The Big 12 Conference's TCU Horned Frogs will open the season with a trip to the West Coast against the Stanford Cardinal, a new transfer from the ACC. The Horned Frogs will play in the national title game in 2022 and have a 5-7 record in 2023. Entering their final year in the Pac 12 Conference, Stanford has struggled at 3-9 for the third straight year. Both teams will be looking to get off to a good start in non-conference games on Friday night. The opener is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET.
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TCU hits the road
The TCU Horned Frogs haven't fallen from the penthouse into the outhouse in 2024, but that's not far off. A year after becoming the first Big 12 team to reach the College Football Playoff and reach the national title game, the Horned Frogs have fallen to 5-7 in 2023. Head coach Sonny Dykes has entered the transfer portal this offseason and is hoping a strong addition can help propel the Horned Frogs to 14 consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins since 2000.
“I think we've come a long way,” Dykes said. “I think our attitude, the standards that the guys set for each other and hold themselves to is different than last year's team. I like the leadership on this team.”
Offensively, TCU will be led by sophomore Josh Huber. Huber joins the team at the same time that former QB Chandler Morris, who was second on the team in rushing last season, is leaving for North Texas. Huber threw for 2,200 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Ken Seals, who transferred from Vanderbilt, could be a pusher. They will be supported by a solid offensive line with several transfers. Four of the five starters are transfers this season, along with Mike Nichols, who is staying put. The Horned Frogs' backfield will be new with the departure of leading rusher Emani Bailey. There should be plenty of competition between Cam Cook and former Alabama transfer Trey Sanders. The strength of TCU's offense is the receivers. Their top two receivers, Savion Williams and JP Richardson, return and they've added two talented transfer students in WR Eric McAllister from Boise State and TE Drake Dabney from Baylor.
The defense is improving this season and will again add several transfers. The defensive line will be strengthened with the addition of former Notre Dame end Nana Osafo-Mensah, and the secondary will add Richard Toney from Nevada, a hard-hitting safety with two interceptions and six in 2023. He will be paired with Bud Clark, a holdover from last season. Dykes also acquired cornerback JaTravis Broughton from Utah to bolster a subpar secondary in 2023. The two big transfers on defense will be linebackers Caleb Elms-Orr from Cal and Devyn Diehl from Tulane. Both are expected to be tackling machines at TCU along with holdover Nnamdi Obiozor.
Head coach Dykes is eager to get the team back to what made it one of college football's top stories in 2022. They certainly have the talent to qualify for a bowl game and threaten to win 10 games again. Last season, the Horned Frogs finished 10th in the nation in total offense; 66th on the ground and 7th through the air. But they faltered in the red zone, with the team finishing 123rd nationally in red zone efficiency. Defensively, TCU was 104th in total defense; the team was 81st against the run and only 118th against the pass. Dykes has added several transfer students to the defense in hopes of wiping out some of these deficiencies. They also finished just 89th in red zone defensive efficiency.
Key injuries: S Cam Cook is questionable.
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Cardinals exploring home cooking in 2024
Troy Taylor is in his second year as Stanford's head coach and is hoping to improve on last season's 3-9 record. He'll have to do it in his new conference as Stanford prepares to play its first season as a member of the ACC. Stanford has finished 3-9 each of the past three seasons, its worst record since the late 1950s. They may be capable of an explosive offense, but they'll be trying to do it with one of the worst defenses in the nation in 2023.
“We just process and do the little things every day. We're focused on those things. Where we play and who we play is secondary to our process, our perception and what we do every day. That's the way we live. Of course, we've got to travel across the country a few times, three times to be exact. Our players will adapt. There are more challenges to overcome. We're just excited and really grateful to be in this conference and play great teams. We'll be on the road to three great venues, Syracuse, Clemson and NC State,” Taylor said of the upcoming season in the ACC.
The Cardinal will have to rely on their offense this season, as their defense is still very questionable. The key to their offense will be wide receiver Eric Ayomanor. Quarterback Ashton Daniels will rely heavily on All-American wide receiver Ayomanor, who set a school record with 294 receiving yards per game last year in a comeback win over Colorado. Daniels will also have tight end Sam Rausch and Tiger Bachmeier to throw passes to. The running game was nonexistent last season, except for quarterback Justin Lamson and Daniels. The Cardinal will rely on Cedric Irvin as their primary back, but the quarterback may again be the team's biggest running threat. The Cardinal's success on offense will depend on the offensive line being effective.
Stanford boasted the worst defense in the country last year, but Coach Taylor has brought in some key transfers to help solve those issues. He added linebacker Ja’Chiah Galvin from Northern Iowa, edge rusher Clay Patterson from Yale, and cornerback Jay Green from Washington. They will look to shore up a defense that allowed only 37 points per game last season. The secondary will be the best unit with the return of cornerbacks Collin Wright and Zarain Manley, and junior safety Mitch Reigber. The linebacker corps will also be solid with the return of the team’s leading tacklers, Gaythan Bernadel and Tristan Sinclair. The defensive line was a major weakness last season, and it will need to improve significantly to give the secondary a chance to cover.
Stanford has no choice but to move up this season, but to do so they need to improve defensively. Last year, the Cardinal ranked 131st in the nation in total defense. They were 85th in running attacks and last in the nation in passing attacks. In the red zone, the Cardinal defense was 47th in the nation in efficiency. Offensively, the Cardinal ranked 91st in total offense. They finished 105th in rushing and 56th in passing attacks. The Cardinal were 18th in efficiency in the red zone.
Major Casualties: No injuries to report
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Best bets for TCU vs Stanford
Full Game Side Bets
Insider Status:
evaluation:
TCU and Stanford both had disappointing 2023 seasons, but the Horned Frogs are poised to bounce back this season. The Horned Frogs have had more 10-plus win seasons since 2000 than the Texas Longhorns. They have a strong passing attack and will thrive against a Stanford team that was 133rd against the pass in 2023. Stanford's issues against the pass have been magnified by its inability to get to the quarterback, and that will likely be an issue again this season. TCU has taken steps to strengthen its secondary this season, which will be important against a Stanford team that was effective through the air last season but struggled against the run. TCU has strengthened its defensive line, which should also help keep Stanford from being monotonous and forcing them to throw all-passers early and often. Stanford finished 0-7 at home last year, Taylor's first season, and will remain winless at home during his tenure after Friday night.
Take TCU -9
Prediction: TCU -9
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Insider Status:
evaluation:
Stanford allowed 37 points per game last season, and this year's team has not been particularly impressive defensively. This should give Van Dyke and the TCU offense plenty of opportunities to make plays on the field. Stanford will likely throw the ball often without a lot of running game. WR Ayomanor alone will be a big-play feast for the Cardinal, and will be able to keep the offense going. Both teams have plenty of playmakers, and both are led by offenses that thrive on big plays. TCU will win this game handily, but Stanford will score enough points to surpass the total points in this game.
Please take the over.
Prediction: 60+ years old
Mark Ruel, “Mark Ruel”
