By Johnny Raider (@JohnnnyRaider29)

Another once in a lifetime atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium… in NBC's primetime slot… soiled by a heartbreaking loss to a top-5 opponent. Badger fans were definitely not expecting a win against the mighty number one ducks, but a 16-13 heartbreaking loss in which you led most of the game? That was far from what a lot of us expected. I personally think that's why Fickell decided to fire Phil Longo. 

The entire country saw firsthand what the badgers were capable of doing offensively in the run game with the Walker and Dupree Duo and also defensively holding the best offense in the country to just 16 points. That left us with the question of, “How good could the badgers be with a few slight tweaks?” Well, we have a general idea of the few things holding the badgers back, and that's the predictable offensive play calling along with below-average quarterback play. Like it or not, Braedyn Locke is consistently putting up these same below-average numbers, and that's just unacceptable for a team that has aspirations to be competing with teams like Oregon and Penn State. It has especially been eye-opening these past few weeks. Against Oregon, he completed 12 of his 28 passes for just 96 yards, 1 TD, and a pick. Fickell needed to make a change going into the final stretch, and he felt that letting Longo go was the best move for the badgers. 

So.. What Now? 

Believe it or not, there is still meaningful football left to be played. The new-look Badgers offense has a chance to clinch bowl eligibility this week against a fellow five-win team in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They also have a chance to reach the seven-win mark against archrival Minnesota for the Axe. If the Badgers can take care of business against two very beatable opponents, we can be looking at a very solid bowl game to use as the foundation for the future of the program. 

It will all depend on how the offense can respond to possibly the biggest piece of adversity it has faced since Tyler Van Dyke went down early in the Alabama game. Will they be predictable? Will they have a better run game? How will Braedyn Locke look with a new play caller? All of these questions will be answered by the time Black Friday ends. It will be interesting to see how this storm of adversity unfolds.