It’s no secret that TCU
has been on a roll as a football program in recent years. The Frogs have gone an impressive 47-5
in their last four seasons.
Now that TCU is in the Big 12, the Frogs will look to prove
to their doubters that they can continue this success in a much more
competitive conference.
TCU won 11 games last year including a somewhat surprising
win over #5 Boise State, the only
ranked team on their schedule.
In their inaugural season, the Horned Frogs will play a much
tougher schedule and will need to rely on a solid defense and the leadership of
returning quarterback Casey Pachall. The sophomore had an impressive first season
as a starting quarterback with 2921 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
Along with Pachall, the Horned
Frogs return their top three rushers.
Sophomore running back Waymon James
rushed for 875 yards and six touchdowns, junior running back Ed Wesley rushed for 726 yards and six
touchdowns and junior running back Matthew Tucker rushed for 702 yards and 12
touchdowns.
The Horned Frogs also return two 500+ yard receivers for
next year. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Boyce had 998 receiving yards and
nine touchdowns while junior wide receiver Skye Dawson had 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
TCU does lose two defensive talents from last year’s team in
linebacker Tank Carder (147th
pick, Buffalo Bills) and cornerback Greg McCoy (220th pick, Chicago Bears). Both were vital parts of the Horned
Frogs defenses for the last four years.
TCU had a decent 2012 recruiting class with talents such as four-star
tight end Griffin Gilbert (Austin, TX), four-star defensive end Devonte Fields (Arlington, TX) and four-star offensive
tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai
(Haltom City, TX). Scout.com ranked
their 2012 class as the 39th best in the country.
With the loss of two of their defensive leaders, and much
better competition awaiting them in 2012, the Horned Frogs should expect a
slight drop off in 2012. With this
said, TCU should still be a dangerous team as they return a good running game
and a quarterback with a year of experience under his belt.
Big 12 season record
predictions:
Given wins: Grambling
State, Kansas, Iowa State, SMU
Tossups: Virginia,
Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas
State
Probable losses: West Virginia, Oklahoma
My prediction: 9-3