Urban Meyer was worried about Wisconsin hiring Luke Fickell from the get-go, he said in a recent podcast episode of The Triple Option. He talked at length about the problem before Wisconsin and Luke Fickell, with a very definite prediction about how it all shakes out. “I’m worried about this one...Wisconsin doesn’t have that money. There’s no chance they’re writing a check for $25 million. It’s not happening this year...”
Meyer was clear that the changing of the Big Ten has changed the Wisconsin job and made it a harder place to win. You need to be among the top two teams in the conference, not just win the West anymore. This makes it more difficult for the marriage of Luke Fickell and Wisconsin was worrisome from the beginning, in his opinion. "Wisconsin was a very good job, IS a very good job, but it’s not the same job. As a result, I think they’re in trouble."
Urban Meyer is worried about Luke Fickell's job and the Wisconsin program
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While he clearly was defending Fickell, he notes that it's not the same old Wisconsin. He reflects on dominant players like Jonathan Taylor and Melvin Gordon. Recognizing that Wisconsin almost always has that sort of player, but it hasn't been the same under Fickell. The Badgers, as Meyer remembers and even has covered them as a Fox Sports Analyst, always had the "best offensive line in football."
They now don't seem to have the running game at all. This season has been a complete disappointment, not just in results, but also the fact that Wisconsin has lost its identity.
The biggest worry for Wisconsin in Meyer's mind is that time is being wasted, and yet the buyout is too high. It seems as if Meyer realizes what many Wisconsin fans pointed out last season: that the marriage of Wisconsin and Luke Fickell is fraught with problems, and yet there's nothing either can do about it.