USC will play in the Holiday Bowl for a second consecutive season and, on Dec. 30 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, will play Wisconsin for the first time since 1966.
The Trojans, whose Rose Bowl bid ended Saturday night with a loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 Conference championship game, received a fairly high-profile consolation prize.
Wisconsin (9-3) finished No. 23 in the final regular-season Associated Press poll. USC (8-5) is not ranked in that poll but did receive the No. 25 spot in the final College Football Playoff poll.
USC made its first-ever Holiday Bowl appearance last year, in a 45-42 victory over Nebraska.