Wisconsin Football Hits Rock Bottom, Becomes Pathetic Joke | Hookstead

The Wisconsin Badgers have become a pathetic joke of a football program.

As OutKick readers know, I'm a Wisconsin man. I grew up in Wisconsin, (barely) graduated from the university and I follow the Badgers like a hawk.

Wisconsin is the only major D1 program in the state, and it's the only D1 program in the state with a football team. The Badgers dominate the discourse when it comes to sports in the state.

People live and breathe Wisconsin Badgers athletics, and the program's football team is right at the top of the list. Nothing gets the blood pumping like a packed Camp Randall under the lights. It's perhaps the closest to Heaven a person can get while on this planet if you're a huge sports fan from the state.

Unfortunately, the product on the field has become downright disgraceful, and as a Wisconsin man, I'm embarrassed by what I watched Saturday against Northwestern. In fact, as I tweeted after the game, I'm disgusted. Let me know if you agree at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Wisconsin hits rock bottom against Northwestern.

The Badgers lost 24-10 to the Wildcats at home Saturday, and it was perhaps one of the worst performances of Wisconsin football that I've seen in decades.

The team had a grand total of three points the entire game until a garbage touchdown in the closing seconds made it look closer than the score actually was. Wisconsin had a total of 86 rushing yards, no passing touchdowns and the defense got chewed up like a rat on cheese in the first half.

Nothing about the game resembled what Wisconsin fans expect from the Badgers, and the problem extends far past just one game.

Luke Fickell was hired to turn the program around after three straight disappointing seasons, but right now, it looks like mediocrity is something fans would give anything for.

Why is Wisconsin's football team struggling? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

The Badgers hired Fickell, and somehow got worse. The offense is a joke, the running game is nonexistent, star RB Braelon Allen doesn't make any kind of impact, the passing game isn't effective and the defense seems allergic to QB pressure for large chunks of time.

The team now has three straight losses, and a 5-5 record. Other than the losses to Ohio State and Iowa, there's no excuse for any of the other losses. Washington State, Indiana and Northwestern - especially the last two - aren't great teams. Northwestern and Indiana are both simply bad, and they both handled the Badgers.

Badgers fans must demand better.

If this isn't rock bottom as a Wisconsin fan, then I don't know what is. I'm not just embarrassed for myself. I'm embarrassed for my dad and every other person who wears the red and white.

From 2009 through 2019, the Badgers had eight double digit win seasons. It was a decade of dominance. Since then, the Badgers have struggled to move the needle and seem to be speeding in the wrong direction. Fans were livid with the 9-4 2021 season.

What would they give now for nine wins? That was just a couple years ago, and it played a role in Paul Chryst losing his job. A 9-4 season would be greeted with open arms after being disgusting to fans just two years ago.

I'm out of suggestions, I'm out of carrots and sticks to figure out how to fix this team and I'm now at the point where you just have to accept the team is awful. It's the literal grief cycle, and Wisconsin fans are in it.

Wisconsin is 5-5 and having a terrible season. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, and every Badgers fan has been going through them since the Washington State loss.

Wisconsin used to be dependable for 10 wins a season and a great bowl game. Now, the team will be fortunate to even be .500 when the season ends. Is this fun for any other fans? It's definitely not for me, and I demand better. There's too much culture and a history of excellence to accept the garbage being force fed to fans in Madison and the state as a whole.

Northwestern embarrassed the Wisconsin Badgers. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

I still believe in Luke Fickell, and I still believe he's the man for the job. However, that doesn't change the fact the product on the field is 100% unacceptable. Wisconsin went from being a Big Ten power to a complete joke in just a few years. If you're not outraged like me, then you need to open your eyes and look at what's right in front of you. I know I did Saturday against Northwestern, and I've been having nightmares ever since.