Wisconsin is Firing Paul Chryst

The Minnesota Gophers suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 20-10 vs the Purdue Boilermakers. But things could be worse. We could be the Wisconsin Badgers, a 2-3 football team that just fired their head coach.

Yes, that Wisconsin. They’re firing 7-year head coach, Paul Chryst. This, according to a bombshell report via ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg this evening.

SOURCE: Paul Chryst is out as #Wisconsin coach. Jim Leonhard will be the team’s interim coach. Announcement will be coming shortly.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 2, 2022

Badger Dominance

My mind was blown when this news was brought to my attention. The Wisconsin Badgers have dominated the Big Ten West since its creation in 2014. For three years before that (2011-2013), the conference was split into “Legends” and “Leaders” divisions.

Not only did the Badgers win two of three “Leaders” championships, back then. They took home the Big Ten crown both of those seasons, too. In total, since Big Ten football split into divisions back in 2011, Wisconsin has won 6 of a possible 11 division titles (and two Big Ten championships).

Outside of Ohio State, Wisconsin has been the most dominant football program in the Big Ten conference for the better part of 15 years. Paul Chryst has been the head coach at Wisconsin since 2015. He has three Big Ten West championships in that time.

But, all of that dominance couldn’t save his job. The Wisconsin Badgers have failed to win the Big Ten West for two straight seasons. At 2-3, it’s likely that streak reaches three. Apparently, that was too much for the Badger faithful to handle. One thing is for sure. This Gopher fan won’t miss Paul Chryst even a little bit.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan