Is Luke Fickell back on the hot seat after Iowa loss?

The Wisconsin Badgers are taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, looking to bounce back after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes 30-0 last week.

It felt like a major blow for the Badgers, who were coming off a 24-7 win over then-No. 16 USC and had been ranked for the first time since 2023. Wisconsin had secured its second win over a top-15 team, with the USC win being the biggest in Luke Fickell’s career at Wisconsin.

But nothing was going to matter if the Badgers didn’t perform against Iowa, and their 30-0 loss took away all the goodwill from the win over USC. Now, Wisconsin still has a good chance to get to eight wins and finish the season strong. They face Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and Minnesota to end the year, and should at least be favored in their next three.

Even if they lose to Minnesota, they’d get to the eight-win benchmark that felt acceptable coming into the year with this schedule. But even with that, is Luke Fickell back on the hot seat after the Iowa loss?

The questions that have clouded Fickell’s entire tenure at Wisconsin remain the same. The Badgers have struggled to match toughness and be prepared for key matchups like the Iowa one, failing to win the line of scrimmage.

If Wisconsin gets to eight wins this season, Fickell should be safe going into 2026. The Badgers got signature wins against Penn State and USC, and that does count for something. But ugly losses like the one to Iowa further highlight that there is still a barrier for the Badgers. With the 24-team playoff coming, making the field yearly has to be the expectation for Wisconsin, and it doesn’t feel like they’re there yet.

Fickell and his staff hit well in the transfer portal this offseason for the first time in his tenure, but they still failed to hit on their quarterback eval. Wisconsin has a strong chance to be in playoff contention with just average quarterback play this year.

Fickell also continues to be a poor in-game decision-maker. That’s not his strength. It’s always been as a recruiter, and Wisconsin’s 2027 high school class remains one of the top ones in the country. But in today’s world, with such an emphasis on the transfer portal, continuing to throw money at the wrong coach has not been the right strategy.

One thing is evident, though: Fickell’s players continue to play hard for him, and that does count for something. I do think he’ll have another chance in 2027 with the expectation of making the college football playoff. But the hot seat is back on after a poor loss to Iowa.