FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Bret Bielema is taking his brand of power football to Arkansas, leaving Wisconsin after seven seasons.

Arkansas released a statement Tuesday night saying Bielema has agreed to a contract to take over the program reeling after the firing of former coach Bobby Petrino.

Bielema will earn $3.2 million annually for six years in his new job at Arkansas, which will also pay its new coach's $1 million buyout to Wisconsin. Arkansas on Wednesday released its signed letter of agreement with Bielema, which includes another $700,000 in annual incentives.

Bielema, Barry Alvarez's hand-picked successor at Wisconsin, was 68-24 with the Badgers, with four double-digit win seasons. He coached Wisconsin to a 17-14 victory over Arkansas in his first season at the Capital One Bowl.

ESPN reported Bielema wants to coach the team in the Rose Bowl presented by Vizio, but it's unknown if Alvarez will want him to. A source close to Alvarez told ESPN that Alvarez would consider coaching the team himself in the bowl game.

Bielema is leaving the Big Ten for the Southeastern Conference and a Razorbacks program that opened the year with a top 10 ranking and hopes of challenging for a national championship, only to get mired in Petrino's infidelity scandal before stumbling to a 4-8 finish.

"His tough, aggressive style of play has been successful and will be appealing to student-athletes and Razorback fans," Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said of Bielema in a statement. "He not only shares the vision and values for the future of Arkansas football, he embraces them."

The move was the second stunning hire this year at Arkansas, which brought in John L. Smith as the interim coach after firing Petrino for hiring his mistress to work in the athletic department. Long announced after the season that Smith would not return.

Bielema seems likely to bring a far different approach than what the Razorbacks have become accustomed to. Arkansas continually ranked among the SEC's best passing teams under Petrino, while Bielema is known for his dominant offensive lines and slew of running backs.

"During my conversation with Jeff, he described the characteristics for the perfect fit to lead this program," Bielema said in a statement. "It was evident we share the same mission, principles and goals."

Wisconsin running back Montee Ball tied Barry Sanders' long-standing single-season record of 39 touchdowns last year. He became the FBS career leader this year with 82 touchdowns after running for three Saturday night in the Big Ten title game against Nebraska -- a 70-31 romp that secured the Badgers' third straight trip to the Rose Bowl, where they will play Stanford on Jan. 1.