Joel Klatt highlights stretch on Wisconsin's schedule that will determine pressure on Luke Fickell in 2025

Going through some head coaches who might experience pressure this season, Joel Klatt put Wisconsin‘s Luke Fickell under the “trying to be patient” category. Fickell sports a 13-13 overall record heading into his third season in Madison. And for a program needing some wins, the schedule is doing them no favors.

Wisconsin will face three of the Big Ten’s big boys — Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon. Nonconference does them no favors either with a trip down to Tuscaloosa appearing. But Klatt is not worried about the results in those particular games. Instead, he has circled one right in the middle of the insane stretch — Oct. 11 at home against Iowa.

“Iowa is such a great measuring stick for Wisconsin because they come from the same place,” Klatt said. “Meaning, they come from the old Big Ten West. In a lot of ways, both programs were able to define themselves as successful because of the division format in the Big Ten. These two teams constantly represented the Big Ten West in the Big Ten Championship Game. They would win nine and 10 games and win big bowl games, in part because of that easy side of the conference.

“So now, we do away with divisions and you’ve got to prove to your fanbase that you’re going to be the team that rises out and puts itself on the level of the great teams of the former Big Ten East and now include Oregon in that. This is a hierarchy game.”

Fickell already has two losses against Iowa on his resume. If you can believe it, Wisconsin gave up 42 points against the Hawkeyes last season. It’s the most they scored all season in an improved unit.

A three-game win streak is on the line for Iowa when it heads to Camp Randall. Klatt says Wisconsin needs to make sure the tide turns back. Otherwise, the overall 2025 record might begin to get a little sideways and questions are asked about Fickell’s future.

“It’s one thing to lose to Alabama,” Klatt said. “It’s one thing to lose to Michigan. It’s one thing to lose to Ohio State. It’s one thing to lose to Oregon. But you cannot lose to Iowa at home. If you lose to Iowa at home and you start looking around this schedule and think ‘Are they going to be 3-9?’ 3-9 is not something they signed up for.”