The Horned Frogs will get a good look at the future in the Mobile Bowl.

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In capturing a share of the league championship in his first and only season in the new WAC, Texas Christian is ready to move into Conference USA next season.

And in the bowl game on Dec. 22 in Mobile, Ala., they'll take on 18th-ranked East Carolina -- of C-USA.

It's an opportunity to make a statement that is not lost on the Frogs, or on the 9-2 Pirates, who have every intention of not only winning the game, but sending a message for the 2000 season to TCU and LaDainian Tomlinson, who led the nation in rushing with 1,850 yards this season.

But a large percentage of those yards were gained against WAC teams, and next year, Tomlinson will be running more often against C-USA defenses, like the one ECU will bring to the Mobile Bowl.

Now it's up to TCU to figure out a way to bring plenty of support to the bowl game.

Last year's run to the Sun Bowl to play Southern California had the Texas Christian faithful hopping flights from Fort Worth to El Paso in record numbers ... or driving out Interstate-20 heading due west.

There were 10,000 purple-clad fans cheering on the biggest upset in last year's postseason parade, a 28-19 victory over the Trojans.

But this time around, ticket sales for the Mobile Bowl aren't going as well. TCU has sold about 1,500, not the kind of support the inaugural bowl is looking for and coach Dennis Franchione cannot help but notice.

"We need to demonstrate that we're a team that travels well," Franchione said. "We did a great job of that last year and I believe we'll do well again once people have time to make plans."

That's the idea. This year's team is even more exciting than last year's edition. Part of the problem is last year's Sun Bowl was played on Dec. 31 and this game is three days before Christmas. People tend to spend that holiday at home with family and friends.

It's also not as new an experience as it was a year ago or as well-established a bowl game. But if the WAC wants to keep a tie to that game, it needs to be well-represented this season.

"The bowl landscape is always changing out there, but we would love to keep a team in that game," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "Right now, it's only a one-year deal, but we believe it will extend beyond this single game."

TCU is certainly peaking at the proper time. Since losing to Rice on Oct. 23, the Horned Frogs flew to Hawaii for a difficult road game against the resurgent Rainbow Warriors, with their season in the balance.

"We knew the night we were in Honolulu that we had to win them all and that's what we told our players," Franchione said. "They responded to the challenge in a big way."

They whipped Hawaii 34-14, and went on to win their last four games. And heading to Mobile, the Frogs appear to be hitting their stride.

The Personnel File

OFFENSIVE OF THE PLAYER: LaDainian Tomlinson, Jr., RB. The junior from Waco, Texas, was voted the league's offensive player of the year in part for setting the NCAA single-game rushing record with 406 yards in the win over Texas-El Paso. But he also finished as the nation's leading rusher with 1,850 yards despite a high ankle sprain suffered on Oct. 30 in Honolulu that limited his playing time in parts of the final four games.

DEFENSIVE OF THE PLAYER: Aaron Schobel, Jr., DE. He is going to set a few TCU records before he's done. He already has the career sack lead with 24.5, a number he reached due in part to 10 sacks this season. Schobel is an NFL standout waiting to happen. Fortunately for Franchione, it's still a year away. Schobel finished the season with 69 tackles.

COACH UPDATE: Dennis Franchione (14-9 in two years at TCU and 127-64-2 in 17 years overall). These days, Franchione can pretty much write his ticket. He led TCU to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in 40 seasons.

Franchione did the improbable at TCU, taking a 1-10 team and making it respectable in a hurry.

STRENGTHS: TCU's offensive and defensive fronts are strong. The Horned Frogs were first in every major defensive category, and second in scoring and rushing offense. They have the talent to keep pace with No. 18-ranked East Carolina.

CONCERNS: If a team can stop TCU's speed option, the Horned Frogs have problems moving the football. TCU finished seventh in the WAC in passing, averaging only 135.5 yards a game. The only team worse were the option-happy Rice Owls.

Noteworthy

Tomlinson not only led the WAC in rushing, but all-purpose yards as well with an average of 179.5 yards a game. He was also first in the league in scoring, averaging 9.8 points a game. ... Tomlinson set a conference record with 1,850 yards in a single season. The old mark of 1,842 was set by George Jones of San Diego State in 1995. ... TCU led the league in kickoff returns with an average of 27.5 yards.