COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M found out Sunday where it will cap one of its oddest seasons on record — the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Who will call the Aggies' offensive plays vs. Northwestern on New Year's Eve is still in question. When A&M fired coach Mike Sherman on Thursday, the Aggies also dismissed their offensive coordinator. Interim coach Tim DeRuyter said Sunday he'll meet with his staff today to determine who will call A&M's offense against the Wildcats.

Both teams finished the regular season 6-6 and feeling fortunate to simply be in the postseason.

“Our team is thrilled we have an opportunity to play one more game,” DeRuyter said.

Primarily to try and wash some of the bad taste from the regular season away. The Aggies inexplicably blew five large halftime leads, including in their finale against Texas on Thanksgiving night, in the rivals' last scheduled meeting with A&M bound for the Southeastern Conference next year.

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“We feel really honored regardless of the coaching change to be hosting (the Aggies),” Meineke bowl executive director Heather Houston said. “Especially for their last Big 12 bowl appearance.”

A&M returns to the site — or at least parking lot — of its last bowl victory a decade ago. The Aggies defeated TCU 28-9 in the 2001 GalleryFurniture.com Bowl in the Astrodome. A&M and Northwestern have never played one another.

“We're looking forward to winning a bowl game for the first time in a while around here,” DeRuyter said.

The Aggies have lost their last five postseason contests, including the last two under Sherman to Georgia in the 2009 Independence Bowl and to LSU in the Cotton Bowl following last season. A&M lost four of its last five games in costing Sherman his gig, as the former Houston Texans offensive coordinator wrapped up his four seasons in Aggieland 25-25.

“It's been a tough few days,” DeRuyter said.

The Aggies draw a Wildcats squad that won four of its last five to squeeze its way into the postseason.

“A&M probably feels the same the way we do,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “That we're a few plays and mistakes away from being undefeated.”

A&M standout running back Cyrus Gray missed the UT game with a stress fracture in his shoulder, and DeRuyter dubbed Gray's chances of playing in the bowl game “50-50”.

Meanwhile, the search is on for Sherman's replacement, and the early leaders appear to be Houston's Kevin Sumlin, Louisville's Charlie Strong, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Southern Mississippi coach Larry Fedora. A&M's administration assured Aggies on Sunday that a diligent search is under way.

“Athletic director Bill Byrne is leading this process, in which we are considering multiple candidates for this important position,” A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said in a statement. “Finding the right candidate for Texas A&M is paramount over any prescribed timeline. Additionally, we do not intend for this process to be played out in the media or social networks, in order to protect the candidates and the university.”