The Valero Alamo Bowl gives the Arizona Wildcats the chance to do something they have failed to do for the last four games — win.

Arizona has three weeks to prepare for its showdown with the No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 29.

After ending the season with four straight losses, the Wildcats need to show up to alleviate the hard feelings left but the double-overtime, one-point loss to ASU to end the season.

“”Just to go out there and get a win. That’ll be the best thing for us,”” cornerback Trevin Wade said. “”We kind of want to get back on the winning track. That’s been our whole thing the last couple of weeks.””

The Alamo Bowl also represents a shot at redemption for the Wildcats, who were shutout in the 2009 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl by Nebraska.

The selection to the Alamo Bowl marks the third consecutive year the Wildcats (7-5, 4-5 Pacific 10 Conference) have been selected to a bowl game, matching their best streak from 1992-94. The shot to end the season on a high note is something that receiver and Texas-native David Douglas is eagerly awaiting.

“”It’s no fun losing games, and I promise you that anybody who’s a competitor knows the feeling of how it feels to lose four,”” Douglas said. “”To go through a month of losses is not any fun. We’re still motivated. It’s kind of a new game for us.

“”I really couldn’t be any more fired up about playing in a bowl game,”” Douglas said.

Arizona is the first Pac-10 representative to be selected to the Alamo Bowl since the bowl paid $3 million to replace the Bridgepointe Education Holiday Bowl as the conference’s second place bowl this year. No. 2 Oregon was selected to BCS National Championship and No. 4 Stanford placed in the Orange Bowl, and the selection committee selected Arizona, despite the four game slide.

The Wildcats defense, which struggled against the Pac-10’s top opponents like Stanford, USC and Oregon, won’t see any sort of let down against the Cowboys (10-2, 6-2 Big 12 South).  Oklahoma State leads the nation in total offense with an average 537.58 yards per game.

They also tout the nation’s second-ranked passing game and the Big 12 rushing leader in running back Kendall Hunter.

Wade said the Wildcats would use the three-week span leading up to the game to work on ball drills and getting their hands on the interceptions against quarterback Brandon Beedon.

“”I think it’s going to be fun for us because they like to throw and pass and run-and-gun, and I think it’ll be a real fun game to get some opportunities,”” Wade said.

Despite the gap between game times, some rest may be exactly what Arizona’s defense needs.

While the Wildcats had this week off, they said that focusing once workouts resume is going to be critical to showing up at the Alamodome.

“”It’s going to be really important,”” Wade said. “”We’re going to have to take every day really seriously, like we have that game the next day.””

While preparation will be key for head coach Mike Stoops and the Wildcats, the game could mean more to the 2011 season, at least according to Douglas.

“”It could be something that kick starts and gets us going in the off-season,”” he said. “”As a team, we know what we’ve got and we’re still a confident bunch of guys and we’ll be ready to go.””