TCU hopes to make history vs Wisconsin in Rose

Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien has completed nearly 75 percent of his passes in its sneakily effective passing game, while TCU's 4-2-5 defense and flexible offense sometimes mask its strong fundamentals and pure athleticism.

"They'll give you a ton of formations, but only run a handful of plays out of those," Wisconsin defensive back Aaron Henry said. "They do have some guys that can fly, though. One to five, this is probably going to be the fastest receiving corps we've faced all year."

Both coaches have been careful to keep history in mind throughout their week in southern California. While Patterson says he doesn't need to remind his team about the stakes, Bielema was brought to tears at Friday's final news conference when he spoke about the importance of the game to Wisconsin football tradition.

Bielema and Patterson already have thought about what they'll say to their players before taking the field.

"In our own minds, we're playing for the national title," Patterson said. "Because if you win the Rose Bowl and nobody else beat you all year, that's something special."

New Year's Day games

TicketCity Bowl at Dallas

Northwestern (7-5) vs. Texas Tech (7-5), 10 a.m. (ESPNU)

Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

Michigan State (11-1) vs. Alabama (9-3), 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.

Florida (7-5) vs. Penn State (7-5), 11 a.m. (ABC)

Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.

Michigan (7-5) vs. Mississippi State (8-4), 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)

Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.

TCU (12-0) vs. Wisconsin (11-1), 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.

Connecticut (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (11-2), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)