This weekend, Barry Alvarez will coach his last game at Camp Randall Stadium in Wisconsin’s home closer against Iowa.

“We’ve come a long way and accomplished a lot of things here,” Alvarez said. “For 16 seasons here, we’ve always celebrated our seniors, and I don’t want to take anything away from our seniors and what this game means to them and what they’ve meant to our program.”

Following stints at Iowa and Notre Dame, Alvarez has won more than 100 games and three Rose Bowls in 16 seasons at Wisconsin. He will retire as coach at the end of this season to focus on his duties as Athletic Director.

While Alvarez downplayed the significance, other coaches around the Big Ten are offering praise of his tenure in Madison, Wis.

“Once that team started playing the way that they did under Barry’s leadership, its just been a tough place to play in,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “(Before Alvarez) they were really a team you didn’t even have to practice for.”

Minnesota coach Glen Mason suggested Wisconsin honor Alvarez by renaming the playing surface after him. Others, such as Penn State’s elder statesman Joe Paterno, expressed dismay at Alvarez leaving the coaches’ ranks.

“He said he might come up this winter with the Wisconsin basketball team,” Paterno said. “I said, ‘If you’re gonna do that, we’re going out to dinner and you’re gonna give me some advice.’ “

without a leg to stant-on

After starting 4-0 Michigan State has faultered, going 1-4 in their last five games. While quarterback Drew Stanton’s numbers have been less impressive as the season has progressed, coach John L. Smith insists that Stanton is not wavering.

“Drew’s a confident young man, and he understands that he does have abilities,” Smith said. “He’s a tremendous leader.”

Stanton recorded 13 touchdowns during the Spartans’ first four games, including a five-touchdown day at Illinois. Since then, Stanton’s production has dropped, as he has thrown only six touchdowns in the last five games.

During that stretch, Stanton has also thrown six interceptions, including a miserable day against Northwestern when he turned over the ball four times.

Smith insists the problem has not been Stanton, but rather the personnel around him that has been responsible for Michigan State’s precipitous drop in the standings.

“He’s almost tried to take too much on his shoulders,” Smith said. “When the team struggles, he has that tendency to want to do more.

“We’d surely rather have him here than elsewhere.”

PEOPLE WHO LOSE ARE CALLED –

Of the many changes that Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner has adapted to in his first year in Bloomington, the biggest may be losing.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve not been involved with a winning season,” Hoeppner said. “We still have a chance to have that. The test is very tough and we have no margin of error.”

Hoeppner previously coached at Miami of Ohio, a perennial contender in the MAC Conference. During his tenure, the Redhawks routinely upset opponents from major conferences. In 2003, Miami (Ohio) finished with a top-10 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Indiana’s hopes for a winning season and its first bowl appearance in 12 years are still alive. But the task is difficult, with Michigan and Purdue left on the schedule. The Hoosiers have only one Big Ten win, against hapless Illinois.

Hoeppner is upbeat despite the odds, insisting that Indiana has already surpassed expectations.

“We’re not the only team in the country that’s facing this,” Hoeppner said. “I’m not the only coach in the country that’s facing it, so we’re gonna face it head on.

“We have no problems. Just opportunities.”

Reach David Kalan at [email protected].