The
2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented
Texas Christian UniversityTexas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in the
2010 NCAA Division I FBS football seasonThe 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
. The team was coached by tenth year head coach
Gary PattersonGary Patterson is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs college football team. He grew up in Rozel, Kansas and played football at Dodge City Community College and Kansas State University. Patterson is married to Kelsey Patterson . He has three sons: Josh, Cade and Blake...
and played its home games at
Amon G. Carter StadiumAmon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU Horned Frogs football team. It was named after Amon G...
in
Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. They were members of the
Mountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
and are
defending conference championsThe 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season...
.
After a perfect regular season record, another Mountain West title and a #3 BCS ranking, the team was selected by the
Pasadena Tournament of RosesPasadena Tournament of Roses Association, created by the efforts of Charles Frederick Holder and Francis F. Rowland, is the non-profit organization that has annually produced the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade since 1895 and the Rose Bowl Game, since 1902...
to play
WisconsinThe 2010 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by fifth-year head coach Bret Bielema, were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium...
of the
Big Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in the
97th editionThe 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena...
of the
Rose BowlThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. They defeated the Badgers 21–19, capping off their first undefeated and untied season since
1938The 1938 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 1938 college football season. The team was coached by Dutch Meyer and finished with an undefeated season. At season's end, Davey O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy and the Horned Frogs were crowned as national...
, and only the second overall in the school's 115-year football history.
Schedule
2011 Rose Bowl vs. Wisconsin
The Horned Frogs made their way to
PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
as the first team from a non-BCS school to play in the Rose Bowl in the BCS era. The team has recorded two consecutive perfect regular seasons and has appeared in six straight bowl games. The Rose Bowl was their second consecutive BCS bowl game.
Both teams scored double digit points in the first quarter, a Rose Bowl record. The game was close throughout, and was not decided until Wisconsin failed to convert a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter to tie the game. The game marks second time that the Rose Bowl was decided by two points, joining the
1966 gameThe 1966 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1966 was the 52nd Rose Bowl Game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the #1 ranked Michigan State Spartans by a score of 14–12. UCLA defensive back Bob Stiles was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.-Teams:...
(UCLA 14, Michigan State 12).
Rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. = first place votes received
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
| AP |
6 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4 (1) |
4 (3) |
4 (2) |
4 (2) |
3 (2) |
4 (1) |
4 |
3 (1) |
3 (1) |
2 (3) |
| Coaches |
7 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 (1) |
4 (1) |
4 (1) |
4 (1) |
3 (2) |
4 (2) |
4 (2) |
3 (3) |
3 (1) |
2 (1) |
| Harris |
Not released |
4 |
3 (3) |
4 (3) |
4 |
3 (5) |
4 (3) |
4 (1) |
3 (2) |
3 (1) |
|
| BCS |
Not released |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|