By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent

From Big 12 Conference championship celebration to College Football Playoff disappointment, TCU rode the roller coaster on the first weekend of December. On the final day of the month, the Horned Frogs hope to finish on a high note.

TCU (11-1) takes on Ole Miss (9-3) in the Peach Bowl, one of the "New Year's Day Six" bowls that make up the top tier of college football's revamped postseason.

"We feel like this is a playoff game," said coach Gary Patterson, who has won a number of national coach of the year awards. "Ole Miss was as high as third in the nation, they play at a very high level."

The Frogs have won their fifth different conference title since 1994 in their third season in the Big 12. TCU bounced back from a 4-8 season that had four league losses by a combined 11 points.

In the offseason, Patterson revamped his offensive philosophy by hiring co-coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie. Plus, this season's seniors bonded in an effort to make sure this season wasn't a carbon copy of 2013.

"We're probably the tightest group on the team," said senior safety Sam Carter said. "We hang out together. Most of us live a minute, two minutes away from each other. We're just brothers. You come in, from freshman year, you develop a friendship, a brotherhood. These guys, I'd give anything to because they're like a brother now."

Carter was a redshirt freshman when TCU finished 13-0, won the Rose Bowl and finished ranked second in the nation.

"Nobody's handled more adversity than what this group of kids has handled," Patterson said. "This group here has been from highest highs to the lowest lows. This group has only had one feeling like this. But it's also had the feeling of what it felt like last year and all the different things that happen off the field and how people have treated what goes on."

The Peach Bowl features two teams with outstanding defenses. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Rebels are second in defensive efficiency and the Frogs are No. 3. TCU, though, averages 47 points per game led by quarterback Trevone Boykin.

Last season, Boykin split his time between receiver and quarterback, finishing with seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Mastering the new offense, Boykin's junior year was outstanding. He set a school record with 30 touchdown passes and also ran for eight scores. Boykin, a junior, finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and figures to be on the short list of favorites for the 2015 award.

"He's in a situation now, where he's one of the frontrunners going into next year," Patterson said. "It's all how you finish, not how you start. ... I think (this game) is a really good stage for him moving forward to show what kind of player he is. His best advertisement is himself. He can be his best press release."

TCU vs. Ole Miss
Need to know: 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 31, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
Television: ESPN
Records: TCU 11-1, Ole Miss 9-3

Scouting TCU: The Horned Frogs' offense will again be without junior running back B.J. Catalon, who has been sidelined with a concussion for the last four games. Quarterback Trevone Boykin finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting as TCU changed to an up-tempo, spread offense. The defense, led by senior linebacker Paul Dawson, has been among the nation's best in forcing turnovers.

Scouting Ole Miss: The Rebels' running game has been pedestrian, averaging 167 yards per game. Quarterback Bo Wallace can be forced into bad decisions but Ole Miss had 25 passing plays of 30 or more yards, which was tops in the Southeastern Conference. The Rebels' secondary, led by All-American Senquz Golson, has 19 interceptions and has plenty of speed.

This and that: TCU kicker Jaden Oberkrom made 22-of-26 field goals. Ole Miss has used three kickers and they combined to make 8-of-14 field goals. … TCU junior defensive end Mike Tuaua will miss the Peach Bowl with a shoulder injury. He tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles and was second on the team with five sacks. … Ole Miss will try to win its seventh consecutive bowl game.