Alvarez: Lambeau, the Big Ten and the challenge of scheduling
September 01, 2016 | Football
First game in Green Bay will be a win-win, but building football schedules is a complex task
BY BARRY ALVAREZ
UW Director of Athletics
I'm really excited to see us play against a very talented LSU team. Our players have embraced the strength of our schedule, one of the toughest in college football, especially within the Big Ten.
I know everyone in Green Bay is really looking forward to this game. They're even putting up big screens in the parking lots for people to watch. They project well over 100,000 will be in town.
Requests and demands for tickets have been off the charts. I've been getting calls from all over the last two weeks. There has been a big push with people trying to find tickets.
The economic impact in Green Bay should be over the top.
The presence of ESPN College GameDay speaks to the magnitude of the game. We're not rated but we're obviously a big enough name and have had enough success that we still command respect.
It has been a lot of fun to see all of this all come together.Â
The Packers have been very easy to work with from an organizational standpoint. Anytime we've dealt with them on anything, they've been more than cooperative.
They want to work with us, they want to be partners with us and they want to assist us in any way they can. And to get this type of exposure and experience for our players benefits us.
I've been asked about possibly staging another game like this one at Lambeau. Murph (Packers president Mark Murphy) would really like to have this happen again. So we're looking into it.
Nationally, you're seeing more and more of these big matchups on the first weekend. You're giving the fans what they want. And your inventory for TV is more interesting and much more valuable.
As far as scheduling home-and-home series, it's hard to do. If we can find the right one with somebody, we'd work with it and see if we'd be able to do it. I'll keep looking.
But it's difficult to go in that direction when there are games like this available. The other thing to consider is the nine-game Big Ten schedule. Every other year, you're going to have four league games at home. That means you're going to want to also play your three non-conference games at home. It's more of a balancing act than anything.
Like I said earlier, I'm excited to see us in action and anxious for the start of the season. We can be strong defensively again and we'll be much improved in the running game.
I think we're going to get some help from the freshmen wide receivers. They're talented, they can take the top off the defense and they can run. And that's much needed.
I'd like for us to be able to stay healthy on the offensive line -- to have some consistency so we can improve throughout the year rather than having different combinations from week to week.
It was amazing that we were able to accomplish what we did last year with an O-line that was as young and patched up at it was. All of which contributed to a lack of continuity and consistency. We're maybe two years away from being really deep and really good on the offensive line. We've got some good young players in the program right now that look the part.
Going into the season, I like the message that Paul has sent this team about the tough schedule. You also hear the players talking about enjoying and relishing a schedule like this one.
When the older kids were being recruited, they watched Wisconsin play the likes of Michigan and Michigan State and Ohio State. And then they got here and they have yet to play any of them.
They came here to play quality opponents. That's part of the lure of coming to the Big Ten -- playing in sold-out stadiums against some of the marquee teams in the country.
I looked at our initial schedules when the conference went to 14 teams and we didn't draw any of these guys. Now, all of a sudden, we get them all in the next couple of years. You have no say in that. You just have to play whoever you're scheduled to play.
Overall, I believe we're going to have a very solid team. But along the way, you need breaks, you need to stay healthy and you need to continue to improve.
With the schedule we have, you need consistency and the guys need to know they're getting better every week. The only way you can do that is to have the same guys on the field.
There are challenges. But I'm optimistic and excited to see what this season brings.
UW Director of Athletics
I'm really excited to see us play against a very talented LSU team. Our players have embraced the strength of our schedule, one of the toughest in college football, especially within the Big Ten.
I know everyone in Green Bay is really looking forward to this game. They're even putting up big screens in the parking lots for people to watch. They project well over 100,000 will be in town.
Requests and demands for tickets have been off the charts. I've been getting calls from all over the last two weeks. There has been a big push with people trying to find tickets.
The economic impact in Green Bay should be over the top.
The presence of ESPN College GameDay speaks to the magnitude of the game. We're not rated but we're obviously a big enough name and have had enough success that we still command respect.
It has been a lot of fun to see all of this all come together.Â
The Packers have been very easy to work with from an organizational standpoint. Anytime we've dealt with them on anything, they've been more than cooperative.
They want to work with us, they want to be partners with us and they want to assist us in any way they can. And to get this type of exposure and experience for our players benefits us.
I've been asked about possibly staging another game like this one at Lambeau. Murph (Packers president Mark Murphy) would really like to have this happen again. So we're looking into it.
Nationally, you're seeing more and more of these big matchups on the first weekend. You're giving the fans what they want. And your inventory for TV is more interesting and much more valuable.
As far as scheduling home-and-home series, it's hard to do. If we can find the right one with somebody, we'd work with it and see if we'd be able to do it. I'll keep looking.
But it's difficult to go in that direction when there are games like this available. The other thing to consider is the nine-game Big Ten schedule. Every other year, you're going to have four league games at home. That means you're going to want to also play your three non-conference games at home. It's more of a balancing act than anything.
Like I said earlier, I'm excited to see us in action and anxious for the start of the season. We can be strong defensively again and we'll be much improved in the running game.
I think we're going to get some help from the freshmen wide receivers. They're talented, they can take the top off the defense and they can run. And that's much needed.
I'd like for us to be able to stay healthy on the offensive line -- to have some consistency so we can improve throughout the year rather than having different combinations from week to week.
It was amazing that we were able to accomplish what we did last year with an O-line that was as young and patched up at it was. All of which contributed to a lack of continuity and consistency. We're maybe two years away from being really deep and really good on the offensive line. We've got some good young players in the program right now that look the part.
Going into the season, I like the message that Paul has sent this team about the tough schedule. You also hear the players talking about enjoying and relishing a schedule like this one.
When the older kids were being recruited, they watched Wisconsin play the likes of Michigan and Michigan State and Ohio State. And then they got here and they have yet to play any of them.
They came here to play quality opponents. That's part of the lure of coming to the Big Ten -- playing in sold-out stadiums against some of the marquee teams in the country.
I looked at our initial schedules when the conference went to 14 teams and we didn't draw any of these guys. Now, all of a sudden, we get them all in the next couple of years. You have no say in that. You just have to play whoever you're scheduled to play.
Overall, I believe we're going to have a very solid team. But along the way, you need breaks, you need to stay healthy and you need to continue to improve.
With the schedule we have, you need consistency and the guys need to know they're getting better every week. The only way you can do that is to have the same guys on the field.
There are challenges. But I'm optimistic and excited to see what this season brings.
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