Can Luke Fickell lead Wisconsin to the top of the Big Ten in his first season in Madison?
MADISON – Bret Bielema came close in 2006.
Gary Andersen gave it a strong run in 2013.
Paul Chryst did the same in 2015.
All three had Wisconsin in position to challenge for a Big Ten title in their first season as UW's head coach, only to fall short.
Can Luke Fickell break through in his first season as UW’s head coach and lead the Badgers to the their first West Division title since 2019 and their first league title since 2012?
In his six seasons at Cincinnati, Fickell won two American Athletic Conference titles, finished 35-11 in league games and 57-18 overall.
Fickell’s lone subpar season at Cincinnati was his first, in 2017. The Bearcats finished 2-6 in the AAC and 4-8 overall but they were coming off an ugly 2016 season under Tommy Tuberville. The Bearcats finished 1-7 in the league and 4-8 overall in Tuberville’s final season and weren’t eligible for a bowl game for the first time since 2010.
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Badgers have plenty of talent, but questions remain
Based on the talent returning, a friendly schedule and question marks among other teams in the West, the Badgers are favored to win the division.
Yes, Fickell’s first UW team enters preseason camp with questions to be addressed.
How will the players handle the new offensive scheme run by Phil Longo? Will the tweaks made by defensive coordinator Mike Tressell and co-defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler be handled seamlessly? Can UW generate enough pressure on the quarterback and remain stout against the run? Do the Badgers have enough quality depth at cornerback? Will SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai provide consistent quarterback play, something UW has lacked since Jack Coan was the starter in 2019?
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Yet an examination of the other teams in the West reveals a division that is wide open.
Big Ten West title is up for grabs
Defending champion Purdue, which suffered a 43-22 loss to Michigan in the league title game and a 63-7 loss to Auburn in its bowl game, has a new head coach. Ryan Walters did tremendous work in his two seasons as defensive coordinator at Illinois. But does he have the talent at his disposal to make Purdue a contender in 2023?
Can Illinois, which finished 5-4 in the league and 8-5 overall last season and appears on the rise under Bielema, overcome the loss of Walters and several outstanding players?
The juries handling those cases have been sequestered and remain in deliberations.
Iowa added several transfers, including quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All, both from Michigan. The Hawkeyes should be solid on defense and special teams — again.
But will the offense remain stuck in the mud with Brian Ferentz at the controls?
Ferentz took over as offensive coordinator in 2017 and, in his six seasons, the Hawkeyes have never finished better than 87th nationally in yards per game and have cracked the top 50 nationally in scoring just twice. They finished 43rd in 2018 (31.2 ppg) and 40th in 2020 (31.8 ppg). They slipped to 99th nationally in 2021 (23.4 ppg) and to 131st last season (17.7 ppg).
The schedule isn’t brutal but road games against Penn State, UW and Nebraska won’t be easy.
P.J. Fleck has done a solid job in his six seasons at Minnesota, with a 44-27 overall mark. However, his league record is just 26-26, he has zero division titles and his teams have averaged just five league victories over the last three seasons.
The Gophers, who lost two key assistants after last season — offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca (Rutgers) and co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes (UW) — may have hit a ceiling under Fleck.
Northwestern won two division titles under Pat Fitzgerald but went a combined 2-16 in the league and 4-20 overall in the last two seasons. The program hasn't recovered from the retirement of defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz after the 2020 season and the recent firing of Fitzgerald for his role in a hazing scandal will compound the issues facing the program.
Interim head coach David Braun, a graduate of Kettle Moraine High School who had joined the staff in the offseason as defensive coordinator, faces an onerous task in 2023.
Nebraska appears to have made a solid coaching hire in Matt Rhule, who did outstanding work at Temple and Baylor. He likely will need time to rebuild Nebraska, which hasn’t had a winning record since 2016.
Badgers' Big Ten schedule appears manageable
UW’s schedule is set up for a title run.
The Badgers’ crossover foes are Rutgers, Indiana and Ohio State. The Buckeyes should be formidable, but they're breaking in a new quarterback and come to Madison for the first time since 2016. UW is at Purdue and Illinois, but Iowa and Nebraska visit Madison.
Could a division title be at stake when UW closes the regular season Nov. 25 at Minnesota, similar to the 2019 season?
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UW needs to make a strong run in 2023. Remember that USC and UCLA are set to join the Big Ten in 2024, giving the league 16 teams. With no divisions and the top two teams qualifying for the championship game, the path to a top-two finish will be brutal.
Bielema’s first UW team suffered one league loss, at Michigan. The Badgers and Wolverines eventually tied for second in the league at 7-1, one game behind Ohio State. UW finished 12-1 that season.
Andersen’s first UW team finished in second place in the Leaders Division at 6-2, two games behind Ohio State. The Badgers lost at Ohio State and at home to Penn State and eventually finished 9-4.
Chryst’s first UW team finished tied for second in the West with Northwestern at 6-2, two games behind Iowa. The Badgers lost twice at home, to Iowa and Northwestern, but capped the season with a Holiday Bowl victory over USC to finish 10-3.
Is a West Division title a reasonable expectation for the Badgers in 2023? Absolutely. Would UW be favored to defeat the East champion? Probably not.
Will the road to a Big Ten title grow more treacherous in 2024? Absolutely.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers, Luke Fickell have talent to win Big Ten West title
