Throughout the summer, HornSports’ Chris Flanagan will countdown the college football season by projecting his season-ending records among Big 12 teams. At number 4 is last season’s preseason favorite, the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.
#10 – Kansas Jayhawks
#9 – Iowa State Cyclones
#8 – West Virginia Mountaineers
#6 – Texas Longhorns
#5 – Baylor Bears
Why not higher?
Gary Patterson has proven he can coach and win in the Big 12. However, the Frogs do not have the players to reload at key positions. Kenny Hill will likely be the starting quarterback and he can be impressive at times, but with only 3 returning starters on offense, it will be difficult for the offense to find a rhythm early in the season. Fourth place in the Big 12 is one spot below where they finished last year, which would solidfy a successful season for Patterson’s Horned Frogs.
Why not lower?
The defense returns 8 starters and Gary Patterson is known as a great defensive mind. Having that many players back will keep TCU in games, and by the end of September, they will have the offensive kinks worked out. Most of TCU’s difficult games are late in the season (kudos to Big 12 scheduling for the great game lineups in November), and if they show well in those, the Frogs could easily be in contention for a Big 12 title.
Bright Spots
Defensive end Josh Carraway was a 2015 All-Conference selection, and as a senior he will be looking to become an All-American for the Horned Frogs. Former Texas running back commit Kyle Hicks has shown flashes of greatness but hasn’t consistently put it together thus far in his career in Fort Worth. As the go-to back for the Horned Frogs this season Hicks will have to show that the hype was justified as a high school recruit.
Season Prediction
Sonny Cumbie spurned the Longhorns’ offer to be Charlie Strong’s offensive coordinator to stay in Fort Worth. Whether it was the appeal of the job security in Cowtown, or simply the fact that the Horned Frogs are Big 12 contenders after only a few years in the conference, things have shaped up well for TCU. Quarterback Kenny Hill has great talent, but his mental tenacity is a question mark. Hill is the key to the key to the offense and how he handles adversity early on will dictate the course of the season. An early test against Arkansas in a nationally televised ESPN night game (September 10th) will tell a lot.
TCU is proving that they belong in big-time football, but there will be growing pains this season. Expect them to notch another 9-win season and prepare to compete for a championship in 2017.
Final 2016 record prediction: 9-3 (6-3 Big 12)
