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Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is urging fans to show ''class and dignity'' on Saturday when the 15th-ranked Badgers host No. 20 Penn State.
Alvarez says the school is hanging a large blue ribbon on the UW Field House near Camp Randall Stadium to encourage awareness of the ''serious issue of child abuse.''
Dean of students Lori Berquam said the ''allegations of horrific conduct'' surrounding the Penn State program are a reason to ''show Penn State our best, both on and off the field of play.'' Penn State is reeling after accusations that former coach Jerry Sandusky molested boys for years.
Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley said he had spoken with Alvarez.
''He said they would do something in memory of the victims and the situation. But he wanted to make sure that we were OK if we just went up and played football,'' he said. ''And they would handle the rest.''
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 20-14 win at Ohio State, and Bradley praised the Buckeyes' fans.
''I take my hat off to the class of their fans, for them to cheer our team as we came off the field for warmups with a standing ovation,'' he said. ''Big-league class from the Ohio State fans. And I thank them; it meant a lot. And they should be awful proud of their team and their university.''
Earlier this season, Alvarez and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema tried to discourage fans from yelling obscenity-laced cheers. Bradley said he is familiar with Camp Randall Stadium and the tradition of playing House of Pain's ''Jump Around'' to fire up the fans.
''I get it. I've been there before. Great college football,'' he said. ''Good thing we're playing for a championship. So, it doesn't get any better than that.''
