KALAMAZOO, MI -- P.J. Fleck didn't have a ball of cotton in his pocket during Friday night's Mid-American Conference championship game for nothing.

As he has throughout his four-year reign as Western Michigan's football coach, Fleck once again proved prophetic. The Broncos (13-0) were officially announced this afternoon for a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic Jan. 2 in Arlington, Texas.

The Broncos will take on Wisconsin (10-3) at AT&T Stadium in the New Year's Six bowl. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The formal announcement today was made on ESPN, and WMU's football team assembled with fans at University Arena to watch on the big screen. When WMU's name showed on the screen opposite Wisconsin, an eruption of cheers came from the players and others gathered for the special occasion.

The Broncos are coming off a 29-23 MAC title-game victory over Ohio Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit. Wisconsin, meanwhile, fell to Penn State Saturday evening in the Big Ten championship game, 38-31.

WMU finished No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Wisconsin, champion of the Big Ten West Division, was No. 8 in the CFP listing.

WMU players Keion Adams, Corey Davis and Zach Terrell took the mic and addressed the audience after the announcement was made. Fleck took the mic last and gave a passionate speech to the crowd about "rowing the boat," which is his and WMU's mantra.

"Way to row the boat, everybody," Fleck opened in his address.

Moments later, he pulled the aforementioned cotton ball out of his pocket.

Fleck closed with, "We'll see you in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 2. Row the boat!" A few minutes later, he joined ESPN live for an interview as he stood near the free-throw line area on the University Arena floor.

After the win over Ohio Friday, Fleck made an impassioned statement about his team's worthiness for the Cotton Bowl.

WMU is the only the second MAC school to earn a New Year's Six or BCS bid. Northern Illinois played in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013.

This is the Broncos' eighth bowl appearance in program history. They notched the program's first-ever bowl victory last December with a 45-31 win over Middle Tennessee State in the Bahamas Bowl.