Patterson: New Year’s Six-snubbed Frogs have something to prove, like in 2014

If all bowl teams need something to prove — and Gary Patterson would tell you they do — TCU shouldn’t be lacking.

The Horned Frogs were left out of the New Year’s Six lineup despite finishing as the runner-up in the Big 12. They were assigned to the Alamo Bowl for a Dec. 28 matchup against Stanford after a 41-17 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.

“I don’t know why you ever want to play in the championship if you’ve got a chance of losing,” he said Friday after the Frogs wrapped up their fourth practice in preparation for the San Antonio game. “Cause then it’s a negative. To me, we played in the championship game. You were the runner-up in the league. If we weren’t playing in it, then there would be complaints.”

It’s just the kind of thing Patterson can use as a head coach preparing for his 16th bowl game.

“Here’s what you’ll find out — the team that wants it the most will win it,” he said. “Ninety percent of the time, when they have more reason to win, they’ll be the team that wins it. That’s what I told them right off the bat.”

The TCU team from 2014 is a potent example for Patterson. That squad shared the Big 12 title with Baylor, each at 11-1, but both were left out of the inaugural College Football Playoff.

That year, the No. 6 CFP-ranked Frogs took out their frustration with a 42-3 blasting of No. 9 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

“We had something to prove there,” Patterson said. “If we don’t like people knocking us down, then how do you jump back across? You get ready to play and go win a ballgame and prove you’re one of those teams.”

Patterson said Thursday’s practice didn’t reflect the type of team TCU was this season, especially during a 7-0 start.

“Team wasn’t as good as they needed to be out there,” he said. “We won 10 ballgames, gentlemen. And we lost to the No. 2 team in the nation, probably one of the best offenses I’ve ever played.”

The Alamo Bowl is a matchup of top-15 teams, but Patterson clearly wants to finish in the top 10.

“A lot of people would be satisfied — you’re one of the top 15 teams in the nation,” he said. “That’s not where we’re trying to get as a program. At least I’m not.”

A TCU win would mean a second 11-win season in three years.

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Patterson: New Year’s Six-snubbed Frogs have something to prove, like in 2014."