Wisconsin/Alabama kicks at 11:00 a.m. local time in Tuscaloosa.
Wisconsin Badgers coach Luke Fickell isn’t exactly inspiring a ton of confidence ahead of a trip to Tuscaloosa.
The Badgers play Alabama in T-Town on Saturday, and it should be a gut-check for both teams. Alabama got humiliated to open the season against Florida State, and Fickell is fighting to cool down his scorching hot seat.
The difference is Alabama is loaded with future NFL talent, and Wisconsin, simply put, is absolutely not.
That’s why the Crimson Tide are favored by three touchdowns.
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Will Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell have the team ready to play against Alabama? (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Luke Fickell previews showdown in Tuscaloosa.
As a Wisconsin man, I’ve learned to live a life of pain. That’s what growing up in harsh Wisconsin winters will do to you. Yet, I always find myself buying in, despite knowing what’s coming.
It certainly feels like fans might be in that doom loop, yet again, and I’m not sure Fickell’s comments will inspire a ton of faith.
Danny O’Neil will be Wisconsin’s QB against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It doesn’t matter how I feel. The truth is, and what matters is: we got to get ready,. All I can say is, from last week’s performance in particular, the first half, it just wasn’t as clean as we needed to be for what we wanted. And I didn’t say, score more points. I didn’t say get more stops. I didn’t say, get more turnovers, just being the fact of, ‘hey, when we take the field, are we playing to the level at which we want to play, and executing to the level at which we want to play?’ And that’s where that whole idea of that mid-season form we wanted to be able to see, and we saw some things of that in game one,” Fickell told the press this week when talking about the game, according to Bucky’s 5th Quarter.
As for getting the Badgers fired up, it sounds like Fickell doesn’t plan on any Herb Brooks-style speeches like from the Miracle on Ice.
The Badgers coach further told the press, “It’s not like there’s going to be some speech that needs to be had on a Tuesday to get guys fired up to prepare for this one. It’s just the ability to say, Now, when you get to that moment at 11 o’clock, can you have the calmness? Can you have the patience about yourself to go out and execute like you have all week, and you have all through fall camp, you know, with the expectations that are in front of you?”
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers have a great non-conference matchup against Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
I hate to say it, but these comments from Fickell do absolutely nothing to inspire me. Nothing.
“It doesn’t matter how I feel. The truth is, and what matters is: we got to get ready,. All I can say is, from last week’s performance in particular, the first half, it just wasn’t as clean as we needed to be for what we wanted.”
Thanks, Luke. That’s a bang-up quote to get fans ready. It’s always comforting to hear that it “doesn’t matter” how the man calling the shots and making millions feels.
Now, am I being overcritical? Probably, but let’s remember Fickell is just 15-13 in his career with the Badgers. Wisconsin also got blown out last season against Alabama. Granted, starting QB Tyler Van Dyke blew out his ACL on the opening drive.
It was all downhill from there, and it went downhill in spectacular fashion. Wisconsin will get a chance for redemption with the deck stacked against the Badgers in Tuscaloosa.
Fickell has the opportunity to silence all his doubters. He could also get boat-raced. Fans will find out Saturday, but him giving lukewarm talking points is far from great.
Can Wisconsin upset Alabama? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Have a prediction for the game? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
