Kickoff is now somewhere in the ball park of 24 hours away, depending on if you decided to stroll on campus early and pick up a syllabus, or if you came to the realization that academics can be postponed another week and you picked up this copy on your way to Riley's. Regardless, soon everything unique and sacred that comes with Badger football will once again penetrate our lives.
A few things have been assured to us this summer: Anthony Davis' ankle is no longer an issue of concern according to the senior co-captain; the defense has been re-energized by first-year defensive coordinator Bret Bielema; and inexperienced sophomore quarterback John Stocco has an abundance of weapons at his disposal to ease his transition into Big Ten play.
In spite of this, the biggest uncertainty within the program comes from the man with the utmost job security in the city of Madison.
The days in the Alvarez Era that manufactured back-to-back Rose Bowl triumphs in 1998 and 1999 seem like a distant memory. Wisconsin appeared destined to join the ranks of the elite teams in college football, annually dominating Big Ten competition. However, the program has since taken a step backwards, and a state of mediocrity has set within Madison.
This dilemma only escalated when Barry Alvarez took on the duty of athletic director for the departed Pat Richter earlier this year.
When Barry arrived on campus in 1991 he was an eager young coach from Notre Dame who was dedicated to building a program in Madison. Alvarez accomplished his goal by winning three Big Ten titles and appearing in eight bowl games while consistently packing the seats of Camp Randall. No one can question the impact he has made, but he is far different from the coach he once was.
Over the last four years, Alvarez has made it clear that he is no longer interested in taking the Badgers to the next level. He has become complacent and is no longer concerned when bowl games are played in December rather than January.
Every loss results in the same, redundant press conference as he explains to the media, \Well, we competed, and we're going to look at the film and see where we need to improve."" Those words have quickly lost meaning, and simply being competitive is not the motto of any UW athletic team.
Alvarez has evolved into the symbol of this football team rather than a coach who improves his players. This is apparent as he paces the sidelines without headphones on and curiously stares at the scoreboard to remember how many timeouts remain.
A loss to Northwestern last year was not only humiliating, but it highlighted glaring problems within the organization. Using a timeout after a kickoff and having 12 men on the field were examples during the game of an undisciplined team and an unorganized coaching staff, areas that past championship teams perfected.
I have no problem with Barry taking on the role of AD. It is an ideal position for a man who is looking to socialize with Madison's elite at parties on Lake Monona. Barry has now become more interested in maintaining his bronze skin in the winter than seeking ways to consistently be a force in the conference with the likes of Michigan and Ohio State.
One of the most beneficial moves this university made was appointing Alvarez to take over and build this program from the bottom up. Conversely, times change and so do people. Wisconsin is ready for Barry to step down and hand the leadership over to someone who is similar to himself, only that of the Alvarez 10 years past.
Jon is a junior majoring in journalism and political science. He can be reached for comment at jrmcnamara@wisc.edu.
