Embattled Big Ten head coach gets unexpected support from AD

Any list or discussion about college football coaches on the hot seat has to quickly mention Wisconsin's Luke Fickell, as the Badgers' situation sure seems to be getting worse by the week.

Wisconsin has lost five straight games, the last two by margins of 37-0 (to Iowa) and 34-0 (Ohio State) as its fans chant "Fire Fickell", and the team has not beaten a Power Four opponent all season.

But it seems the school has no plans to do that -- in fact, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh is apparently doubling down on Fickell while posting a letter to Badgers fans that what the program needs is not a new coach but more financial support.

At least for now, that is ...

"Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration," McIntosh wrote. "... While we still have a lot of football to play this season, with the support and significant involvement of Chancellor [Jennifer] Mnookin, Athletics is committed to elevating the investment into our football program to position us to compete at the highest level.

"As a department, we must provide our coaches the tools necessary to succeed. That means more Athletics-funded investments into infrastructure, staffing and, most importantly, student-athlete recruiting and retention. In this new era of collegiate athletics, the clear reality is that high expectations must be matched with an equal level of support."

#Badgers AD Chris McIntosh with a message to fans. Talks about supporting Luke Fickell and additional financial investment in the program. pic.twitter.com/zA1gz6O3MN
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 20, 2025

All of that said, Fickell was asked at his press conference if he had been told that he'll be back next year and said no.

"I don't think any of us have a crystal ball. I've never asked the question. It's not something that I dwell upon. I can't tell you that it's not something you don't think about. I'm not saying it's something when you go home, your wife doesn't look at you, but it doesn't do us any good.

"It's not going to change the fact that we've got to practice tomorrow. It's not going to change the fact of anything on Saturday. I guess you just let everybody else kind of deal with those things, but I have not been told. I'm not worried about that. I understand if we don't meet expectations and we don't do the things we need to do, anything can happen."

Luke Fickell says he has not been told he’ll be back next year. pic.twitter.com/BtOveEoAJJ
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 20, 2025

The classic AD vote of confidence often proves to be nothing more than a deflection of the situation in the moment, though McIntosh's comments and the emphasis on needing to better support the program financially were a different twist on it all.

Will he continue to stick by his head coach if Wisconsin's spiral continues the rest of the season?

The back-to-back shutout losses at home were the program's first home shutout losses since 1980, according to ESPN, and it doesn't get any easier this week as the Badgers travel to No. 6 Oregon.

Wisconsin notably has a bye after this week, which is usually when in-season coaching changes are made. The timing of McIntosh's letter to the fans is interesting in that regard -- it would look silly to do that and fire the same coach a week later. So it's more likely Fickell has at least the rest of the season to make his case to continue on in the job.

He's 15-18 overall now in his third full season at Wisconsin, with the program seemingly regressing from a 7-6 mark in his first year to 5-7 last year and now this 2-5 (0-4 Big Ten) start.