Huskie football players can stop waiting and hoping, and plug Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California” into their Ipods.

For the second time in three years, NIU will head to California for a post-season bowl game, this time against Texas Christian in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 19.

NIU athletic director Jim Phillips, football coach Joe Novak and the team’s captains are expected to officially announce NIU’s acceptance of a bid to the Poinsettia Bowl today at 11 a.m. at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.

NCAA rule states that teams with winning records must be placed in bowls before a team with a 6-6 record can be invited. NIU ended its season with victories against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, making it the only remaining 7-5 Division I team without a bowl slot.

TCU (9-2) accepted its bid Monday, has one regular season game remaining. The Horned Frogs host Air Force on Saturday.

“We are excited to receive the invitation to play in the Poinsettia Bowl,” TCU football coach Gary Patterson said in a press release Monday. “We look forward to going to San Diego. This is a great destination trip for our fans and alumni.”

Both teams were dubbed as potential BCS busters in 2003, when NIU won its first five contents and finished 10-2, but was left without a post-season game after falling to Toledo and Bowling Green late in the season. TCU won its first ten games that year, but finished 11-2 after a 34-31 loss to Boise State in the Fort Worth Bowl.

Dating back to the 2005 season, the Horned Frogs have wins in 20 of their last 23 contests. This year’s TCU squad features a defense that’s ranked in the top-10 nationally in run defense, scoring defense and total defense. The Frogs are also among the Mountain West Conference leaders in several offensive categories.

The Horned Frogs appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl marks their 23rd bowl game and eighth in the last nine seasons. Most recently they defeated Iowa State 27-24 in the EV1.net Houston Bowl.

“By finishing with a 7-5 record and a victory over the top team in the league this year, and with one of the most exciting players in the country in running back Garrett Wolfe, in my view, Northern Illinois is an attractive choice for both our bowl partners and other potential bowl openings,” said Phillips, who deferred comment until today’s announcement.

Tickets for the game range from $28 to $50, according to the bowl’s Web site.

Steve Brown is the Managing Editor for the Northern Star