In keeping with the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ll do my best to keep this week’s Buck U on the positive side, as I’ve started to feel more like a scrooge with each passing week regarding TCU’s averageness and irrelevance in the conference and country’s college football conversation.
To wit, I have some fantastic news to report: TCU is the collegiate champion of Texas football. Admittedly, I’m being somewhat purposefully obtuse, but the facts can’t be ignored, that the Horned Frogs have won every in-state matchup they’ve played this season and have the most impressive resume against fellow Texas teams this season, with at least a sample size of two. TCU’s wins against SMU, Baylor, Houston, and even Abilene Christian present the strongest case for the Frogs receiving the coveted and fictional Lone Star Cup, awarded to teams who dominate their fellow brethren within the confines of the greatest state in the history of states and greatness.
I know what you’re thinking. The Aggies and Red Raiders are currently ranked third and fifth, respectively, in the College Football Playoff rankings. That really doesn’t matter for this discussion as Texas A&M has squared off only against one in-state team, and an 18-point victory against the Roadrunners of UTSA does not a crown bestow. Texas Tech dominated Houston by 24 points, but as another team with a sample size of one, we cannot reliably and scientifically conclude that Tech should be the recipient of the All-Texas title.
Now that the seemingly most relevant candidates have been summarily disqualified, that leaves Texas, SMU, and North Texas, who are all practically and mathematically in the hunt for a playoff berth (though SMU controls their own destiny more than the other two). Texas – to this point, with their grudge match against the Aggies imminent – has only faced and beaten UTEP and Sam Houston (without argument the worst Division I team within our borders). That resume doesn’t catapult the Longhorns ahead of the Frogs. The Mustangs played three opponents that count but lost to both Baylor and TCU, only notching a win against East Texas A&M toward their unsuccessful bid for the Bluebonnet Crown.
That leaves only North Texas, who are enjoying a historic 10-1 season while they pray for a James Madison loss to catapult them into the rankings and an unlikely – but still possible – playoff bid. The Mean Green have won against Lamar, UTSA, and Rice; a group that cannot contend without the Frogs’ victories against the Mustangs, Wildcats, Bears, and Cougars.
In keeping with my newly found positivity, Saturday’s game in Houston was an outstanding first quarter for the TCU offense, after I ranted last week about how unacceptably poor they’ve been in the first frame for the majority of the season. To their credit, Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles and company flipped the script, and quarterback Josh Hoover (#10) tossed two touchdowns. Yep, it was a great first quarter, and I’m extremely thankful the defense was good enough to stymie the Cougars enough to make the three points TCU scored during the remainder of the game enough to notch the victory.
Usually, when a team turns the ball over four times, they don’t win the game, especially when they’re facing a ranked opponent with a better record on the road. That was not the case on Saturday, as the TCU defense continually found answers against the Cougars to overcome Hoover’s three interceptions and a lost fumble by running back Jordyn Bailey (#4). An extremely timely interception by Julius Simms (#31) in his own endzone proved to be pivotal in surviving a tight game where the difference was two missed field goals by the Cougars, including a manageable 38-yarder that would have tied the game with only seconds remaining. Jeremy Payne (#26) stepped up as the leading rusher, accumulating 103 yards on 18 carries, and probably would have been the better choice on the fourth-and-short that would have iced the game but instead gave way to a 74-yard drive with less than two minutes remaining.
In many ways, it seems like Houston wanted to lose this game more than the Frogs, and for that I – and the Fort Worth fanbase – are extremely grateful. Houston still had an outside shot of arriving in Arlington for a second chance at Texas Tech, but that is gone now. The most likely conference title game is a rematch between the Raiders and BYU, though Arizona State and Utah still have paths to Arlington outside of their control. For the Frogs, their 4-4 record leaves them at 10th in the Big 12, with one game remaining against Cincinnati for their final homestand and game of the season on Saturday afternoon. Cincinnati fell to BYU this past weekend and are 5-3. It’s conceivable TCU could pick up a meaningless place-bumping with a victory, but Iowa State and KSU – who are 4-4 also with head-to-head wins over TCU – are likely to remain in front as they face bottom-feeders Colorado and Oklahoma State.
Common-opponent analysis between Cincy and TCU doesn’t paint a pretty picture, but watching the Frogs survive a negative-3 turnover margin in Houston and come away with a victory speaks to the survivability of the Frogs when they’re not beating themselves. This is a lame-duck week for 75% of the conference, but Briles – and, to some degree, Sonny Dykes – should still be coaching to save their jobs. Hoover, sadly, has seemingly gotten worse as the season has progressed. Despite the two-touchdown first quarter against Houston, even successes were hard to watch, as his second touchdown toss was a laser into double coverage. Hoover is not maturing in his reads and seems locked onto a predetermined receiver, which is often Eric McAlister (#1). There are worse targets to commit to, as McAlister is at least a second-round NFL talent. Otherwise, tunnel and bubble screens were paydirt for the TCU offense, who moved the ball well between the red zones but couldn’t convert points because of turnovers.
Early bowl projections are placing our Frogs at either the Rate Bowl in Arizona or the Texas Bowl in Houston. Being bowl eligible still matters, I guess, but the relevance of bowls in general has become increasingly diminished by the expanded playoff. No matter what, fans can be happy that this season wasn’t a losing one but equally disappointed by a team that seemed to continually squander what was much greater potential. However, I encourage all of our readers to wear the Bluebonnet crown, All-State amethyst, and Lone Star lavaliere (look it up) proudly and proclaim to every Raider, Eagle, Mustang, and Longhorn at your holiday meals that TCU are clearly the kings of Texas college football, to watch their heads explode and choke on sweet potatoes while trying to refute your superior football knowledge.
