Although the Alabama Crimson Tide enter play as a 19.5-point home favorite over the visiting Wisconsin Badgers, Luke Fickell brought his guys to play on Saturday. Few people outside of Madison believe Wisconsin even has a snowball's chance in this one. However, the Badgers have proven to be a strong second-half team, albeit one that starts incredibly slow out of the gate through two games.
The road environment at Bryant-Denny could be overwhelming for most visitors. Against all odds, Fickell seems somewhat confident in his team and his players to potentially pull off the monumental upset. If the Badgers were to somehow win, that would give Fickell undeniable job security heading into next season. A second loss before SEC play even began would be so crushing for Kalen DeBoer.
It may not happen, but Fickell may have shared what Wisconsin needs to do to pull off this big upset.
What Luke Fickell said right before kickoff of the Alabama road game
Fickell caught up with Mark Tauscher of Badger Radio Network to share his final pregame thoughts.
"I think we've got to have consistency as we start. There's a poise and confidence that we've been kind of preaching and talking about all week. I think we need to come out and see that from the very get-go."
It seems to be a combination of confidence and consistency to potentially win in this environment.
"I think to start with it's just on the road, it's this environment, it's understanding what this is going to be like, across the board. There's no lack of talent, that's for sure. No matter what anybody thinks on what we're going to see today. Our ability to play together and play complementary is where it's got to be."
Here is the entire clip of what Fickell had to say to Tauscher during the lead-up to the Alabama game.
Consistency, poise, confidence.@CoachFick and @MarkTauscher65 connected on the field ahead of today’s matchup at Alabama.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) September 13, 2025
Presented by Zimbrick Fish Hatchery Road pic.twitter.com/P0XYOgSXvW
Do the Badgers have enough good vibes working for them to potentially ruin Alabama's season here?
Wisconsin cannot start out slow to have any real shot against Alabama
To put it bluntly, a third straight slow start to the season would be devastating to Wisconsin's chances at an upset bid. They cannot be grossly behind the eight ball heading into halftime. Conversely, if they make it ugly and prevent Alabama from getting into the end zone at will during the first half, then everything will be on the table in the second. All the pressure is on DeBoer heading into Week 3, too.
Overall, ESPN is only giving Wisconsin an 11-percent chance to win the game coming in. It has something to do with the Badgers not having figured it out just yet on offense, but mostly to do with the state of these two programs. Alabama may not have made the College Football Playoff last year, but the Crimson Tide have still been a perennial contender for the better part of two decades now.
Ultimately, there is never a wrong time for a head coach under a ton of pressure to get his first signature victory on the job. Alabama may be somewhat in decline, but winning on the road in Tuscaloosa is never easy. A win here would do wonders for not only Fickell's job security, but his reputation as a coach. His team may be the big underdogs here, but he believes they have a chance.
For now, let's see if Fickell's Badgers can give DeBoer's Crimson Tide everything they got in Week 3.