Fire Bret Bielema? Some Wisconsin Fans Think So After Badgers Lose to Iowa 38-16

October 18, 2008 By 22 Comments

bret bielemaI was just looking at the daily web traffic statistics for Midwest Sports Fans, and decided to peruse the search keywords that were bringing people here to the site. “Kellen Winslow illness” is the most popular search term so far, driving 32 visits from search engines. Lots of the search terms include “Kellen Winslow” or “fantasy football” as that has been a focus of a lot of the content on the site this week.

But as I scrolled down, I saw something interesting. The phrase “fire bret bielema” had driven two visits; meaning that, most likely, some drunk buffoon in Madison watched Wisconsin get trashed by Iowa today and then typed “fire bret bielema” into Google and landed on my previous post that paid homage to the biggest losers in college football last weekend. More importantly, it means that at least some Badger fans have decided that one bad month of football should spell the end of a pretty good start to the Bret Bielema era so far. Look at the numbers coming into the season:

  • 21-5 overall record, 12-4 in the Big Ten
  • Two straight bowl appearances, winning the Capital One Bowl in 1996
  • Consistently in the top 10, occasionally breaking into the Top 5

As a Tennessee fan, numbers like these look pretty good. And when Wisconsin jumped out to a 4-0 record before beginning Big Ten play, Brett Bielema sat at 25-5 through his first 30 games as a head coach. That is an outstanding winning percentage of 83.3%. Even with four straight losses, Bielema is 25-9, a winning percentage of 73.5%.

Could firing Bret Bielema really be a reasonable topic of thought and conversation for Badger Nation?

Well, look at the losses. The Badgers had the Michigan game in hand, and inexplicably allowed the Wolverines back into the game, which they subsequently stole away in the final minutes. The next week, Wisconsin played valiantly against Ohio State in Madison but lost 20-17. These two losses seemed to take the wind out of the Wisconsin sails. Over the last two Saturdays, Bret Bielema and the BADgers have been outscored 86-23 by Penn State and Iowa. They either didn’t show up or are much less talented than in previous years.

larry cokerAnd perhaps therein lies the problem.

We have seen over and over in college sports a highly successful or legendary coach retire, only to see his successor post great records over his first few seasons using the players the previous coach recruited. In college football, think Larry Coker at Miami. The Hurricanes continued to dominate while Butch Davis’ recruits were at the U. Once they had all moved on to the NFL, Coker was unable to similarly stock the cupboard. For a basketball example, look no further than the Mike Davis era after Bob Knight retired. Davis took highly recruited players like Jared Jeffries, Dane Fife, and AJ Moye to an NCAA title game — seeming to be the perfect antidone to Knight’s bombastic coaching style, but reaping the results of Knight’s ability to teach and (at least back then) recruit.

But what happened to Coker and Davis after a few years? They failed…gradually but, ultimately, miserably. And both programs are still picking up the pieces.

Are these past four games the beginning of the demise for Wisconsin? And if so, should Wisconsin cut its losses now and bring in an experienced or successful up-and-coming coach to stop the bleeding?

I can’t answer that. I don’t really follow Wisconsin enough and, admittedly, have not watched them play. Perhaps some of you Badger fans can chime in with comments. Does this year’s team look less talented? Has the level of play, discipline, and strategic decision-making diminished substantially since Barry Alvarez left the sidelines and became the Athletic Director? I would be interested to know the answers from people who are informed.

Because the reality is this: if the answers to the questions I just posed are “yes” then the leadership of Wisconsin’s athletic department should act swiftly. If Bielema is in over his head, if he is great guy but just a glorified coordinator or position coach (like Mike Davis was), and if he can’t effectively bring talent to Madison, then this four game slide will be the beginning of a trend and not just a hiccup. I’ve seen it happen too often, and seen athletic departments wait way too long to pull the trigger for change when all of the symptoms of current and future mediocrity are present.

Unfortunately, it looks like Indiana might have done that with Bill Lynch in the aftermatch of Terry Hoeppner’s tragic death and the Hoosiers’ exciting run to a bowl game last year. The problem is that, while Lynch coached under Terry Hoeppner, he was an assistant for a reason. He is a solid tactical coach and teacher, but perhaps not the charismatic leader and program steward that a successful college football program needs.

When someone is miscast in a role, as these last four games have shown that Bret Bielema may be, it requires acute foresight from the leadership above to make a decision in the best interest of the school. Patience may be a virtue, but so is judgment. The ideal, obviously, is to combine both; to give coaches enough time to prove themselves, but not to run a program into the ground if they can’t.

barry alvarez bret bielemaI don’t think it’s time for Bret Bielema fired, but it certainly is time for the Barry Alvarez and the Badger athletic department to be vigilantly on point. If Bielema is not the guy, he could unwittingly lead the erosion of the tradition that Barry Alvarez built up. This happened at Indiana, it happened at Miami, and Wisconsin has not built-in immunity to it happened to them.

Not every school can be like Michigan State in basketball, where Jud Heathcote handed over the reins to Tom Izzo and the program maintained or arguably even jumped up a level.

I guess the way I’d feel if I was a Wisconsin fan is that it’s still a little bit early to be doing Google searches on firing Bret Bielema, or creating www.firebretbielema.com, but I can certainly understand and relate to your frustration.



[tags]wisconsin badgers, college football, ncaa football, bret bielema[/tags]

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About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • Armen from Madison

    There are a myriad of things wrong with Wisconsin’s team. I think one of the biggest issues is the fact that the team does not allow a QB to develop in the system with game experience. Hopefully we’ll see Curt Phillips (Mr. TN football) taking the snaps next year and gaining some valuable experience instead of sitting on the bench for three years and starting for one.

    Bret Bielema may not deserve to be fired yet, but he certainly isn’t part of the solution. The team has habitually underperformed and looked lethargic – perhaps this comes from BB’s inability to control and motivate his team. His record has steadily declined as the program fills with his own recruits. I wouldn’t mind a new coach – Bill Cower, anyone? Anyway, I’m too sad to keep typing, but at least we don’t have Bill Stewart….

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com Jerod Morris

    Good point about Bill Stewart.

    Is Cowher actually a realistic option? I have heard rumors about him for jobs in North Carolina and at the pro level, but certainly nothing about Wisconsin. Is this just wishful thinking on your part or is there more to it?

    Believe me, as an IU fan who has suffered through something similar, I can unfortunately relate.

  • BadgerFaithful

    I have been a Badger fan all my life and I think it’s sad when disgruntled, fair-weather fans start calling for the dismissal of the head coach after one loosing season. I can see Coach Bielema’s talent and I truly believe he will be our next great coach. Will he be an Alvarez? I don’t know but I’m going to keep supporting him and watching to find out. For all of you Coach Barry A faithful who are dumping on Bielema, did you forget that Coach Alvarez hand-picked his successor? If you believe in Coach Alvarez you must trust his judgement. Every coach, even the great ones, have growing pains. Back off and give Coach Bielema a chance. I trust in what Alvarez sees in Bielema and I will stick by him until Alvarez no longer does.

  • Ryan Russell

    As a UW alum, and a badger fan, I must agree with you, BadgerFaithful.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com Jerod Morris

    Excellent perspective Badger Faithful. That’s why I wrote the post…to get people more informed than me to offer their opinion. Thanks.

  • Kaner

    I think that Bielema needs to make some better adjustments, the team this year had high expectations, as they should and this skid is really unacceptable, and I’m sure the coach feels the same way…does he deserve to be fired? No, not now ,but he better get it together because UW expects more and deserves more….as for that frirebretbielema.com…way to undermine your own program, guys. Recruits find this stuff, players find this stuff and while your entitled to your opinion your not doing madison any favors.

  • KVB

    The stability in Wisconsin’s athletics is one thing that I believe will keep Bielema as head coach longer than 3 or 4 years. This season has been a let down after the leads lost last minute in close losses to Michigan and Ohio State in consecutive weeks. It obviously took it’s toll on the players as shown in their play in the following weeks against a top notch Penn State team and a hot Iowa squad.

    Barry had and will have faith in Bret to be the man at Camp Randall, so I have a hard time believing AD Alvarez has anybody in mind to replace Coach Bielema anytime soon. At least their team’s behavior off the field is classier than the marching band.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com Jerod Morris

    That’s why they aren’t The Best Damn Band In the Land.

  • GoBadgers

    You might have to take your “That’s why they aren’t The Best Damn Band In the Land” statement up with the living legend Mike Leckrone. I think besides their questionable behavior, that has gone on far too long, they are The Best Damn Band In the Land.

  • ApHAWKalypse Now

    As an Iowa fan and a fan of Big 10 football in general, I think it’s too early to even consider pulling the plug on Bielema.

    He’s only 37-years-old, he is going to have some growing pains after being handed the reins of a major program.

    Remember, however, that he was hand-picked by Barry Alvarez. Barry is the architect of the Wisconsin renaissance, and he has a better idea than any fan what it takes to win at Wisconsin. Badger fans should take heart that Barry believes in Brett.

    But if Bucky should get jumpy and can Brett, I for one would welcome him back as a coordinator in Iowa City. I think he is a smart, solid football coach.

  • BadgerFaithful

    Well said ApHAWKalypse. I think Bret has a lot to offer and I look forward to watching him coach the Badgers for many years.

  • Robin Jaye

    Badgerfaithful…I could not have said it better myself!
    ApHAWKalypse …I agree and feel strongly about Bret being right man for the job.
    Terribly disappointing that people would even mention firing Bret after one less than stellar season. Professionally, he’s an outstanding and well qualified coach. Personally, he’s a good guy with football on the brain 24/7. Let’s not throw him under the bus just yet!!!

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    All of you perspectives are very much appreciated. And I have to say — I am surprised. Though it is a small sample size, the support has been quite strong for Bret Bielema, and it sounds like a lot of it stems from a lot of trust in the decision-making of Barry Alvarez.

    As I said, I’m not a Wisconsin fan. So I have no vested interest in the outcome. And just because this situation reminds me of Mike Davis, does not necessarily mean it will turn out that way.

    I wish Bielema luck getting things turned around, and I hope, for the sake of Badgers fans, that my comparison ends up being way off.

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  • BadgerInDistantLand

    Here is the simple case.

    Mr. Bielema was hand-picked & gifted with the reins of a top 10 team.

    The Record:
    1990 1-10 – Mr. Alvarez takes over the program
    (forward a few years)
    2004 9-3 – Mr. Alvarez’s 2nd last year
    2005 10-3 – Mr. Alvarez’s final year
    2006 12-1 – Mr. Alvarez’s team with some new recruits under Mr. Bielema
    2007 9-4 – 50/50 split of Alvarez players and Bielema players
    2008 4-5 (so far) – Generally all Bielema-coached players

    Wisconsin has succeeded in previous years by:
    - executing a rush based offense with strong runners and O-line.
    - playing disciplined & relatively mistake-free football
    - having a solid defense (secondary included)
    - Making intelligent play calls that focus on the team’s strengths

    Logically, based on the above facts, the team’s performance this year has been obviously poor.

    That was all fact. Now the Editorial section:
    The team is obviously trending downward NOT upward.
    Mr. Bielema was the defensive coordinator. The defensive secondary is very weak this year.
    Many losses involved multiple key penalties attributed to discipline.
    Multiple questionable play calls have been made this year that have resulted in lost games.

    All these factors were painfully obvious in the collapse vs. Michigan State this week.
    All these factors played into the previous losses as well as the wins that were quite close (Fresno State).

    Poor performance one season can negatively impact recruiting for many seasons to come. How long before you accept the loss?

    Should Mr. Bielema be fired? That is Mr. Alvarez’s call.
    Should he be thinking about it? YES.

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  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @BadgerInDistantLand,

    Thanks for the reply. It is probably too soon to make a definite fire/keep call right now in the middle of the season. But you’re right, Barry Alvarez certainly has to at least be thinking about it at this point.

    The Badgers had over 120 penalty yards today and Bielema even had a 15-yard penalty himself!

    I always used to think of Wisconsin has being smash-mouth and disciplined. They certainly have not seemed like that this year at all.

  • BadgerFaithful

    @BadgerInDistantLand,

    I’m chiming in a bit late but upon reading this post I couldn’t help myself. I think you are missing some pretty pivotal years in Barry A’s coaching resume, years 2-6. Lets take a look at the win-loose records for your missing years. Listed below are seasons 2-6 for Coach Alvarez, I didn’t go any farther because we know it was pretty much all rainbows and sunshine after that, minus the fabulous Shoe Box debacle of 2001. I have listed Coach Bielema’s Sconnie resume too. Good think Coach Alvarez won the Rose Bowl in 1993 or else you would have been calling for his walking papers too.

    1991 – 5-6
    1992 – 5-6
    1993 – 10-1-1 (stellar performance and win at the Rose Bowl)
    1994 – 8-3-1 (Hall of Fame Bowl – W)
    1995 – 4-5-2

    2006 – 12-1
    2007 – 9-4
    2008 – 7-5 (tied for 6th in Big Ten)

    Why don’t we just take a deep breath and give him a chance to prove himself. If we are still only competing for 6th place in the Big Ten a few seasons from now I’ll make a crow pie myself and eat it. Okay?

  • BadgerInDistantLand

    BadgerFaithful,

    I appreciate your vote of confidence for Coach Bielema, however I respectfully disagree. I was not intending to overlook the early Alvarez years, on the contrary I believe those years help prove my point.

    Coach Alvarez had to build a Top 10 NCAA football program from virtually nothing, understandably that was difficult and took time. Coach Bielema INHERITED a Top 10 team and now that team is on a steady, year-over-year decline. I simply see a clear trend. Given that and the aforementioned items about how the team is losing, I believe it is time to take a hard look at what Coach Bielema has done with that inheritance. Is he taking care of it & growing it or is it being squandered?

    I would hate to think that the team would have to degenerate to the level of the late 1980s Wisconsin Badgers for it to be corrected.

    Given that AD Alvarez hand-picked Coach Bielema, I realize it is highly unlikely that he would replace him… yet. As fans we have little say in that matter. However after watching Coach Alvarez throughout his career with Wisconsin, I believe he often does his best work (and makes his best decisions) in high pressure situations. I simply think that we fans should focus what little pressure we have on the current situation. I just do not believe in ignoring a problem, that always comes back to bite you in collegiate (and professional) sports.

    As I stated previously, I think AD Alvarez will afford Coach Bielema more time to prove himself. Given that, I certainly hope Coach Bielema does get his act together and become a great coach. Unfortunately it seems to me he is trending in the opposite direction. He led a team that started the season ranked by some in the top 5. Where did he lead that team? To a 7-5 season that included a loss to one of the worst Michigan teams in history and a win over Cal Poly that is one of the few wins ever to be described as “embarrassing”.

    As fans we’ll likely have to sit & wait another season or two before this situation either smooths out or comes to a head. But if I had to make the call today, I’d be looking for new talent.

  • Dirk

    I have been a Badger fan since the 70′s and have lived through a lot of both good and harder times. The Alvarez process was not an easy Road. I can remember some Badger fans jeering Darrell Bevel (even though he had lead the team to a Rosebowl victory the year before) as he was carted off the field in a miserable game against Illinois his senior year and a curious loss against a resurgant Northwestern in an icy cold rain before we all found it it was Northwestern’s year. It was a Rocky road much of the time. What concerns me about the Badgers performance this year was what often appeared to be a soft o-line. I didn’t really sense the expected domination and the quarterback selection and play? Why can’t the Badgers get a more capable QB? One would think that a team ranked in preseason in the top ten would have the pull necessary to convince at least a few top prospects all the time. I cannot understand entrusting the whole program to a K-State reject. Maybe some of my facts are wrong, but I also had to look on in amazement when the time out was called against Michigan State. If the team doesn’t look sharper, more disciplined and have a better Quarterback play by next year there should be some questions asked about where things are going. I can’t believe the lost opportunity to beat a Michigan team that almost anybody could beat. I can accept PSU,OSU and Iowa, that is Big 10 Football, but Michigan and Michigan State games were games that Wisconsin just plain lost on their own.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Dirk, good points.

    From most of the Wisconsin fans that I talk to, the consensus seems to be that Bielema gets a mulligan for this year, but that people will not be quite so forgiving if the poor play continues into next season.

    And I agree…you would think that one of these years Wisconsin would be able to pull a difference maker at QB. Maybe the perception that most Wisconsin QBs are just caretakers of a dominant running game works against them?

  • Dirk

    I would think that they could point out that successful Wisconsin QBs have enjoyed some good jobs in the NFL, Bollinger and Sorgi both have NFL contracts, Bevel is an OC at the Vikings. Maybe things will develop better next year. Expectations were very high this year with a better than usual preseason ranking. Injury situation with Travis Beckum didn’t help, not just playing but leadership is lost in that case. Wisconsin has managed to improve their receiving corps over the years, but they deserve someone who can get them the ball more reliably. Alvarez has some “off” years 95 and 2001 and Big Ten conference performance wasn’t always a powerhouse, but he always seemed to manage a brighter side, like the Alamo Bowl Victory against Barnett and Colorado. Somehow even if we were for example 7th or 8th Tied, a bowl victory can do a lot to erase a less than thrilling Big 10 Conference record.