Replacing Barry Alvarez as the University of Wisconsin’s athletic director will be both a tremendous opportunity and challenge.

UW is looking for Alvarez’s successor after he announced Tuesday he was retiring after 17-plus years at the helm of the athletic department. With sweeping changes coming to the way college sports are run, UW’s next leader needs to be capable of leading the Badgers into a new era.

Here are some potential candidates that UW might consider: