The schedule is set up perfectly for Luke Fickell in terms of the delayed judgment. Either for good or for ill. Badgers fans won't really get an opportunity to decide if Luke Fickell has turned things around or deserves to be fired until October. He has a fairly safe onramp, and yet there are still ways it could all turn quickly in one way or another.
The first game of the season is against Notre Dame. Fans aren't expecting a major upset to judge whether Fickell has things turned around or not. The Badgers can successfully lose that game, and it won't be time to judge 2026 Fickell. Then the next two games are against Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan. Both of those are obvious wins, and thus the fan base still won't really know what to make of 2026 Fickell.
The following game on September 26 is against Penn State, and once again, it's a game that, on paper, feels like a loss for Wisconsin, and most people are predicting it will go that way. And really, win or lose, it doesn't feel like the make-or-break game. There's just a soft on-ramp all of September.
The first real judgment game will come on October 3 against Michigan State. That's a game where Luke Fickell has to find a way to get a win. It's a game that would have been a 50/50 sort of game last season. The Badgers could have won it or lost it depending on what point in the season and even how the game went. It's now a game that is a must-win. It will be the game you can point to and say, "How is Fickell doing this season?"
October 3 may be the first time Badger fans can really judge Luke Fickell's make-or-break season
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Following it up with UCLA in Pasadena is another test. UCLA was a hot mess last year and yet had some big wins. Once again, a game that Wisconsin needs to walk away with a win and come home to host USC in a game that could swing the season.
Which means that if things go according to script this season. Fickell can't really be judged until October. Fire Fickell chants are going to have to wait. Now, of course, things could change dramatically in major ways before October. There could be judgment if there's a big change to the script.
Say, Wisconsin beats Notre Dame. That would clearly already put the world on notice that the Badgers are back. Or, on the negative side of things, lose to Eastern Michigan. Then bust out the brown paper sacks and the Fire Fickell signs early. Yet, the script is set up for a 2-2 start to the season, and it will be too early to know how Fickell has turned this team around.
Wisconsin fans are hoping for something miraculous to happen, and the Badgers have an incredible 4-0 or 3-1 start to the season. That will feel amazing; however, if it's 1-3, hell may break loose in Camp Randall, and Shawn Eichort will have to act. Yet, we all fully expect 2-2.
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