The TCU Horned Frogs have been so darn close in recent years. They haven't quite gotten over the hump, and it feels as if Gary Patterson and company are going to end up coming up on the short end of the stick in the race for the College Football Playoff again in 2016.
TCU Horned Frogs Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
TCU Over 8 Wins ( -210 )
TCU Under 8 Wins ( +160 )
The Horned Frogs have just a total of 11 starters returning from last year's team, but at this point, Patterson really just reloads rather than rebuilds. He's going to have the biggest problem at the quarterback spot, where Trevone Boykin has graduated, but bringing in Texas AM transfer Kenny Hill should put the Frogs back into a position to again have a really strong offense.
We know that TCU is going to go with an Air Raid type of attack, and the team has been incredibly tough to stop since that point. Of course, losing Josh Doctson is going to hurt matters as well, but there are still plenty of candidates to catch the football. Good quarterback play is the panacea to all problems in the receiving corps.
Patterson has made a name for himself with his defense, though in recent years, the Big XII schedule has gotten the better of his unit. He's got eight returners on this side of the ball, and we could see a marked improvement from this team which averaged allowing 398.4 yards and 27.2 points per game in 2015. Expect someone to pick off more than just two passes this year, as that was what led the team in that category last season.
2016 TCU Horned Frogs Football Schedule
September 3 – vs. South Dakota State
September 10 – vs. Arkansas
September 17 – vs. Iowa State
September 24 – at SMU
October 1 – vs. Oklahoma
October 8 – at Kansas
October 22 – at West Virginia
October 29 – vs. Texas Tech
November 5 – at Baylor
November 19 – vs. Oklahoma State
November 24 – at Texas
December 3 – vs. Kansas State
The season really begins in earnest for the Horned Frogs on October 1 when Oklahoma comes to town. That's the game which can make or break this season right off the bat, as a loss probably removes any hope for the men in purple of reaching the College Football Playoff. From there, the team still has to play road games against West Virginia, Baylor and Texas, and home dates with Oklahoma and Kansas State towards the end of the season are far from givens.
That said, the non-conference schedule should provide no challenges, and Iowa State at home is a nice first game of the conference slate to gain some confidence.
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Patterson is one of the more trustworthy coaches in America, as he's built this program from mid-major darling into a national power. However, are the Horned Frogs beating all of Oklahoma, West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State? We doubt it.
The oddsmakers are down on this team by lining it at just eight wins, and there has to be a reason for that. Hill fell out of favor at Texas AM, and if he doesn't light it up right out of the gate at TCU, Arkansas could end up being a really big challenge right out of the blocks. Lose one game like that which really shouldn't be lost, and just getting beyond these eight wins could end up being a chore.
It seems like the rogue play to make, but we have to wonder if the rest of the Big XII is going to catch up with TCU this year, especially if the defense doesn't take some big strides in the right direction.
College Football Odds: TCU Horned Frogs Under 8 Wins
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