Meet New Wisconsin FB Coach Luke Fickell

It’s clear McIntosh is his own man. He basically told Warren to kiss my ass during Gard / Howard fiasco, fired PC mid season. Now goes outside the UW family. But at the end of day it’s a results business. The entire dynamic of college football has changed and will more. This program is just a few removed from an Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl. The flip side is the program has regressed over the last 2 years. It’s still Wisconsin, academic challenges, resources challenges, facilities challenges (which to be fair Mac is attempting to fix) but the future of this program goes well beyond this one hire
 
WingT22 said:
I’m stunned tbh. I can tell you that the “Wisconsin way” is a real thing that has pervaded the culture here since Barry arrived. Once the job was posted after the win over Nebraska last week, it seemed to me that Leonard’s hire was a mere formality given how ingrained into this culture both he and McIntosh are. For McIntosh to spurn the heir-apparent and go outside the family to hire perhaps the hottest up-and-coming name in the sport is so utterly ballsy and a pure master stroke IMO. There is absolutely no excuse for the way this team has played since 2020, and Leonhard, while far from the main cause, is nevertheless a part of that.
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I remember the early days of Barry at Wisconsin, when they were recruiting my son. It was the way to go at that time, for the Badgers to reach a higher level of respectability. Like everything else, things change, and even the culture has to change. They ended up stuck in a mode, and couldn't get away from it, because it was working, to a fairly decent degree.

Sadly, they didn't keep up with the changes needed, and the whole program suffered.

But, I will say, that when Barry and his assistants were recruiting my son, they were damned good at it. His choice was somewhere else, simply because his studies were his main priority. He knew his future was never going to be in going to the NFL.
 
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TW said:
Is your definite statement the same as the one you made about the fact that the Big 10 was not going to expand to the West coast? I don't know what they conference will decide is best for them. We'll know when they tell us. Until then, there are two divisions. I can understand them going to a single standings, but our stating that will happen is kind of telling the lower 2/3 of the teams in the conference that they will never be good enough to contend for any kind of championship within the conference until hell freezes over. I'd imagine their vote for a singular division won't be easy to get.
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Actually it’s based on statements from Warren about what’s best for the conference not one or 2 schools. B1G AD’s have bitched for years about division imbalance with PSU being the loudest voice. Same with OSU. And with a 12 team playoff it’s about getting multiple bids not just a conference championship.
 
Not sure what Big Ten will do but once USC and UCLA comes in things will be adjusted.
 
This was the right choice, tbh. Leonard and his no HC experience was way too risky. Get a good proven HC…not role the dice on someone just because they are a Wisconsin guy and been around awhile.
 
FlaPack said:
Actually it’s based on statements from Warren about what’s best for the conference not one or 2 schools. B1G AD’s have bitched for years about division imbalance with PSU being the loudest voice. Same with OSU. And with a 12 team playoff it’s about getting multiple bids not just a conference championship.
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When you say ADs bitching, that would be some of them, who are in the East. It's not because they want to be thrown further into the meat grinder, but because they want to see things easier for them to look good over the course of a season, and having to face Michigan, MSU, and PSU almost every year, it ain't happening.

Out in the West? They more than likely don't want anything change. Why would they say they want to get smacked in the face by the juggernauts in the East even more than they are now?

You mentioned "pods." That's telling me that some of them are more interested in breaking into as many as 4 divisions, which would allow them to have core schedules within it, and give random play against others. It would give more teams crowing rights.

But, you don't know what's going to happen any more than I do. Until I see differently, I don't believe Big 10 teams will opt to be thrown into a singular format where Michigan and OSU get to play another game every year for the Championship, with PSU muscling in once in a while, because those schools "like the idea."
 
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TW said:
When you say ADs bitching, that would be some of them, who are in the East. It's not because they want to be thrown further into the meat grinder, but because they want to see things easier for them to look good over the course of a season, and having to face Michigan, MSU, and PSU almost every year, it ain't happening.

Out in the West? They more than likely don't want anything change. Why would they say they want to get smacked in the face by the juggernauts in the East even more than they are now?

You mentioned "pods." That's telling me that some of them are more interested in breaking into as many as 4 divisions, which would allow them to have core schedules within it, and give random play against others. It would give more teams crowing rights.

But, you don't know what's going to happen any more than I do. Until I see differently, I don't believe Big 10 teams will opt to be thrown into a singular format where Michigan and OSU get to play another game every year for the Championship, with PSU muscling in once in a while, because those schools "like the idea."
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Pod schedules are a fancy way to say they want to protect rivalries. And let’s be honest it comes down to money and yes FOX has major pull in this especially with USC / UCLA. They want the “big 5” on for tube more than Rutgers or Iowa or Purdue. And if you want 2 CFP bids divisions won’t help you. The ACC figured that out. SEC is eliminating divisions in 2025
 
Coach Fickell speaking on job openings just a couple weeks ago.

 
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