Texas Christian @ Wisconsin preview

The Skinny: Outside of the national championship, this is one of the most anticipated matchups of the bowl season. TCU (12-0) completed its second consecutive undefeated regular season, and has a chance to make a major statement against one of the Big Ten’s best, Wisconsin (11-1).

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton has put together another remarkable season, and the Frogs have the top-ranked defense in the country.

Wisconsin finished the season strong, too, winning its last seven games. Perhaps more impressively, the Badgers scored 83, 48 and 70 points in the final three weeks of the regular season. A standout offensive line created running lanes for the trio of James White, Montee Ball and John Clay, and gave quarterback Scott Tolzien plenty of time to dissect defenses.

Point Spread: TCU -2.5. Over/under – 58.5.

Wisconsin’s Edge: The Badgers’ offense is playing as well as any in the country. During their seven-game winning streak to close out the regular season, the Badgers averaged 48.3 points. The Wisconsin offensive line may be the best in the country, and the Badgers have a talented corps of running backs to take advantage of it. Defensively, the Badgers have shown a knack for forcing turnovers with 23 takeaways this season.

TCU’s Edge: Despite an unbeaten record and a lofty BCS ranking, TCU enters the game as the underdog. The Badgers, after all, come from a big-time conference, and have played well of late. But TCU has carved out a competitive program in the talent-rich state of Texas, and has NFL-caliber players on both sides of the ball. Jeremy Kerley is a game-changer on offense and special teams, Dalton is a proven winner and, statistically, the Frogs have the nation’s best defense.

The Quarterbacks: Wisconsin senior quarterback Scott Tolzien has shown he’s one of the most accurate passers in the nation, leading the country in completion percentage (74.3) and posting the fourth-best quarterback rating (169.8).

TCU’s Dalton is the winningest quarterback in school history, and has led the Frogs to back-to-back BCS bowls. This year, Dalton threw for more than 2,600 yards with 26 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He had at least one touchdown pass in every game this year, too.

NFL Prospects: Wisconsin – OT Gabe Carimi; TE Lance Kendricks; OG John Moffitt; QB Scott Tolzien; SS Jay Valai. TCU – OT Marcus Cannon; OLB Wayne Daniels; QB Andy Dalton; C Jake Kirkpatrick; FS Tejay Johnson; WR Jeremy Kerley.

Bowl history: Wisconsin is 11-10 all-time in bowls, and will be making its ninth straight bowl appearance. The Badgers won the Champs Sports Bowl last year. They are back in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2000 and the seventh time in school history. The Badgers have won their last three Rose Bowl games.

TCU is 11-14-1 all-time in bowls, but is 7-4 in bowl games under Gary Patterson. After winning four consecutive bowl games, the Frogs fell to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl last season.

Etc.: Wisconsin and TCU have met once before on the gridiron, playing to a 14-14 tie at Wisconsin in 1970. … The Badgers are 3-3 all-time in the Rose Bowl. … TCU is facing a Big Ten opponent for the first time since a 48-45 double-overtime victory over Northwestern in 2004 season opener.