Barry Alvarez to coach Rose Bowl

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Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez will return to the sideline to coach the Badgers against Stanford in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, former coach Bret Bielema said at his introductory news conference at Arkansas on Wednesday.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that Alvarez will coach in the bowl game on New Year's Day as a one-game comeback to coaching.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that team captains asked Alvarez to coach the team, and he agreed to do so.

Bielema, who lost the previous two Rose Bowls and became coach at Arkansas on Tuesday, joked, "They might finally win one."

Earlier in the day, Alvarez told the Wall Street Journal that he had not ruled out coaching the team and that he would announce his decision on Thursday. Wisconsin has scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning.

Alvarez is a College Football Hall of Famer who led the Badgers to three Rose Bowl wins. He retired in 2005, turning the program over to his handpicked successor, Bielema.

ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski contributed to this report.

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Brian Bennett | email

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• ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
• Joined ESPN.com in 2008
• Wrote for The Courier-Journal