Luke Fickell named Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week

Luke Fickell, head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, was named the Paul 'Bear' Bryant National Coach of the Week following the team's dramatic 24-20 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions. This marked Fickell's first win of the prestigious award since his arrival at Wisconsin. The Badgers overcame a 17-point deficit to claim the win, thanks to two late fourth-quarter touchdown drives and several defensive stops.

The team's offense, while not playing cleanly, managed to execute when the situation demanded. The defense, however, was exceptional, as the Badgers managed to get four three-and-outs in the fourth quarter. This was the Badgers' first major win under Fickell, who previously won the award while at Cincinnati in 2021. After struggling against ranked opponents, the Badgers have shown significant improvement since the end of last season, achieving their first ranked wins at Wisconsin this year by defeating the Washington Huskies and Illinois Fighting Illini.

Now, under Fickell, the Badgers have earned a noteworthy victory in 2026, overcoming the Nittany Lions, who hadn't lost a home game since 2003, with just eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite ESPN's analytics giving Penn State a 98.5% chance of victory, the Badgers managed to turn the game around and secure a significant win, earning national praise for their performance.