Gary Patterson’s Christmas has come early.

“What (the NCAA) needs to do is put us with somebody ranked,” head coach Gary Patterson said after TCU’s last game against Air Force Academy. “Put a Boise State with one of our teams in some bowl game if they want a little publicity if Boise doesn’t go to a BCS game.”

“I think they are definitely a BCS team.”

Patterson said he is looking forward to facing the Broncos.

“It should be an outstanding game with a lot of national interest,” Patterson said. “Boise State is a BCS-caliber team, and I have a high admiration for Chris Petersen and his staff.”

This will be the fourth straight year that TCU will be going to a bowl game, posting a 27-24 victory over Iowa State University in the EV1.net Bowl in 2005, a 37-7 victory over Northern Illinois University in the Poinsettia Bowl in 2006 and a 20-13 victory over the University of Houston in the Texas Bowl (formerly the EV1.net Bowl) in 2007.

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton said TCU has put up great success regardless of the loss to Utah back on Nov. 6.

“It kinda stings the way we lost to Utah, but nothing we can do about it anymore,” Dalton said. “This program is for real and we have got a great team here.”

After this season, 22 seniors will be leaving the team and senior linebacker Jason Phillips said to be apart of TCU’s fourth consecutive bowl appearance is special.

“I wish we beat Utah, because I’d love to play in a BCS game,” Phillips said. “(Four straight bowls) shows what kind of a program we have here, coach Patterson has done a great job building it up.”

Patterson said as long as the bowl treats them nicely, he didn’t matter where they played.

“Bowl games are something the kids remember for the rest of their lives,” Patterson said. “All of us were extremely impressed with the Poinsettia Bowl on our last visit in 2006. It was a great experience and we were treated unbelievably.”

The last time these two teams met was Dec. 23, 2003 when both played in the Fort Worth Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Boise State defeated the Frogs 34-31.

In the first three Poinsettia Bowls: Navy crushed Colorado State 51-30 in 2005, TCU demolished Northern Illinois 37-7 in 2006 and last year Utah defeated Navy 35-32.