Luke Fickell makes himself clear about matchup against Ohio State: 'This is not about me'

Coach Fickell Calls for Focus on Team, Not His Past, as Badgers Prep for Ohio State Showdown

April 23, 2011; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes assistant coach Luke Fickell coaches the Gray team during the spring game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports / © Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell not only played at Ohio State, but he also spent a long time there as an assistant head coach, where he was part of two National Championship teams. Heck, the Badgers coach was even born in Columbus, Ohio. Despite all of his ties to the Buckeyes, when Wisconsin hosts Ohio State this coming Saturday at Camp Randall, he does not want it to be about him.

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It's Not About Fickell, It's About The Badgers

On Monday, Fickell spoke to reporters about Wisconsin's upcoming battle against Ohio State, and he wanted to be absolutely clear about one thing. This is not about him.

"It's not about me," Fickell said at his Monday news conference. "I know we have some guys on our staff -- myself included -- that have some obvious history there, whether they went to school there or played there. But that's not what it's about."

"It's about our team," Fickell said. "It's about our program. It's about the journey we're on and the process we're in, not the specifics of, 'Hey, you went to school there. Hey, you played there. Hey, you've got guys on your staff from there.' When the ball's kicked off, that will have absolutely no effect on anything that happens on that field. So we try to just focus on the things that will have the greatest effect on Saturday night."

Jan 10, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Luke Fickell is interviewed during Media day at Dallas Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports / © Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Coming Off A Big Win

This past Saturday, the Badgers found themselves at a crossroads. They could either win at Illinois and keep themselves in the Big Ten West race, or lose and find themselves further down in the standings. Heading into the fourth quarter, it appeared as if Wisconsin was going to lose the game as they were down by 14 points. Rather than conceding the win to the Fighting Illini, the Badgers stormed back to outscore Illinois 18-0 in the final quarter to walk away with a 25-21 road win.

"That was probably to me more exciting than the win itself, was to see how our guys handled, how they came back and to show that will and that passion that I needed to see from us," Fickell said.

Where They Stand

Wisconsin's big comeback win at Illinois was not the only good news for the Badgers on Saturday as Iowa, who had been in first place in the Big Ten West, lost at home to Minnesota. With those results, Wisconsin once again controls its own destiny in the Big Ten West. With that being said, if the Buckeyes lose to Ohio State, they will move back into a tie for first place with Iowa, who does not play this week. The problem is that the Hawkeyes own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Wisconsin.

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