full display with new quote about success metric
A quick look at next year's opponents:
Non-conference games: Notre Dame (neutral), Western Illinois (home), Pittsburgh (Ireland)
Big Ten home games: Michigan State, Rutgers, Minnesota, USC
Big Ten road games: Iowa, Maryland, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
There's no way of knowing what the roster will look like next year. You have to imagine a lot of transfers will go out and in. Chris McIntosh has said they will invest heavily in the roster next year, which mostly means the portal. So it's hard to predict these games, but how many does Fickell need to win to prove he's the right guy?
Should be wins: Western Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue
Maybes: Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Minnesota, Maryland, UCLA
Probably losses: Notre Dame, USC, Iowa, Penn State
If Fickell wins all the games he should, that's three, add in maybe half the maybes, that's 2.5, and Wisconsin is sitting at 5.5 wins. Is that enough? Doesn't feel like it.
What if Wisconsin wins all three "shoulds" and then four of the "maybes," putting the team at 7? Is that enough? That actually sadly feels like a stretch. Maybe the roster will be so much better, there will be a stronger feeling come pre-season next year, but for now, it's hard to see a Maryland or even Rutgers win. Shoot, Michigan State could beat this year's team.
So, there's a lot banking on next year, but it's no gimme.