Luck occurs when timing meets preparation. While timing is everything, nobody is ever going to stumble ass backwards into something worthwhile without putting in the necessary work to be ready for when that big moment happens. There is a real opportunity to be had for the Wisconsin Badgers, and no, it has nothing to do with their potential upset bid at the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers this weekend.
Heading into Week 12, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg wrote about finding the next Curt Cignetti in college football. Cignetti is the emerging superstar head coach leading Indiana to unprecedented heights as a football program. With Cignetti in his 60s, it was a long climb for him to be near the top of the mountain. What Rittenberg was trying to get at is there is greatness all around us in college football.
Of the 10 head coaches Rittenberg tabbed as potentially the next Cignetti, Wisconsin fans should know all about this one. That would be one of their own in New Mexico Lobos head coach Jason Eck. He played offensive line under Barry Alvarez in the late 1990s. Prior to taking over in Albuquerque, he had great runs leading Idaho, as well as the offensive coordinator for FCS power South Dakota State.
With Eck leading the Lobos to their first bowl game since 2016, why is he not coming to Madison yet?
Wisconsin needs to move on from Luke Fickell in favor of Jason Eck now
This does not need to be this hard... Yes, Luke Fickell could use a bit more resources and funding to turn this Wisconsin football team around, but look at what Eck has done in one year with far less at New Mexico?! This is historically one of the worst programs in the Mountain West, and he has the Lobos bowling right away in year one with weeks to spare. Eck is entering his prime at 48 years old...
To be quite frank, it is not if but who will hire Eck to be their next head coach. He may garner some Power Four interest, but he feels like a slam-dunk hire for a program that is quite unsure of itself like Wisconsin is. To put it bluntly, Eck is not going to say no if he was offered the Wisconsin job. He has a ton of love and admiration for his alma mater. In a way, he might be perfect to turn this thing around.
What is Wisconsin's bread and butter? Running the football behind its homegrown offensive line. When it has a team-first defense backing that up and a quarterback who can occasionally complete passes, this team can win 10 games annually. This recipe is not sexy, but it works for Wisconsin. What is important to understand is Eck could potentially land a better job than even Wisconsin this winter.
What if Virginia Tech hires him after failing to woo Shane Beamer back to Blacksburg or even James Franklin now that he is out of a job? Another candidate that Rittenberg mentioned in James Madison head coach Bob Chesney could work there as well. The thing that should bother Wisconsin fans the most about this is how stupid the ahtletic department and university thinks this fanbase really is...
This is a proud fanbase, one with a ton of passion and plenty to celebrate. For as long as Jennifer Mnookin remains the chancellor, she will turn a blind eye to athletic director Chris McIntosh pulling the wool over everyone's eyes with the unmitigated coaching disaster that is Fickell. You beat Washington at home in the rain, big deal... Eck could actually have this team bowling next season...
If Fickell gets fired midseason next year and Eck is thriving at a better job, Wisconsin missed the boat.