LSU and Wisconsin haven’t played each other much over the years.

But much of their familiarity has come in the past decade.

The Tigers and the Badgers have met just 4 times, and LSU has won 3 of those matchups. A 5th meeting will take place on New Year’s Day in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl) in Tampa, Fla.

The Tigers defeated Wisconsin in 1971 in Madison, Wis.; in 1972 in Baton Rouge; and in 2014 in Houston. The Badgers’ only victory in the brief series was a 16-14 triumph to start the 2016 season in Green Bay, Wis.

No. 13 LSU is 9-3 (6-2 SEC) and will be seeking its 2nd consecutive 10-win season. Wisconsin is 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten).

Here are 5 things to know about the Tigers’ bowl opponent:

1. Coaching ties

Badgers 1st-year coach Luke Fickell, like LSU 2nd-year coach Brian Kelly, is a former University of Cincinnati head coach. Fickell left the Bearcats after last season to succeed the fired Paul Chryst.

Kelly coached at Cincinnati from 2006-09 before leaving the Bearcats to become head coach at Notre Dame.

Additionally, Kelly’s offensive coordinator, Mike Denbrock, left Fickell’s Cincinnati staff to join Kelly in Baton Rouge. Denbrock is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach.

2. Bouncing back

The Badgers hit a 3-game skid during the 2nd half of the season, beginning with a tough 24-10 home loss to Ohio State. The Badgers hung with the Buckeyes for much of the game but came away with a disappointing result.

The disappointment continued for 2 more weeks as Wisconsin lost at Indiana, 20-14, and at home to Northwestern, 24-10.

But the Badgers regrouped and played better to close out the regular season.

They won their home finale against Nebraska, 24-17, and the regular-season finale at Minnesota, 28-14, to produce a 2-game winning streak heading into the bowl game.

3. Middle of the pack

LSU enters the bowl game with a clear identity.

The Tigers have the most dynamic player (quarterback Jayden Daniels) on the most dynamic offense in college football. It also has a defense that has struggled for much of the season.

But the Badgers aren’t exceptionally good — or exceptionally bad — on either side of the ball. This characteristic is demonstrated by their rankings in the Big Ten team statistics.

Wisconsin is tied for 7th in the 14-team league in scoring (22.8 points per game) and 6th in scoring defense (18.9). It is 7th in total offense (370.1 yards per game) — 6th in rushing offense (1,985 yards) and 7th in passing offense (2,483).

The Badgers are 8th in total defense (331.4 yards per game) — 7th in run defense (1,660) and 8th in pass defense (2,317).

In other words, the Tigers are facing an average offense (in both rushing and passing) and an average defense (against both the run and the pass) — at least relative to Big Ten standards.

4. Changing offense

Those statistics show that the Badgers under Fickell are not defined by an elite power running game, as they generally have been recently.

But they have been an effective rushing offense when they have had Braelon Allen available and healthy. The team averaged 186.3 rushing yards when he was healthy, but he missed the Indiana game and was limited in the losses to Ohio State and Northwestern because of an ankle injury.

He was back in form for the regular-season finale, rushing for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. But unfortunately for Wisconsin, that was the last game of his college career because he announced he was moving on to prepare for the NFL Draft.

So if the Badgers are going to take advantage of an LSU defense that has been susceptible to big plays and points, someone other than Allen will have to lead the rushing attack.

Wisconsin might need to lean more on quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who also has missed time due to injury but appears to be healthy.

He’s a 6th-year senior who played previously at Oklahoma and SMU and has plenty of experience in big games.

The Badgers had a 6-3 record in games that Mordecai started this season.

5. Big-time bowlers

Wisconsin is used to having success in bowl games.

The Badgers have won their past 3 bowl games and 8 of their past 9.

They defeated Oklahoma State last season, Arizona State 2 years ago and Wake Forest 3 years ago.

Their only bowl loss in the past 9 was a 28-27 defeat against Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020.

The last time they played an SEC team in a bowl game was also the last time they played in the bowl game they’re headed to this season. They beat Auburn, 34-31, in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015.