2025 Badger Football Thread

My thoughts on Bucky's loss:

The sun came up today. It wasn't up in OR yesterday and that probably helped Bucky.

The Good:
  • Bucky played hard. Real hard. I cannot deny their effort.
  • The defense. It was amazing. Unfortunately, with no help it did get run down. But they played with OR. It's a good thing.
  • We finally scored.
The Bad:
  • Offense production.
  • At least for awhile it seemed like we could run the ball between the tackles.
The Ugly:
  • For awhile it seemed, like we could run between the tackles. Then
  • Not being situationally aware
    • An opening kickoff onside kick - great play by OR. Bad awareness by Bucky. BAD.
    • A fake punt - don't care that it was called back. That was horrible.
  • Our coaches. God I try to defend them and find hope.
    • But how do you not challenge
      • The first bad spot call.
      • The long desperation pass that I believe was a touchdown. Seriously, wasn't every Badger fan expecting them to fumble it away?
(Tempered, because during a lot of the game, I was handing out chocolate to little monsters, demons, princesses, witches, ghouls, and assorted other things.)

I want to believe. We're still bowl eligible. But, I think Bucky should be playing its freshman Quarterbacks now that they won't blow their red shirts. They can't be worse than our 3d string quarterback or O'Neal. If they do anything right or show flashes it will give the Bucky fans hope. And, we need hope.
 
GBP4EVER said:
Doubt it. Another rumor of a coach who did not like dealing with the NIL and at 62 years old with $52 million coming to him just might retire.
Click to expand...
I know.

I just read several articles.

I think we're going to be praising Coach Fick in a couple weeks.
 
This week's the sun is shining on Bucky report:

Bucky will not become bowl ineligible this week.

Next week the Freshman QB shocks the world.
 
About Coach Fickell's Buyout.

His Buyout is huge and way out of proportion to current events.

But, when the original contract was negotiated, a real fear existed that Day could leave Ohio State - because he wasn't beating MI and/or for greener pastures - leaving Coach Fickell's Alma Mater Job open, and he was able to negotiate a big buyout to at least make it hard for Ohio Stat to poach him from us.

Regarding his extension and buyout increase. Who knows? I wasn't for it. I don't understand it. I don't know why it was done when it was done and for the amount that was done. Results haven't shown it to be wise. But, I wasn't part of the meetng room - maybe Coach Fick was already grumbling about WI issues: lack of monetary resources for recruiting and NIL, academic requirements, difficulties with WI HS Football, etc... and hinting he wanted out or moving on. The big extension and buyout could be what it took to keep him.

Currently, the extension appears unwise. And, at the time, results hadn't earned it. But, at the time, looking forward he had some players coming in who we thought would be difference makers at Quarterback. How were we to know they were fragile and would hardly play?

It seems like a frustrating deal kind of like the big Bahktari deal that was a bust because he got injured.

Now, I'm not defending Coach Fickell's record or what he's done. But, I don't know all the facts about Coach Fickell's extension. On the surface it appeared and appears premature and unwise, but it's highly likely that there were things going on that created negotiation leverage that at the time made the extension and it's buyout practical.

All I do know is Bucky is not winning. I'm frustrated at some coaching decisions. But, there's a lot more going on.
 
The last time before 2025 that Wisconsin went a calendar year or more without a Big Ten Football win was October 1989-October 1991

How UW is going they may equal or break that mark.
 
Sad thing is when you have a billionaire donor coming out and backing the AD pretty much means that nothing will change.
 
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