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The Horned Frogs successfully ran out the last 6 and a half minutes or so taking a knee on the last play of the game.  The victory snapped BYU’s 16 game winning streak which the longest in the nation.  It also snapped BYU’s conference winning streak that dates back to 2005.  The Frogs have an upset win over a top 10 team, but I am not sure how long it has been since they have done that or if they have done that.  The upset really wasn’t a close one either; TCU dominated from the beginnning.  BYU began to get their passing yards in the second half, but TCU stopped them on BYU in the red zone a couple of times.  I don’t think that it would be wise to be any where near the TCU campus tonight.  And, tomorrow, I’m not sure anyone will go to class.  Congratulations to TCU.

The TCU/BYU game starts in just a few minutes.  I am anxious to see it get underway.  This is the first time in a while that two ranked teams have played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.  The last time, TCU beat Texas Tech in 2006.  Hopefully, that will be the result tonight.

I posted that I expect to see TCU use the “wild frog” tonight.  I am curious to see how it gets used.  The timing of using such a “change up” makes all the difference.  How and when does Coach Shulz use the “wild frog” will be of a great interest to me.

How does TCU win?

Well, TCU needs to do what TCU does best.  They need to hold on to the ball for 36 plus minutes keeping Max Hall on the sideline along with his offense.  They need to mix up the play calling using a balance of run and pass, but they really need to rush for many many, yards.  I think they use Ryan Christian and Aaron Brown early and often to complement QB Andy Dalton in the running game with their zone reads, etc.  Then, in the second half, look for TCU to bring in Joseph Turner to wear down the the BYU defense.  Turner will also get the ball, out of the I formation, in the red zone because Turner is “Mr. Touchdown.”  On defense, they need to get in Max Hall’s face and hurry, sack, and knock him down.  I don’t think Hall is as good as Sam Bradford, so if they get to him, it should make a difference.  Also, the TCU defense needs to keep running back Harvey Unga from getting going by holding him and his mates to low rushing yardage.  If they do that, BYU will become one dimensional.

TCU has broken out the “black shirts.”  How does that effect the game?  We’ll see.

Note: I just want to reiterate my reasoning for updating every 3 weeks.  I read on a message board this week about my doing so as being kind of strange.  That’s fine, maybe I am strange.  Look back at the original post which I will link to on every CFTT Top Ten hereafter.  I think parity, for the most part, has arrived in college football, therefore, I want to see teams play out a few weeks before updating.  Again, at the least, I’ll be kown as “the guy who updates his poll every three weeks.”

1.  Oklahoma, 5-0
The Sooners continue to prove their worth unlike anyone else in the country.  They have not had a close game including road blow outs against Washington (before Locker was injured) and now Baylor.  The even handled TCU at home by 25 points.  Sam Bradford rises in the Heisman Trophy race each week.  This week, they get their toughest test by far, Texas in the Red River Shootout (I mean Rivalry).

2.  Alabama, 6-0
Thus far, the most impressive team because they have knocked off two teams ranked in the top ten, and they won fairly handily.  If you throw out the Georgia game where they gave up 30 points to Matthew Stafford and Co., the defense has only given up 9 points per game.  Their offensive and defensive lines may be the best in the country.  Sure, they struggled with Kentucky, but good teams will struggle in at least one game (usually more), especially after an emotional win against Georgia.  Oh yeah, Kentucky is pretty good.

3.  Missouri, 5-0
The Tigers dominated Nebraska, on the road.  Now, I know the Cornhuskers aren’t quite a top 25 team, but it was still impressive.  Missouri’s schedule hasn’t been the toughest just yet, but their offense is humming.  They have only played one game outside of Missouri, and Texas awaits them in Austin on October 18th.  Take out the Illinois game, and the Mizzou defense has only allowed 14.5 points per game.

4.  LSU, 4-0
The Bengal Tigers should be 5-0, but Hurricane Ike forced the Troy game to be moved to November.  So far, the Tigers have had to revamp their offense with their defense leading the charge.  The last couple of games, it seems that the LSU offense has found an identity.  It seems as if Jarrett Lee is the QB of choice.  After a disasterous start against Auburn, Lee found his poise and threw some nice passes down field giving LSU a deep threat to complement their run attack.  Their defense, however, has uncharacteristically given up 20 plus points the last two games against Auburn and Mississippi State, two teams not known to be great offenses.

5.  Texas, 5-0
The Horns are giving up just 11.4 points per game, and they have played some offenses who have exploded for big scores this year (Rice, UTEP).  Many wondered how they would do on the road against Colorado, but their was appraently nothing to worry about.  They buried Buff in their own stadium setting up a huge game against number one ranked Oklahoma.  Their offense is really playing well, and their defense has been surprising excellent under first year coordinator Will Muschamp.

6.  Penn State, 6-0
The Nitany Lions have been almost as impressive as Alabama.  They beaten everyone handily with their only struggle on the road against Purdue.  The Lions have already played tow road games which gives them early season tests that should be good for the stretch run against Wisconsin (this week) and Ohio State (10/25).  They are the team to beat in the Big Ten.

7.  USC, 3-1
The Trojans have dominated everyone except Oregon State who should prove to be pretty good when the years done.  They don’t have a single ranked team left on their schedule as it is now.  How good are the Trojans, we probably won’t know until the bowl season.  They need a game against a Big 12 or SEC team.

8.  Texas Tech, 5-0
For the first time this year I have the Red Raiders in my top ten.  There are some stats that are standing out that lets me believe this a legitimate top ten team.  First, defense.  They are giving up just 18.4 points per game which is tough considering the type of offense they run.  Second, they are averaging 144.4 yards rushing per game.  That is something that was missing last year, and it looks like Mike Leach has found himself some backs.  Unfortunately for Tech, they are in the same conference with Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri.

9.  Georgia, 4-1
I would make too much out of Georgia getting beat by Alabama at home.  The Tide is very good, and so is Georgia.  Georgia was not ready in the first half against Alabama, but once they woke up, they made a very good rally and looked like they would keep their national championship aspirations alive.  Unfortuantely, Knowshon Moreno was hurt, and the score took him out of the game as they were coming from behind.  They still have a tough schedule.

10.  BYU, 5-0
BYU has only had one close game and that was at Washington before Jake Locker was injured.  Their offense is averaging 41.2 points per game and their defense is giving up just 11.6 points per game.  At Utah State Saturday, BYU put it in cruise control during the second half winning 34-14.  After hosting New Mexico Saturday, they have to come to Fort Worth on Thursday to play the Horned Frogs.  TCU made it close in Provo last year, and their defense has been dominant.

Rising

BYU
Alabama
Texas Tech
Penn State

Falling

South Florida
Oregon
Auburn

Three weeks make a huge difference in college football.  By now, we know a little more about teams.  And, it helps when teams play inter-conference games.  It helps fans and experts alike measure teams against teams in other conferences and conferences as a whole against other conferences.  Therefore, the Pac 10 vs. the Mountain West Showdown this weekend goes a long way in evaluating the teams and the conferences.  After the MWC swept the Pac 10 in those games, fans might cry out to give their champion an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl game.  The Mountain West has fared well this year against other teams, but the “sweep” was astonishing.  Most pundits were predicting a 2-2 record for the MWC in this week’s match-ups.  TCU and BYU were favorites, but who would have thought that New Mexico would beat Arizona, and even more, UNLV would upset Arizona State in overtime in Tempe?  It is still a long year, and teams come out and play flat often.  There will always be games when a good team, a great one even, will squeak by against a much weaker team.

Battle for the Butter

Stony Brook vs. Maine
Dubbed by Mike and Mike in the Morning as the Battle for the Butter, these two played on Saturday with Maine picking up the win 28-13 behind 4 touchdown passes by Black Bear QB Adam Farkes.  Stony Brook had 4 turnovers, however, they held the ball almost 3 minutes longer.  It didn’t matter as Maine out-gained Stony Brook in total yardage 316 to 271.  The win puts Maine at 2-1 for the season.

Looking Ahead

Alabama who has looked pretty impressive this year including their 34-10 whipping of Clemson in their first game travels to play at Arkansas who is probably the worst 2-0 team in the country.  This game in intriguing because it is the first time this year that the Tide’s young Freshmen will travel to a hostile environment to play.  In spite of how good they are, and they are really good, these Freshmen will struggle at some point with mistakes.  While the game against Clemson was considered a road game, it was played in the Georgia Dome where the Tide had plenty of fans of their own.  In Fayetteville, it won’t be that way.  The Hogs also have some talented Freshmen of their own playing.  They have struggled early, but when the Razorbacks needed the scores, they made the plays.  With the Tide going to play in Athens against Georgia next week, this is a huge trap game.  Arkansas’ defense is not very good, but they have the weapons on offense that, if they avoid the mistakes, might keep them in the game.  And when that happens, well, you know what can happen.

Arizona State hosts Georgia.  Neither team looked particularly good Saturday, but Georgia won.  The ‘Dawg win was on the road at South Carolina, so Georgia has experienced its first road test.  The Sun Devils have not left the state of Arizona.  They have also experienced adversity, but they failed to overcome it losing at home to UNLV in overtime.  This is only the beginning of a tough stretch as Arizona State plays four straight ranked teams (Georgia, Cal, USC, Oregon) although Cal will not be ranked after losing to Maryland.  They have to travel to USC to take what should be a major beat-down.

Auburn hosts LSU.  If you like smash-mouth defenses, then this game is for you.  Auburn knocked off Mississippi State 3-2 on Saturday while LSU squeaked by North Texas 41-3.  LSU is not as explosive as last year, Auburn is still trying to find a rhythm offensively.

While Phil Steele has TCU’s schedule ranked number 85, it’s hard to believe the Frogs will have an easy time playing Oklahoma in Norman and hosting Stanford.  Add to that what I believe to be the toughest non BCS conference, and TCU will have a challenge to win 10 games.  But, for the Horned Frogs, it is possible that they return to double digit wins in 2008.  Here is TCU’s schedule.

@ New Mexico, August 30, 5 PM

They don’t seem to excited to see TCU in August out in Albuquerque.  And for good reason, the Lobos only return 10 starters from a year ago, including just one on the Offensive Line.  Also gone are the two leading receivers from 2007, both of whom had over 1000 yards receiving.  But the Lobos return Jr. QB Donovan Porterie (6-3, 206) who passed for 3006 yards and 15 TD’s.  They also return Sr. RB Rodney Ferguson (6-0, 229) who rushed for 1177 yards a year ago.  On defense, the Lobos return their top tackler Jr. Lobo Ian Clark (6-0, 210) and their unique 3-3-5 defensive scheme.

Stephen F. Austin, September 6, 6 PM
Not much went right for the Lumberjacks last year as they were 0-11.  SFA, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), will need more than a few axes when they come into Amon G. Carter Stadium for their appointment with the Horned Frogs.

Stanford, September 13, 6 PM
One week after Stanford had the biggest upset of the year beating USC in the L A Coliseum, the Frogs overcame a 14 point lead in the second half to beat the Cardinals 38-36 in Palo Alto.  The Cardinals return 16 starters and look to improve on last season’s 4-8 record.  The Cardinals return their top three tacklers from 2007 including Fr. FS Bo McNally (6-0, 208) who recorded 114 tackles.  On offense the Cardinals return So. RB Tony Gerhart (6-1, 228) from a Medical Redshirt in 2007.

@ SMU, September 20, 7 PM
2008 is the beginning of the June Jones era in Dallas.  The Mustangs will have to improve dramatically, but with Jones in charge, SMU may make a big turn around.  This year’s game is being dubbed the DFW Duel:  The Battle for the Iron Skillet.

@ Oklahoma, September 27, TBA
The Sooners cannot forget 2005 when the Frogs went in to Norman and beat OU in front of 80,000 fans.  Not only did the Frogs beat them in 2005, but they beat them in 1996 as well.  The Sooners will run some no huddle Spread Offense this year, but I don’t know how well So. QB Sam Bradford (6-5, 213) moves.  The Sooners return 8 starters on Offense including Bradford and the entire Offensive Line.  The Defense only returns 5.

San Diego State, October 4, 5 PM
There is good news, bad news, and very bad news for the Aztecs which finished 4-8 last year.  The good news is they return 8 starters on Defense.  The bad news is that defense was not good as it gave up 242 yards rushing per game, 257 yards passing per game and 34.4 points per game.  TCU had 694 yards of total offense and 45 points against SDSU in 2007.  Now for the very bad news.  SDSU only returns 3 starters on Offense.

@ Colorado State, October 11, 5 PM
The Rams were really close to being a winning team last year.  They took Colorado to Overtime, the scared Cal when the Bears were ranked 10th, and would not go away against TCU.  On Offense, the Rams return 7 starters, including Sr. RB Gartrell Johnson (6-0, 227) and Sr. RB Kyle Bell (6-2, 231) who combined to rush for 1648 yards in 2007.  On Defense the Rams return 5 starters including 2007 leading tackler Sr. MLB Jeff Horinek (6-3, 234) who had 94 tackles.

BYU, October 16, 7 PM
Heading into 2008, it seems most people think BYU will be great.  The media has tabbed them as their favorite to win the MWC, Jr. QB Max Hall (6-1, 201) is the Preseason MWC Offensive Player of the year and has been added to the 2008 O’Brien Watch List, and Jr. DE Jan Jorgensen (6-3, 256) has been named to the 2008 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.  Last year BYU began the year losing at UCLA and at Tulsa before going undefeated in the MWC.  The Cougars finished the year 11-2, winning 10 straight games including nail bitters against Utah, TCU and  UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.  BYU only returns 3 starters on Defense, but 10 of the projected starters are upperclassmen.  The Offensive should be great, led my Max Hall who passed for 3848 yards and 26 TD’s they also return their top 4 receivers and So. RB Harvey Unga (6-0, 243) a big punishing back who averaged 5.0 yards per carry for 1227 total rushing yards in 2007.

Wyoming, October 25, 5 PM
This a game the Horned Frogs want to win to avenge last year’s 24-21 loss in Laramie.  The Cowboys return 8 starters on offense and 6 on deffense.  Sr. RB Devin Moore (5-10, 191) rushed for 965 yards in 2007 and Sr. RB Wynel Seldon (6-0, 219) added 554 yards.  Jr. QB Karsten Sween (6-2, 222) is back looking to improve on his 2028 yards passing.  The Defense returns 2 of its top 5 tacklers.  Sr. WLB Ward Dobbs (6-0, 230) had 98 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 INT.

@ UNLV, November 1, 7 PM
TCU has owned UNLV the past three years, but this Rebels team might be a dangerous one.  UNLV returns 9 starters on Offense that rushed for 141 yards per game and passed for 213 yards per game but averaged only 18.2 points per game.  The top two QB’s return, and that may be the biggest battle in Fall camp, and both are capable performers.  UNLV also returns their top RB, Sr. Frank Summers (5-10, 200) who rushed for 928 yards and 6 TD’s.  The Offensive Line returns 7 with starting experience.  The Defense only returns 5, but their projected starters include 9 upperclassmen.  The Rebels return their number two tackler from 2007, Jr. SS Daryl Forte (5-11, 185) who had 94 tackles.

@ Utah, November 6, 7 PM
The media voted BYU to be the preseason favorite of the MWC, but Phil Steele, the college football magazine guru, has the Utes as his favorite.  One reason may be the return of Sr. QB Brian Johnson (6-1, 205).  Johnson who redshirted in 2006 due to an injury, played much of 2007 injured and only passed for 1847 yards while rushing for 314 (net just 150 yds.).  As a starter in 2005, Johnson passed for 2892 yards while rushing for 690 yards in 10 games missing the last three games due to, you guessed it, an injury.  A healthy Johnson will mean a good Utah Offense as they return 8 starters on that side of the ball including Sr. RB Darrell Mack (6-0, 219) who rushed for 1204 yards and 12 TD’s in 2007.  Defensively, Utah returns 6 starters including 2 of it’s top 3 tacklers from a year ago.

Air Force, November 22, 2:30 PM
This another game the Frogs will want to avenge.  The Frogs,  just 5 days after playing Texas, lost a heart breaker in Colorado Springs 20-17 in Overtime where it seemed the Frogs just ran out of gas.  The Falcons went on to win 9 games and receive a birth to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.  The Defense returns 5 starters and the Offense just 3.  The Falcons have to replace a lot of offense from 2007.

Photo Credit:  Keith Robinson Photography

Sitting in my favorite eating establishment this morning, The Old Neighborhood Grill in Fort Worth, I was thinking about Dan Jenkins.  Dan is one of the greatest sports writers in the last 50 years, and he is a native of Fort Worth.  He is also a big TCU fan.  Peter, the owner of Old Neighborhood Grill, and I were talking about some of Dan’s books including his latest one.  Dan is a reminder of just how successful the program has been in years past.  And, recently, with coaching of Gary Patterson, the program has returned to prominence.  It is telling when you realize that the Frogs won 8 games last year, including the Texas Bowl, and that was considered a disappointment.

For years, the Horned Frogs were a part of the old Southwest Conference.  Usually, any team who was at the top of the Southwest Conference was considered relevant in the national rankings, scene.  When the conference folded, the Frogs missed out on going to the Big Twelve.  They spent time in the Western Athletic Conference and the Conference USA before moving the Mounatin West Conference a few years ago.  They seem to have found a home.  As conference strength goes, the MWC is the toughest outside of the BCS power conferences.  It boasts at least two teams with national championships:  TCU and BYU.  TCU came close to busting the BCS “glass ceiling” in its first year in the MWC going 11-1.  Its lone loss was to SMU one week after beating Oklahoma in Norman, keeping it out of the BCS bowls.

When people think of TCU, they might think of “Slingin Sammy” Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Bob Lilly and LaDainian Tomlinson.  You might not realize that the Horned Frogs have two national championships.  The 1930’s were very good to the Frogs as they took the 1935 and 1938 national titles.  TCU has 14 conference championships in 5 different conferences (source).  For a team that is not in a “power” conference, TCU has a pretty rich tradition.  Recently, winning games has become an expectation again.

TCU is not afraid to play against their share of BCS conference teams.  As I mentioned earlier, TCU knocked off OU in Norman in 2005.  They have played Texas Tech home and away, Baylor, Stanford (who comes to Fort Worth this year) and Texas in Austin.   And TCU has beaten every team mentioned but Texas in the past 3 years.  What’s more, the Frogs travel to Norman again this season to take on the Sooners.  The past two trips to Norman have been wins for the Frogs.  Do you think the people in Norman remember?

Bowl games against BCS teams have been successful too.  They started this recent success by knocking off USC in the 1998 Sun Bowl.  Granted, that wasn’t a Pete Carroll coached team, but it was a win over USC.  Then, the Frogs knocked off Iowa State in the 2005 Texas Bowl.  They also own victories this decade over Vanderbilt,  Arizona, and Northwestern.  They have suffered losses to Texas A&M (2001 Bowl game) and Nebraska (2001).  And, the Frogs have a future date with the SEC’s Arkansas.

If the past is any indication, especailly the recent past, the Horned Frogs look to have another succes-field season.  Look for the Frogs to contend for the Mounatin West Conference Title once again.