Wisconsin Badgers' 37-0 loss to Iowa ended Luke Fickell's last chance to save his job

Whatever chance Luke Fickell had to save his job as Wisconsin Badgers head coach seemed to vanish with the embarrassing 37-0 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday night.

The athletic department may not make a coaching change right away, or even before the season ends, but this loss takes the Fickell era to the point of no return.

Not only was the loss itself a pathetic performance on the field, but it represented a pivotal moment in the season and the history of the Iowa rivalry.

The box score is full of embarrassing stat lines across the board. The team couldn't string together any sort of consistent success on either side of the ball.

Related: Who would be Wisconsin Badgers interim head coach if Luke Fickell is fired in-season?

Wisconsin has been outscored 112-17 in the first half of its last six games against Power 4 opponents, including being held scoreless four times.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 12, 2025

Never-ending losing streak

Now, Wisconsin has lost four games in a row, and they look like a team that won't be able to win another game this season.

At the very least, they won't be able to win another game this month. Their next two contests are against No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon. Those would be automatically losses even for a competent Badgers team.

Those losses would bring the streak up to six-straight losses this season. Fickell shouldn't be able to come back from that, even if he finds a way to beat Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Axe in the last game of the year.

I don’t know how Wisconsin shows up next weekend with the exact same coaching staff.

Not saying it will fix anything, but gotta think about the message running it back sends. #Badgers
— Cam Wilhorn (@CamWilhorn) October 12, 2025

This loss to the Hawkeyes also continues a losing streak in the Heartland Trophy game and puts Wisconsin on the cusp of falling behind on the all-time series record.

A win against Iowa would have interrupted the losing streak and showed the fan base that this team still has fight in them.

The Badgers showed no fight against the Hawkeyes, and that should be the nail in the coffin for Fickell's tenure as head coach. It feels like only a matter of time now.

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