There may be a week between this game happening, but it is almost impossible not to look ahead to what is coming down the track in Week 3. The Wisconsin Badgers will travel to college football's Death Star to take on the declining Evil Empire that is the Alabama Crimson Tide in two weeks. Wisconsin hosts Middle Tennessee this weekend, while Alabama draws ULM for its home opener.
While nobody expects for the Badgers to fall to the Blue Raiders on Saturday, the Warhawks did get the best of the Crimson Tide in the early stages of Nick Saban's illustrious coaching career at Tuscaloosa. Although it would be a complete and total shocker if Kalen DeBoer's team started out the season 0-2 with losses to Florida State and ULM, Luke Fickell's squad has a real shot at beating them.
In a way, this marquee game between Wisconsin and Alabama is giving off the vibes of a loser leaves town match. Whatever head coach suffers a defeat at Bryant-Denny in two weeks may not be long for his job. Starting the season out 1-2, or worse, could be a fireable offense for DeBoer. Alabama fans are mad! As for Fickell, falling to Alabama is normally not the worst thing, but this team is so gettable...
We will have two big brands going at it, but coaching will be front and center in this Week 3 ball game.
Luke Fickell vs. Kalen DeBoer for the right to keep on leading their teams
Look. Fickell has already dispelled any notion that Wisconsin is overlooking Middle Tennessee to Alabama. For as much as he may believe he is telling the truth, Badgers fans have had this game circled on their calendar for years. It is a great opportunity for Wisconsin to overcome a brutal home loss to the Crimson Tide this time a season ago. It is so amazing what a difference a year can make...
At this stage of the season, it is all about narrative building for these high-profile coaches, or really any for that matter. The last thing Fickell or DeBoer are going to want to do is lose the plot any more than they already have. While no head coach in the Power Four faces more pressure to get a win in Week 2 than Virginia Tech's Brent Pry does vs. Vanderbilt, a Week 3 loss will be bad news for Fickell.
This is because DeBoer's stock has never been lower. He is the ever-living proof of why a head coach never wants to replace a legend, but rather replace the head coach who replaces the legend. DeBoer was a strong head coach prior to coming to Alabama, but his lack of Power Four experience has honestly gotten the best of him. To be frank, Fickell offers virtually no quality Power Four experience...
To best tie a bow on this for the sake of saving this take for later, people are going to be furious one way or another in either Madison or Tuscaloosa in the middle part of September. Somebody is going down. A loss for Alabama to Wisconsin may spell the true beginning of the end for DeBoer. He may not be able to overcome that. As for Fickell, a loss to a struggling DeBoer might be hard to stomach.
No matter how it is sliced, the Wisconsin-Alabama game will tell more about the loser than the winner.