No one is denying that this season’s Wisconsin Badgers team has been historically bad. The bigger debate is how much damage has actually been done.
Former athletic director Barry Alvarez believes it’s more of a bump in the road than a sign of major issues.
On his radio show for ESPN Madison, he refuted the idea that the Badgers need to turn things around and rebuild.
He thinks the program’s winning pedigree still holds strong.
“This is not a program that you have to turn around. This is not a rebuild program,” Alvarez said. “This is a program that has won.”
“This is not a program that you have to turn around. This is not a rebuild program. This is a program that has WON.”
Barry Alvarez won’t entertain “rebuild” talks and believes #Wisconsin‘s rich history speaks for itself#OnWisconsin | @nutrl_usa pic.twitter.com/9QjN81CoJU
— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) November 14, 2025
He again gave his endorsement of Luke Fickell as the right man for the job. Alvarez’s main complaint is that he would like to see the program put a little more emphasis on in-state recruiting.
The frustration for Badgers fans is that it has now been multiple seasons of losing under Fickell. The longer they go without that consistent winning, the harder it is to not feel like a rebuild.
“Turning around a program is a program that is down and out, that’s been losing, and turning around to win,” Alvarez said. “[Wisconsin] is a program that is used to winning and going to bowl games … This is not a complete turnaround. This is getting things right.”
Related: Barry Alvarez again critical of Wisconsin Badgers fans wanting to fire Chris McIntosh and Luke Fickell
Wisconsin has felt “down and out” for all of this season and some of the year before. Losing is becoming more expected than winning.
That’s the beginning stages of a program that will need rebuilding and turning around. Alvarez doesn’t think UW is there yet, but at the very least, they’re getting close.
