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BCS snubs Boise State, TCU to square off in Poinsettia Bowl

Dec 23, 2008 - 12:17 PM (9) Boise State (12-0) vs. (11) TCU (10-2), 8:00 pm EST

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Boise State and Texas Christian both harbored dreams of playing in a BCS bowl this season.

Instead, the ninth-ranked Broncos and 11th-ranked Horned Frogs will have to settle for a Tuesday matchup in the Poinsettia Bowl, which could prove to be this season's most exciting non-BCS bowl.

One of only two undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Boise State (12-0) was the most notable snub from the BCS, which selected unbeaten Utah for the Sugar Bowl and powerhouse Ohio State for the Fiesta Bowl.

The Broncos, who won their sixth WAC championship this season, finished ninth in the final BCS standings, three spots behind Utah but one place in front of Ohio State.

But Boise State, which authored one of the greatest upsets in college football history with its overtime stunner of Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, will be on the outside looking in at this year's BCS picture.

The Broncos now will have to focus their attention on TCU (10-2), which finished 11th in the BCS standings and boasts the nation's second-ranked defense.

"They're as good of a team as we've seen this year," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "All their rankings on defense are deserved. It will present a tremendous challenge to us without question."

The Horned Frogs finished second in the Mountain West Conference, suffering their only losses of the season against top-ranked Oklahoma (35-10 on September 27) and Utah (13-10 on November 6).

TCU allowed just 10.9 points and 215.1 yards per game this season, second only behind Southern California.

The Horned Frogs certainly will present a major challenge for Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore, a redshirt freshman who passed for 3,264 yards and 25 touchdowns against just nine interceptions this season.

Moore will look to lean on the two-pronged rushing attack of Ian Johnson and Jeremy Avery, who combined for 1,351 yards and 16 TDs on the ground this year.

"Boise State is a BCS-caliber team," TCU head coach Gary Patterson said. "They do an outstanding job in all phases of their team."