After getting slammed by their rival Iowa last week, Wisconsin left with a bitter taste in their mouth. The Badgers realized they have to play with a chip on their shoulder and can't take any game for granted or take any reps off. There's no reason to be delusional or caught up in their own headlines. They took that to heart this week against Rutgers, winning 31-10.
In the process, Wisconsin became bowl-eligible for the first time in two years. This can't be dismissed, but it also shouldn't make Wisconsin satisfied. The goal wasn't bowl eligibility, and getting to six wins isn't the mountaintop. Which is exactly why Luke Fickell isn't satisfied, and he says neither is Wisconsin.
The first question Fickell was asked before even getting to the locker room was about being bowl-eligible, and after he gave credit to his players, he said, "We've got to continue to grow. We have a long way to go, and we knew it was going to be a journey."
There's no reason Luke Fickell should be satisfied with six wins, and he's not
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He starts immediately with the idea that there's no way beating Rutgers to get to six wins with three games to go is the end of the road. Fickell isn't satisfied, and he continued this point in the post-game press conference. "[Being bowl eligible] was never the objective and the goal," Fickell said. "It's a step...you got to get to that first win first, then you've got to get to that sixth win second, and then you have to continue to push and climb."
After he continued talking for a while about the mindset of his team, he concluded with, "Yes, it's a big deal, but it was never the be-all, end-all...it puts us in a position to get to where we want to be."
In other words, Fickell says, "Job is not finished." The journey is still in front of him, and hopefully he fully realizes this because some fans are still expecting him to win out, or they won't be happy. This has more truth to it than many may realize. Wisconsin finishes the season with Maryland, Purdue, and Minnesota.
Wisconsin needs to beat Maryland and Purdue, as they are in the bottom part of the Big Ten, and Wisconsin has no business being associated with the bottom anymore. Then, finishing with a rival, Wisconsin can't go 0-2 against rivals and drop another axe game to Minnesota under Fickell.
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So, there's a lot of truth to a 9-3 finish for Fickell and how important it is. Yes, becoming bowl-eligible is a big step from a four-win program a year ago, but it's not good enough. Finish the job, go get to nine wins, get in a great bowl, and build for next season.
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