Fox Sports: Luke Fickell among top college football coaches with most to prove in 2025
Fickell, who joined the Badgers program at the tail end of the 2022 campaign, landed at No. 6 in the hierarchy. Penn State's James Franklin captured the top spot, followed by USC's Lincoln Riley (No. 2), Oklahoma's Brent Venables (No. 3), Miami's Mario Cristobal (No. 4) and Nebraska's Matt Rhule (No. 5). Florida State's Mike Norvell (No. 7), LSU's Brian Kelly (No. 8), Colorado's Deion Sanders (No. 9) and Alabama's Kalen Deboer (No. 10) rounded out the list.
The former Cincinnati head coach's position on the 10-coach grouping doesn't come as much of a surprise. Fickell arrived in Madison after captaining the Bearcats to a combined 57-18 mark in six seasons at the helm, which included a 13-1 output and College Football Playoff appearance in 2021.
Naturally, the expectations for Fickell were sky-high when he began pacing the sidelines for his first full season with the Badgers in 2023. Wisconsin entered that season at No. 19 in the AP Poll. Disappointing losses to Washington State, Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern then turned a season of hope into one of disappointment for Badger fans. UW finished with a 7-6 record and a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl in January.
Fickell's program followed 2023 with a 5-7 finish in 2024, a season which saw the Badgers miss a bowl game for the first time since 2001. Wisconsin did start the year at 5-2, although the team concluded the campaign with five consecutive defeats to Penn State, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota.
While the 2024 schedule was far from a walk in the park, the team's 2025 slate may be even tougher. The Badgers are set to lace up against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Michigan in Ann Arbor, Oregon in Eugene, Indiana in Bloomington and Minnesota in Minneapolis. UW will also welcome Iowa, Ohio State and Illinois to Camp Randall.
Following the departures of Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin will trot out transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. against Miami (OH) in Week 1. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who abides by the ground-and-pound offensive philosophy, will be calling plays in his first season in Madison. If the Badgers fail to win more than four or five games this season, Fickell will likely face even more scrutiny than he has previously, even with his 12-13 record in two full years at the helm.
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