College Football 2015 Preview No. 6: TCU Horned Frogs

Reg. Season Records: 11-1, 4-8, 7-5, 10-2

SRS Rankings: 4, 62, 35, 23

Talking Point: The Bandwagon. TCU went 11-1, missed the CFB playoff, and vented its frustration on Ole Miss in its bowl game. 12 months ago they were coming off a 4-8 season. Now, they rank No. 2 in the Preseason AP Poll. Most rankings rest in the No. 2 to No. 5 range. It’s worth noting, however, the statistical projections are not as high. Preseason FEI places the Horned Frogs 8th. S&P+ projections have them in 18th. That and recent yo-yoing may warrant some caution.

Why To Like Them: Offense. The Horned Frogs finished second in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 46.5 points/game. The stats were less impressive, 11th in yards/play and 22nd in OFEI. But, still, it was a very good offense and returns almost everyone. Senior QB Trevone Boykin may be the Heisman front-runner. He comes back with three of TCU’s four best RBs, their two best receivers and five seniors with at least a season’s worth of starting experience on the O-line.

Why Not To Like Them: Defensive transition. TCU had one of the nation’s best defenses, ranking 4th in DFEI. That crew gets cleaned out at linebacker and in the secondary. The Horned Frogs also lose their most productive defensive tackle. Gary Patterson can coach up a defense, but expecting replication may be pushing it.

Schedule: It’s a mixed bag. The Horned Frogs play five B12 road games. Any of the five could be tricky. However, the crucial showdown with Baylor is at home. They also don’t make the often perilous trek to Morgantown, where they escaped narrowly last year.

Throwing Darts: The Big 12 is more of a gauntlet than it gets credited to be. Any team on its day can present a challenge. The same team that tattooed Texas Tech won close games against Oklahoma and West Virginia, blew a huge lead to Baylor and nearly lost to Kansas. We’ll pump the brakes a bit. TCU drops a couple games in conference, finishing a still solid 10-2.

Random Alum: Chris Klein

[USAT]