No. 3 TCU has accepted an invitation to face No. 5 Wisconsin Jan. 1 in the 97th Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO.
The "Granddaddy of Them All®" will kick off from Pasadena, Calif., at 2:10 p.m. PST with the game televised by ESPN.
The third-ranked Horned Frogs (12-0), having posted their second consecutive undefeated regular season, will be making their first appearance in the Rose Bowl. It's the second straight year TCU has played in a BCS game.
TCU is tied for the nation's second-longest current winning streak at 12 in a row and is one of three undefeated teams this season.
It's the first time TCU has played in a bowl game with the two teams having a combined ranking this high since the 1938 Sugar Bowl, when the top-ranked Horned Frogs defeated No. 5 Carnegie Tech, 15-7, to win the national championship. TCU is 5-5-1 when playing a bowl game with both teams ranked.
The Horned Frogs and Badgers (11-1) will be meeting for the first time since a 14-14 tie at Wisconsin in the 1970 campaign.
TCU is facing a Big Ten opponent for the first time since a 48-45 double-overtime victory over Northwestern in the 2004 season opener. Combined with a 48-24 win at Northwestern in 2002, the Horned Frogs are 2-0 versus Big Ten opponents under head coach Gary Patterson.
Outside of four games with Northwestern since 1999, TCU has not faced a Big Ten opponent since a 9-7 loss at Minnesota in 1974.
TCU is 15-3 in its last 18 games versus teams from conferences with automatic BCS bids, including a 6-2 mark versus the Big 12 and a 4-0 record against the Pac-10.
The Rose Bowl will mark the 26th bowl appearance in TCU's history. The Horned Frogs are 11-13-1 in bowl games.
TCU is 7-4 in bowl games with head coach Gary Patterson on its coaching staff and 5-4 with him as head coach. Prior to Patterson's arrival on campus in 1998, the Horned Frogs had just four bowl wins in their history.
The Horned Frogs will be making their 12th bowl appearance in the last 13 seasons. TCU is one of just 14 schools to play in at least 12 bowl games over the last 13 years.
With its trip to the Rose Bowl, TCU will have played in all four current bowl games (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar) that are part of the BCS.
