Luke Fickell knows that if Badgers don't improve then 'None of us are gonna be here'

Luke Fickell acknowledged that jobs are on the line based on how the Wisconsin Badgers perform for the rest of the season.

Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell and his team take a timeout in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. | Ross Harried-Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers know that their extended losing streak is far below expectations for the football program.

And Luke Fickell is self-aware enough to know his seat his hot. The chants at Camp Randall Stadium calling for his job make it hard to ignore.

He extended an olive branch to frustrated fans during his post-game press conference following the 37-0 loss to Iowa on Saturday, acknowledging that the team's collective back is up against the wall.

"If we don't compete, none of us are going to be here," Fickell said. "I told those guys in that locker room that you're not going to get anything different from me. You're going to get more from me. If that's not what you want, then this is not going to be a place that you're going to be able to handle."

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

Whatever he and his staff have been trying hasn't worked, and they're running out of time to fix things on the fly.

He knows that his only choice is to lean in and double down on pushing this team forward.

"There’s nothing else I can do," Fickell said. "I can make sure that every single day that my ass is going to fight and those guys are going to see a fight. They're either going to follow, or it's going to get really thin, really quick."

Luke Fickell: "That's as low as it can be."

"I apologize." #Badgers.

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) October 12, 2025

Related: Luke Fickell won't make coaching staff changes amid Wisconsin Badgers losing streak

The head coach is looking for his players to step up and meet the challenge of the moment instead of backing down and giving in to the despair.

He described the recent string off losses as "ass whoopings" that demand a stronger response from the team.

"We’ve got to figure out that we're tired of it and find a way to fight back, because that's what I'm going to do," Fickell said. "Whether it's not good enough, whether it's not enough, that's for somebody else to make a decision on."

The pressure has never been higher on the Badgers with No. 1 ranked Ohio State coming to town next Saturday. No one thinks they have a chance to win, but they need to at least put up a fight or risk a historic blowout from a heated Big Ten rival.

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