Barry Alvarez took over a bad Wiscy team in Jan 1990
1990 1-10, 0-8 (overall, conf)
1991 5-6, 2-6
1992 5-6 3-5
1991 featured
31-13 win vs WIU
7-6 win vs Iowa St
21-6 win vs Eastern Mich
19-16 win over Minny (1-7 in conference that year)
32-14 win over Nothwestern (2-8 in conference that year)
1992 featured
39-18 win vs Bowling Green
18-17 win vs NIU
20-16 win over O$U (5-2-1 that year)
19-16 win vs Purdue (3-5)
34-6 win over Minny (2-6)
25-27 loss to Northwestern (3-5)
This is about as similar a situation that Lovie walked into. Alvarez had probably a more than a little edge on Lovie , college coaching-wise, as he had been a college LB coach at Iowa under Fry from 79-86, LB coach in 87 and then DC in 88-89 at NotreDame under Holtz. Those jobs, and the timing of when he got the Wiscy job (normal college carousel), allowed him to at least do a little recruiting.
Although Wiscy fans were al least given a little more to cheer about in year 2 than we were, they were not ready to crown him a god . They were still very skeptical.
Then the 1993 team caught lightning in a bottle and tied for 1st in the B1G and went to the Rose Bowl. That was what earned him the goodwill of the fandom and to his credit started winning more games than he lost most years thereafter.
Lovie needs to get the benefit of 5 years. We need to win a couple B1G games this year and anything less than 4-8 will be disappointing to most. No one is expecting much more than that.
Our situation in March 2016, was seriously about as dire a scenario for a Power 5 school , that I can recall , in the last 15 years. Right there with Kansas , in fact, worse imo. They don't have an anxious football fandom like we do. They are 100% all about hoops there.
Done correctly and within the rules, its not a quick fix with us. Our admin screwed the pooch when Mackovic left and then Turner and Guenther did the same after 2001. The football guy can be blamed for most of the mess we are in.