I think there's no doubt that TCU purposely did not announce its Fiesta Bowl opponent to the some 3,500 fans who gathered at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Sunday night to cheer on their BCS-bound Frogs.

The TCU athletic staff knew there would be a collective sigh, or worse, and that wouldn't make for good television on the Fox selection show. One TCU fan sitting in the front row remarked that he never heard Boise State announced. Asked what he thought of the matchup, he gave a predictable, eh.

The TCU's and Boises in the current system bust their rumps all season for a chance at a big bowl game and to prove themselves against a big-time opponent -- no offense to Boise, surely they feel the same toward TCU. Naturally, there was a letdown. As word of the Boise matchup swirled through the arena, there were a lot of confused faces.

TCU coach Gary Patterson put on a happy face and said all the right things. Really, what choice did he have? Screaming, "We want the Gators," probably would have been a bad move.

"This is a fun time, I don't want to put a negative spin at all on it," Patterson said. "This is the first time we've been to one of these games. We've tried so hard to get to one of these games, so for me, I'm just excited to get a chance to be here. It's easier to get to one once you've been there because you've proven you can get there. So this is a stepping stone, just like we talked about climbing the mountain. The mountain's getting steeper and the air's getting thinner. That's OK, that's what you want."