Bryan Albin’s College Football Preview

Yesterday, my Big XII champion, Oklahoma, came into the poll at #5. Today, one of the best mid major’s in the nation takes its spot.

4. TCU HORNED FROGS

2009 Recap-         A year ago, everything seemed to be falling into place for the TCU Horned Frogs. After early season wins over ACC opponents Virginia and Clemson, TCU was in great position to get climb up the rankings. Then, a 38-7 thumping of BYU on the road put TCU on the map. The Horned Frogs, coached by Gary Patterson, ran through the Mountain West without a problem, for a 12-0 season. For a moment, it almost looked like TCU would sneak into the National Championship game, as Texas was on the verge of losing to Nebraska in the Big XII title game. However, Texas won on a last second field goal and TCU had to settle for a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Boise State. TCU could not get anything going on the ground against Boise, and 2 interceptions from Andy Dalton turned into 14 points for Boise, as the Broncos bet the Horned Frogs 17-10, leaving TCU with a 12-1 season in 2009.

OFFENSE- TCU put up a boatload of points last season, as QB Andy Dalton was electric. Dalton threw for nearly 3,000 yards to go with 23 touchdowns and only 8 Interceptions. With Dalton and the entire offensive line back from a year ago, many Horned Frogs fans believe TCU has what it takes to run the table again in the regular season. Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley will combine at the running back position again, after combining for 1,300 yards and 12 TD’s a year ago. Jimmy Young and Jeremy Kerley, TCU’s top receviers in 2009, both return this year, meaning TCU has just about every weapon back on offense this year. Expect TCU’s scoring average to be among the nation’s best in 2010.

Defense- Gary Patterson’s football teams at TCU are normally known for their defense. However, this year’s defense has a couple of question marks coming into the season. The first of those questions is how will the Horned Frogs replace DE Jerry Hughes. Hughes was a sackmaster that many offenses would have to double team. Forgetting the 11.5 sacks Hughes had in 2009, his presence alone on the field impacted how opposing offenses went about their gameplan. This year, it does not appear that TCU has a dominant pass rusher and that may put a lot more pressure on guys like LB Tank Carder to get up into the box and make solid tackles while fighting of blocks. TCU will also have to figure out how to continue to create turnovers without Hughes, as Hughes not only forced a few fumbles, but often forced quarterbacks to make poor throws that led to interceptions.

Schedule- TCU opens up the 2010 season with one of the biggest games of week one. TCU plays Oregon State in the new Cowboys stadium in what will be a major showcase game for the Horned Frogs. The only other non-conference test is a home game against Baylor and its star QB Robert Griffin. Other than those games, the two Mountain West games that will present challenges to TCU are the games against BYU and at Utah.

Prediction- I anticipate that TCU will open up the season strong this year by beating Oregon State in impressive fashion. Tennessee Tech won’t provide any challenge to TCU and the Horned Frogs will be 3-0 after surviving a test from Baylor. Wins over SMU, Colorado State and Wyoming will have TCU 6-0 and probably ranked in the Top 5. However, that is when TCU will slip up up, as I see the Horned Frogs losing a very tight game before running the table the rest of the way and finishing 11-1. However, despite my belief that they are the 4th best team in the country and deserving of a trip to a BCS bowl if they go 11-1, my guess is that they will ranked just low enough in the BCS standings so that they can be excluded from the BCS.