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Luke Fickell draws comparison to USC head coach Lincoln Riley, for the wrong reasons

Both Fickell and Riley were highly touted additions when they came to Wisconsin and USC, and both are under a ton of pressure to win in 2025.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the second quarter of their game against Northwestern Saturday October 19, 2024 at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the second quarter of their game against Northwestern Saturday October 19, 2024 at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers have yet to face USC in football since the Trojans joined the Big Ten, but that hasn't stopped the head coaches of both programs from being compared to each other.

Both were highly touted additions when they came to their current schools, and now both are under a lot of pressure in 2025.

CBS Sports college football analyst Tom Fornelli compared the two coaches and the last few years of their careers in a recent article laying out Big Ten overreactions after spring practices.

The timelines don't sync, but there's so many similarities between Lincoln Riley's tenure at USC and Fickell's at Wisconsin. Both were brought in to "fix" things. Neither has "fixed" anything at the rate the fans would like, and in some ways, things have gotten worse. It feels like a big year for Fickell in Madison.
Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

Fornelli went on to note that Wisconsin's new offensive coordinator and new transfer quarterback could be key improvements for UW, but he's concerned that the team's tough schedule will make those changes harder to notice in the win column this season.

That could put Fickell's job security in question, and Riley is facing some similar heat at USC after going 4-5 in the Big Ten last year.

Both coaches had much more success on their previous team than what they've had the last few years, and that gives both current fanbases hope that they can turn it around in Los Angeles and Madison.

Wisconsin and USC are set to face each other on the schedule as conference rivals for the first time in 2026.

We'll see if both head coaches are still around for the matchup.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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