NIL funding is no excuse for Wisconsin Badgers football struggles under Luke Fickell

The Wisconsin Badgers might have less NIL funding than some of the top programs, but that doesn't explain the bad losses to their Big Ten peers with similar resources.

A promotional display for Pepsi featuring Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen is shown in November 2022 at a Pick 'n Save store in Fond du Lac, Wis. When the NCAA enacted Name Image Likeness (NIL) legislation in July 2021. it gave athletes the opportunity to earn money off endorsements as well as use their name in support of causes important to them. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the concerns surrounding the Wisconsin Badgers football program is whether they have the resources in Name, Image and Likeness funding to properly compete with the larger programs in the nation.

And while the money being spent on Badgers athletes is less than the likes of Texas, Oregon and Ohio State, that doesn't fully explain Wisconsin's struggles in the Luke Fickell era.

Too many of the Badgers' losses have come against teams that have similar NIL resources as Wisconsin.

Losing to peers

Look no further than last Saturday's 37-0 loss to Iowa, or the Week 4 defeat to the Maryland Terrapins.

We don't know every team's exact NIL spending, but those programs are not known to be top-end fundraisers for the football program.

Despite their lack of spending, they played like the more talented, better coached team for those games.

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The same was true in 2024 when Wisconsin lost to teams like Nebraska and Minnesota.

Since Wisconsin beat Rutgers last year, total pts each game against P4 schools has been:

23 at Northwestern
13 v Psu
10 at Iowa
13 v Oregon
25 at Nebraska
7 v Minnesota
14 at Alabama
10 v Maryland
10 at Michigan

1. Only two of last 9 games above 14 pts

2. Ave points 13.88

— RoyKessel27 (@RoyKessel27) October 5, 2025

It would be different if all of the Badgers' losses were coming to top-ranked teams that consistently out-spend them.

Then the fanbase would have room to complain about the program not generating enough money to properly compete in college football.

But for now, Wisconsin has to get back to beating its peers before it can look to jump up to the next level of contention.

Not an excuse

To Fickell's credit, he's not using NIL as an excuse for his team's shortcomings.

"If I said no or if I said yes, I’d be sitting here making excuses," Fickell said Monday. "The truth of the matter is, that’s not going to affect anything right now. That’s not going to change the trajectory of where this season is. It’s not going to help us for Saturday."

He indicated that he might have more to say about the state of the school's NIL funding when the season is over, but first he has to worry about the week-to-week performances to make sure he'll even be around in the offseason to make NIL decisions.

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