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A blowout win in last year's regular-season finale wasn't enough to lift TCU into the national championship game, but playing in a second straight BCS bowl was still a nice way to close out the season.
A victory by any margin Saturday against visiting UNLV is no guarantee that the 18th-ranked Horned Frogs will make it three in a row.
Playing in its final game in the Mountain West Conference before going to the Big 12 next season, TCU will look to clinch its third straight outright league title by winning its eighth in a row over the Rebels.
Looking to cap off a second straight undefeated regular season, the Horned Frogs won 66-17 at New Mexico on Nov. 27, 2010. That victory couldn't push TCU past Auburn or Oregon into the BCS championship game, but the Horned Frogs earned a trip to Pasadena as the Rose Bowl was required to select a team from a non-automatic BCS qualifying conference if one was eligible and not competing for the title.
While coach Gary Patterson said the Horned Frogs (9-2, 6-0) have received a nice boost in recruiting from their 21-19 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin on New Year's Day, the team's focus in not on breaking through again - even though a 36-35 victory at then-No. 5 Boise State on Nov. 12 vaulted TCU into the Top 25 and left a slight opening for it to get back into the BCS picture.
"If (getting a BCS bowl berth) would happen, it would be a great boost, but right now, our focus is on winning the Mountain West title," said Patterson, whose team will try to reach double-digit wins for the fourth consecutive year.
Given their recent success in league play and against UNLV, it would appear that the Horned Frogs have a good chance of making that happen. With a 34-10 victory over Colorado State on Nov. 19, TCU has won a conference-record 23 in a row in Mountain West play.
The Horned Frogs will also put their league-record 16-game home winning streak on the line when they welcome the Rebels, who have been outscored 168-47 in their four visits to Fort Worth.
UNLV (2-9, 1-5) has lost all six away from home this season by a combined score of 254-69, and it has dropped 15 in a row on the road since a 34-17 victory over New Mexico on Oct. 24, 2009.
The Rebels close out their season following last Saturday's 31-14 home loss to San Diego State. They were outscored 24-0 in the second half, coming up short in their fourth attempt to surpass last season's win total.
"We had a chance to win the game, we just couldn't finish it," coach Bobby Hauck said. "There were a couple of critical drives in the fourth quarter ... we need to convert in those situations on either side of the ball in order to win the game, and we didn't. And obviously we've got TCU this weekend, and that will be a real test for us."
It could be an even steeper hill to climb if sophomore quarterback Caleb Herring can't go following a possible shoulder injury and concussion suffered against the Aztecs. Junior Sean Reilly would be the likely replacement if Herring doesn't return.
Hauck will likely stick with a heavy dose of the running game regardless of who is under center, as the Rebels have the nation's 118th-ranked passing offense at 115.2 yards per game.
UNLV sophomore Tim Cornett has gone over 100 yards on the ground in a career-best two straight games after totaling 136 with two touchdowns last Saturday.
Dionza Bradford needs to rush for 21 yards to break the Rebels' freshman record of 624.
Horned Frogs kicker Ross Evans has school records with 392 points and 227 extra points, but he might not join the other 18 seniors in their final home game. Evans was arrested last Monday during the bye week for kicking in the door of a North Texas apartment to receive a cell phone.
TCU has won eight of nine all-time against UNLV.
