MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez is content to bask in the Rose Bowl glow a while longer before learning whether the Badgers will face UCLA or Arizona on New Year's Day.
"This is pretty good stuff," Alvarez said with a smile, leaning back in his chair. "It's nice to sit back and enjoy it and not have a sense of urgency that you have to have something done by Saturday."Tournament of Roses president Dick Ratcliff presented a dozen red roses to the coach Tuesday in recognition of his team's spot in the game.
Wisconsin's opponent could be Pac-10 champion UCLA. But if UCLA beats Miami on Saturday, it likely would advance to the national championship game at the Fiesta Bowl, and the Rose Bowl bid would go to Arizona.
"Whether UCLA comes or possibly Arizona, in either event, those are the teams we're looking at," Ratcliff said.
Wisconsin secured its Rose Bowl invitation when it beat Penn State 24-3 on Nov. 21 while Ohio State defeated Michigan. The Badgers were formally invited four days later to the postseason bowl.
The Badgers took several days off from practice, but resumed running and weightlifting this week, sports information director Steve Malchow said. Full practice will begin Friday.
"We'll use this weekend not so much to game-plan anything or to prepare for our opponent, but just to get our timing back and keep our rhythm," Alvarez said.
Alvarez said he plans to watch the UCLA-Miami matchup on Saturday.
"I'd like to know who we're going to play," he said. "We'll do some preparation for both this week."
He knows little about UCLA or Arizona but knows both are "very skilled," he said. Both have speed and are capable of making big plays, he said.
Junior linebacker Donnel Thompson said it doesn't matter which team he plays in the game in Pasadena, Calif.
"All we have to do is worry about ourselves and concentrate on what we do," Thompson said.