The Wisconsin Badgers are nearing their second bowl game under head coach Luke Fickell.

Overall, Fickell’s tenure could be labeled as “disappointing,” with Fickell notching just one winning season under his belt.

That being said, the 2026 season has shown enough bright spots to temporarily remove him from the hot seat. 

Recently, in ESPN’s latest bowl projections, the 4-2 Badgers were selected by Mark Schlabach to land in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

So far this season, the Tide are 5-2, with two straight losses against the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers, which has tanked them to No. 13 in the country. 

The pair have squared off four times in history; thus far, the Tide are overwhelming winners, taking three of the four games, including the last three in 2025, 2024, and 2015, by a 115-41 margin, with 38-14 and 42-10 losses coming under Fickell. 

The only time Wisconsin took down Alabama was all the way in 1928 in a 15-0 win for the Badgers. 

The Badgers have been to the Music City Bowl just once before, all the way back on New Year’s Eve 2003, against Auburn, where the Tigers took down Wisconsin 28-14.