FORT WORTH, Texas (Ticker) -- No. 16 Boise State plays a bowl game away from home for the first time as it heads to the Lone Star State to take on 19th-ranked Texas Christian in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl.
The Broncos (12-1) have grown accustomed to staying home for the holidays, playing in three of the last four Humanitarian Bowls on their blue turf, where they have won 32 of their last 33 games.
But this year the roles are reversed as Boise State will be playing what amounts to a road game in their first meeting with the Horned Frogs. The battle with TCU is a matchup of two of the top teams not in the BCS.
The Horned Frogs, the runner-up in Conference USA, originally were selected for the GMAC Bowl, but turned down the invitation because it conflicted with final exams. The Horned Frogs opted for the Fort Worth Bowl, which is a week later than the GMAC Bowl.
Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie, the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, will be making the final appearance of his stellar career.
Dinwiddie completed 257-of-411 passes for 4,031 yards and 28 touchdowns, setting single-season school records for passing yards, completions and attempts. He became the first player in school history to pass for for more than 4,000 yards in one year.
Boise State, which is 24-2 the last two seasons, completed its second straight undefeated campaign in the WAC with a 45-28 victory over Hawaii. The Broncos have won 10 straight overall.
TCU (11-1) enjoyed its best season since winning the national championship in 1938 and threatened to crash the BCS party before suffering a 40-28 loss to Southern Mississippi in a game that decided the Conference USA title.
Still, the Horned Frogs may have something to prove. Even though they won their first 10 games, the Horned Frogs were not always impressive doing it. TCU won five games by exactly three points and struggled to beat winless Southern Methodist, 20-13, in its final regular season contest.
The Horned Frogs likely need their defense to slow down Boise State's potent offense since they do not have the firepower to match the Broncos. TCU's top offensive weapon is Robert Merrill, who rushed for a school freshman record 1,081 yards.
Six Boise State players were ruled academically inelgible for the game on Saturday, but the only starter of the group is guard Tyrone Tutogi.
TCU will be without starting center Chase Johnson, who was among five player suspended Monday for a violation of team rules.
