Barry Alvarez to coach Wisconsin in Rose Bowl

Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez will coach the Badgers in the Rose Bowl, the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison reported.

A person close to the football program said the team’s captains reached out to Alvarez and asked him to coach the team. Alvarez said he would be “honored” to do so.

A news conference has been set up for Thursday morning in which Alvarez will address the departure of coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas.

Alvarez, who retired from coaching following the 2005 season, has a 3-0 record in the Rose Bowl, with the wins coming in 1994, 1999 and 2000.

Another person close to the Wisconsin athletic department said Alvarez has been in contact with Boise State Coach Chris Petersen and an interview could happen as early as Monday, the State Journal reported.

Cal hires Sonny Dykes

California has hired Louisiana Tech Coach Sonny Dykes in hopes that the offensive mastermind can revive a program that struggled in recent years under the fired Jeff Tedford.

Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced the hire Wednesday night. Dykes will be formally introduced at a news conference Thursday.

Dykes had a 22-15 record with the Bulldogs, averaging 35.9 points and 452.5 yards per game in his tenure. He takes over a Cal team that was 3-9 this season and missed a bowl for the second time in three years.

Etc.

Darrell Hazell spent most of his coaching career telling others to “be great.” Now he’ll try to live up to that message at Purdue.

Boilermakers Athletic Director Morgan Burke hired the 48-year-old Kent State coach to lead the school dubbed as the Cradle of Quarterbacks out of mediocrity, back into national prominence and presumably back to a Rose Bowl.

Hazell broke the news to his players during a Wednesday morning meeting after a day and night filled with speculation about his future.

Hazell won this season’s Mid-American Conference coach of the year award after leading Kent State to its first winning season since 2001, first bowl appearance in more than four decades and the brink of a BCS bowl game.

Kent State hired Hazell in December 2010 and led the Golden Flashes to a 5-7 mark (4-4 MAC) and a third-place finish in his first season as a head coach. This year, Hazell’s squad is 11-2 (8-0) and won the MAC East, and he risked losing the Purdue job when he told school officials he would wait to discuss the vacancy until after the MAC championship game.

The Golden Flashes are set to play Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6 in Mobile, Ala.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o won the Lombardi Award as college football’s

best lineman or linebacker.

Te’o, also a Heisman Trophy finalist, had 103 tackles and seven interceptions this season to help the undefeated Fighting Irish reach the BCS championship game against Alabama.