[5][6] From the Big 12, conference champion Kansas State (Fiesta), Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl Classic), and Texas (Alamo) were selected before TCU.
Junior quarterback Casey Pachall left the team after four games due to an arrest for suspicion of DWI, putting the offense into the hands of freshman Trevone Boykin.
Defensively, the Horned Frogs led the Big 12, ceding an average of only 332.0 yards per game, ranking them 18th in the nation.
That year the Spartans went 11–3, continued a two-year undefeated streak at home, advanced to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, defeated SEC powerhouse Georgia in the Outback Bowl, and ended the season ranked #10 in the Coaches Poll.
However, the departure of key offensive players—notably Kirk Cousins and Keshawn Martin, who were both selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft—proved costly for the 2012 Spartans.
Spartan quarterback Andrew Maxwell saw almost all the action that year, throwing for 2,578 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 53% completion rating.
Junior linebacker Max Bullough led the Spartans with 101 tackles, while William Gholston's 3.5 sacks and Darqueze Dennard's three interceptions were also team leaders.
Senior cornerback Johnny Adams, who also had three interceptions, was unable to play in the bowl game due to an injury.
After a combined three opening three-and-outs to start, TCU marched 73 yards (the first 20 of which came from MSU Penalties) down the field in nine plays, scoring a touchdown on a 4-yard run by Matthew Tucker.
A five-yard penalty and a nine-yard sack forced TCU's Jaden Oberkrom to kick a 47-yard field goal.
Thanks to a 61-yard pass to junior Josh Boyce followed by a 15-yard penalty against the Spartans, Oberkrom was again able to finish the drive with a field goal.
Spartan RJ Williamson recovered, giving MSU the ball four yards from the opposing end zone.
Sparked by a 27-yard pass to LaDarius Brown, TCU got close enough for Oberkrom to kick a career-long 53 yard field goal.
Jason Verret and Kenny Cain led the Horned frogs with 12 tackles each, while William Gholston and Max Bullough had 9 each for the Spartans.
After the 2011 game, the sponsorship contract with Insight Enterprises expired, and the naming rights were put on the market.