How will TCU's first season in the Big 12 go? Join us as we preview the TCU Horned Frogs upcoming season to see if we believe that they hold any value for college football bettors next year.
The Horned Frogs had an excellent season last year, going
11-2, including 7-0 in conference play.
By far their biggest win of the season came over then-ranked
#5 Boise State, and it was on the road no less. TCU would end up winning 36-35
in thrilling style.
The Horned Frogs' success mainly came from a prolific
offense that averaged 40.8 points per game, the ninth-highest mark in the
entire country. They averaged 208.6 YPG rushing and also had solid QB Casey
Pachall running the show.
Pachall stepped into the starting role as a sophomore and
completed 66.5 percent of his passes, while throwing 25 touchdown passes
against seven interceptions. He was unstoppable in the win over Boise State,
throwing for 473 yards and five touchdowns.
A new environment
Will Pachall lead his crew to another fabulous campaign this
year?
For the new season, the college football odds board has TCU
priced at +5000 to win the BCS Championship game. They're in a group with
Florida, Kansas State, Michigan State and Boise State.
There were some off-the-field incidents that happened around
campus during the offseason and they've had huge implications on the TCU
football team.
Four players were kicked off the team in February after
getting arrested in a drug sting. The Horned Frogs also lost four others for
various reasons but apparently the main reason was poor grades.
One of those no longer around is running back Ed Wesley, who
led the team in rushing in 2010. Luckily TCU returns both Waymon James and
Matthew Tucker, who combined to account for over 1400 yards this past season.
There was a far more overreaching change to the program,
though. The Horned Frogs have moved on from their old conference and will now
be a part of one of the toughest football conference out there.
The Mountain West is a far cry from what the Big 12 offers
up, and TCU fans should act accordingly with their expectations. The Horned
Frogs should be striving to break even during conference play and anything more
would be gravy.
All about the offense
Just look at TCU's last five games of their 2012/13
schedule. They play road games against Oklahoma State, Texas and West Virginia
and also play host to Oklahoma and Kansas State.
Now, the Horned Frogs have the offensive capabilities to
hang in the conference, but their defense is questionable at best and there are
even more question marks now after what happened during the offseason.
In truth, TCU fits right into the Big 12, a conference which
sports some of the country's most dangerous offensive teams. Quite a few of the
competing teams lack defensive might and though the Horned Frogs did a fine job
in the Mountain West in that respect, they may get exposed in their new
conference.
That should make for a lot of entertainment this coming
season.
TCU will be a fun team to watch. Be on the lookout for some
total plays featuring the Horned Frogs, who saw the OVER go 9-4 in their 13
games last season. We can expect some huge numbers in terms of the college football odds but if any team can make it happen it's the explosive Horned
Frogs.