New hires push Luke Fickell down in Big Ten head coach rankings for 2026

The Wisconsin Badgers head coach will be under a lot of pressure to rebuild his reputation in 2026 after he rebuilds his roster in the winter transfer portal.

Oct 25, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, left, and Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, right, talk while watching players warm up before a game at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Luke Fickell is going to be under even more pressure in 2026 than he was in 2025.

Other schools in the Big Ten opted to make a head coaching change while the Wisconsin Badgers stood pat, and the fan base will be comparing to see whether athletic director Chris McIntosh was correct to stick by his guy.

With new faces bringing new hope to some of the Badgers' rivals, Fickell is dropping down in Big Ten head coach rankings.

CBS Sports college football writer Chip Patterson has Fickell ranked at No. 12 in the conference, just behind Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State.

12. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin

This is an uncomfortable ranking because Fickell seems to be a sharp head coach who showed the ability to develop a program and win consistently at a high level at Cincinnati. The Bearcats went 57-18 under Fickell with two top-10 finishes and three double-digit win seasons across six years. When he was hired away by Wisconsin, the fit seemed perfect for a former Ohio State nose guard and longtime Buckeyes assistant. Yet Fickell's return to the Big Ten has not gone as expected. He carries a losing record (17-21) into Year 4 with win totals that have decreased each season.

Chip Patterson, CBS Sports

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He's ranked one spot ahead of P.J. Fleck at Minnesota and two ahead of Rutgers' Greg Schiano.

New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell came in at No. 8 and new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham begins his tenure as the fourth-ranked head coach in the Big Ten.

Two wins against ranked opponents late in the 2025 season certainly helped restore some level of credibility for Fickell, but he's going to need to do a lot more next season.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers facing most transfer portal departures of any Big Ten team

The schedule should be a lot more manageable, on paper, which only raises the expectations for what Wisconsin should be able to accomplish.

Everything has to start with a strong recruiting effort in the tranfser portal, where Fickell has to rebuild a significant portion of his starting lineup.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

• Wisconsin Badgers are set to return only 1 defensive starter from Week 1 of 2025 season

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• Wisconsin Badgers 'in the mix' for one of the top wide receivers in transfer portal

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