No. 3 TCU It has emerged as one of the most unlikely college football playoff teams since the format began in 2014. Oklahoma To make the field in 2022, TCU’s one-year turnaround is one of college football’s greatest stories. But don’t expect the Horned Frogs to be content with making it to the semi-finals. They are aiming for the national title.
Heading into the playoffs for the ninth time, the Big 12 are the only conference not to win in the CFP. That could change, with the Frogs becoming the first Big 12 team to go undefeated in the regular season since the league moved to a round-robin format. TCU has proven it can handle the business.
before the seasonTCU is Purdue, Arizona When MississippiReaching the CFP exceeded expectations by a mile. Still, there are three reasons why TCU should be considered a legitimate national championship contender heading into the final stages.
1. Boasting an elite group of skilled people
In a year when the unit as a whole surpassed individual prominence, TCU may have the best collection of offensive stars in the CFP.. Quarterback Max Duggan said after a sensational senior season, A dual-threaded quarterback who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. Running back Kendre Miller tallied over 1,300 rushing yards and his 17 touchdowns. The hidden star might be wide receiver Quentin Johnston, a first-round wideout pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“Johnston is a good playmaker that makes him a WR1 at this point because of his athleticism and contested catching ability,” said Ryan, NFL Draft Analyst for CBS Sports. Wilson wrote about Johnston.
When Ohio TCU boasts a trio of the best quarterbacks and running back wide receivers in the playoffs by a wide margin. This trio leads all of his QB/RB/WR groups in CFP in yards and is narrowly trailing Ohio State in most touchdowns. Dynamic talent allows TCU to strike at any moment and catch up with anyone.
|
Max Duggan-Kendre Miller-Quentin Johnston (TCU) |
6,080 |
58 |
|
5,587 |
47 |
|
|
CJ Stroud – Myan Williams – Marvin Harrison (Ohio) |
5,420 |
62 |
|
JJ McCarthy Donovan Edwards Ronnie Bell (Michigan) |
4,194 |
32 |
2. Unpleasant but comfortable
Only one of the four teams in the college football playoffs has extensive experience in close competition. TCU has a record of 5 wins and 1 loss in 2022 where he has played 6 games within 1 score. Big 12 Championship Game vs. Kansasthe frogs could have made a perfect 7-0 in such a game.
Michigan is the only other team to have multiple one-score games in the playoffs. The Wolverines went 2-0 with those results, but it took some miracle to get out of the half-baked situation. Illinois squad.Georgia sleepwalking on bad guys Missouri It’s a team, but we were able to pull away in the end. Ohio State did not play a single matchup that was decided by fewer than 11 points.
At the most crucial moment, Duggan and TCU come to life. In his five conference games from October 15 to his November 12, Frogs more than doubled his opponent’s second half points (86-40).in a series of performances with Oklahoma and Kansas State, the frogs outscored their opponents 51–10 in the second half.
The close margin was held against TCU during CFP deliberations, but they gave the Frogs close-quarters DNA that other programs didn’t need to develop for the playoffs, ensuring they were filled with competitive matchups. At the moment of maximum Duggan and TCU rise. This is a huge advantage over elite level competition.
3. Frogs are battle-tested
The Big 12 was the deepest conference in college football this season, second only to the SEC in average SP+ as every member of the league ranked 62nd or higher. Frogs also played in his SMU, and in 13 games he had 11 opponents in the top half of the college football power rankings.
What’s more, TCU survived its demanding schedule in less than a week. SMUs The Sept. 24 game and the Dec. 3 Big 12 Championship game against Kansas State.
last second victory Baylor TCU on November 19th continues to be a perfect example of TCU finding play when they need it and acting under duress. The Frogs, who trailed or tied the Bears throughout the game, ran a two-minute drill in the fourth quarter and set up a walk-off field goal when time expired. The fire drill was momentarily chaotic, but coach Sonny Dykes said after the game that the play was what the team practiced every week.
The college football playoffs are ultimately a physical and mental attrition on the biggest stage. In terms of sheer talent and depth, Horned Frog is well behind Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan, but TCU has the guts to beat the competition, and maybe even win them all. .
Create a CFP case for … No.1 Georgia | | #2 Michigan | | #4 Ohio
