A historic program's slide into Big Ten irrelevance may have reached its breaking point on Saturday, as the Wisconsin Badgers were delivered a brutal 37-0 shutout loss by rival Iowa, immediately intensifying the conversation around head coach Luke Fickell's future in Madison.
The embarrassing home defeat —which dropped the Badgers to a 2-4 record and 0-3 in Big Ten play —has pushed Fickell's status from the hot seat to a genuine emergency, with fans and alumni questioning his ability to lead the program.
The loss was a complete failure in all three phases of the game, highlighting the massive decline in performance since Fickell's arrival. This latest defeat comes on the heels of previous blowout losses to Michigan and Alabama, and continues a run of conference futility that saw the Badgers lose seven consecutive Big Ten games dating back to last season. With a 15-16 overall record and an 8-12 conference record in his third season, the former national commodity is not delivering results.
Wisconsin is shutout, 37-0, by Iowa. The rest of the schedule only looks worse for Luke Fickell... pic.twitter.com/WumWsVL5kS
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 12, 2025
If the Badgers do decide to move on from Fickell, here are some possible replacements.
MORE: Will Wisconsin fire Luke Fickell?
What is Luke Fickell's buyout at Wisconsin?
According to ESPN, Fickell has received a one-year extension after each of his first two seasons, which kept him on a seven-year contract. He makes approximately $7.8 million per year, and a potential buyout at the end of the season would be around $25 million, according to CBS Sports. From a financial standpoint, this would be a huge decision to move on.
Wisconsin coaching candidates to replace Luke Fickell
Lance Leipold, Kansas coach
Leipold, 61, would be a leading candidate — and not just because of his FBS résumé. He guided Wisconsin-Whitewater to six Division III national championships from 2007-14, and the Wisconsin native owns a 63-63 record in the FBS between stops at Buffalo and Kansas. Leipold has never expressed interest in leaving Kansas, where his best season was a 9-4 finish in 2023. But would the home-state pull be enough for one more stop?
Jason Eck, New Mexico coach
Is it too soon? Eck, 48, is only six games into his tenure at New Mexico, but the Lobos have already made an impression by competing with Michigan in a 34-17 loss in Week 1 and beating UCLA 35-10 in Week 3. A former Wisconsin offensive lineman (1995-98) and member of the 1998 Big Ten championship team under Barry Alvarez, Eck also compiled a 26-13 record at Idaho in the FCS from 2022-24. If Wisconsin wants to get back to its roots, Eck could be the best candidate.
MORE: Oregon and Dan Lanning received wake-up call that they aren't alone in the Big 10
Dave Aranda, Baylor coach
Aranda, 48, was a renowned defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and LSU before taking the Baylor job in 2020. He's 35-32 with the Bears – which might not be enough for some Badgers' fans. Aranda, however, was part of a three-year run where Wisconsin compiled a 30-10 record between Gary Andersen and Paul Chyst. He's proven enough as a head coach that Wisconsin could show interest.
Dave Doeren, NC State coach
Doeren, 53, has been at NC State since 2013. The Wolfpack are 91-67 with nine winning seasons in that stretch, a steady proven track record of success that could be attractive for Wisconsin in the 18-team Big Ten. Doeren served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Bret Bielema with the Badgers from 2006-10, a stretch in which the Badgers were 38-14. Doeren is a no-nonsense coach who fits the Wisconsin profile.
Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State offensive coordinator
Kotelnicki, 45, is an up-and-coming offensive coordinator who will generate Power 4 interest in the next few cycles. He played at Wisconsin-River Falls in Division III and was a coordinator at Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2013-14. The Warhawks were 30-0 in those two seasons, and Kotelnicki worked under Leipold. He's been a successful offensive coordinator at Buffalo, Kansas and Penn State since.
Kotelnicki's stock has cooled a bit with Penn state's struggles, with the Nittany Lions losing three straight games to No. 6 Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern in three straight weeks.
Alex Golesh, South Florida coach
Golesh, 41, is on the hot list after a strong start at South Florida this season. He began his career as a student assistant at Ohio State before spending four years on staff at Illinois, giving him Big Ten ties. Golesh later served as offensive coordinator at UCF and Tennessee, where he built his reputation on an up-tempo offense paired with an aggressive defensive approach. Then again, so did Fickell before his arrival from Cincinnati.
USF already has two ranked wins this season against No. 25 Boise State and No. 13 Florida. Since their one los to No. 2 Miami, the Bulls have scored over 50 points in every game.
Wisconsin remaining 2025 schedule
The schedule is not kind to the Badgers, who have dropped to 0-3 in Big Ten Play.
| Date (MM/DD) | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| 10/18 | vs. No. 1 Ohio State | 3:30 PM |
| 10/25 | at No. 3 Oregon | TBD |
| 11/01 | BYE WEEK | — |
| 11/08 | vs. Washington | TBD |
| 11/15 | at No. 7 Indiana | TBD |
| 11/22 | vs. No. 17 Illinois | TBD |
| 11/29 | at Minnesota | TBD |
MORE: Big Ten title race down to four teams with Indiana now a legit threat