TCU’s bowl destination may not have been exactly where it wanted to be, but that is not going to stop the Frogs from enjoying their stay.

Head coach Gary Patterson said a trip to the Poinsettia Bowl will give his team another chance to enjoy San Diego, a city the Frogs have become accustomed to, playing two regular season games and a bowl there since 2008.

TCU will visit Sea World and the San Diego Zoo as well as take a tour of a local aircraft carrier, Patterson said.

“They’ve always treated us unbelievably,” Patterson said. “When you come during the regular season, the kids don’t get the chance to enjoy the ambience of the city of San Diego.”

Plus, as Patterson pointed out, the game is being played on Dec. 21, which will allow coaches and players the opportunity to spend Christmas at home with their families, something they did not get to do last year as they prepared for the Rose Bowl.

Patterson said the things players and coaches have to give up – time with their family, breaks during the holidays, etc. – sometimes go unnoticed.

“There’s always trade-offs,” Patterson said. “I don’t think a lot of normal people think about all the sacrifices kids on a college football team make to go do all the things they do.”