TCU Horned Frogs 2016 NCAA Football Preview
TCU HORNED FROGS
Big 12 Conference
2015 Record – 11-2
ATS – 7-6
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
Big 12 Conference #2
2015 Recap
It is hard to decide what is more amazing. The fact that TCU could ever trail 31-0 in any game at any time OR that they could come back from a 31-0 deficit in any game against any opponent. Well, the Alamo bowl was one crazy game, as the Horned Frogs mounted an amazing comeback behind backup QB Bram Kohlhausen to beat Oregon 47-41 in 3 OT. Their only two losses came against the duo from Oklahoma (Sooners and Cowboys) and they finished with a rock solid 11-2 mark. TCU has won 23 games the past two seasons.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
TCU is definitely going to miss all-time leading passer Trevone Boykin but may not miss a beat with Texas A&M transfer Kenny Hill ready to take the reins. On the surface, Hill appears to be a perfect fit for this offense, but he only has the benefit of three returning starters on offense.
The Horned Frogs move forward without their leading rusher from 2015 (Aaron Green 1,272, 5.2, 11 TD) as well as their leading receiver Josh Doctson (1,327 yards, 14 TD, #1 NFL DC). The WR corps should be fine with a lot of talent still with the team but we are more concerned with the running game. The last two times TCU did not have 200 yards rushing per game their record was 11-14 combined over two seasons (2012, 2013). The offensive line only returns one starter and that makes the lack of depth at RB more concerning.
DEFENSE
TCU looks poised to make a big leap forward in 2016. Last season they gave up over 27 points a game which ranked them 63rd in the FBS and 4th in the Big 12. This year they have six of the seven leading tacklers back from the 2015 squad and are loaded with talent at all levels of the defense. The Horned Frogs have yielded less than 50% completions for two years running despite playing in a relatively pass-happy conference. We expect a similar performance this season and they are definitely a top-3 Big 12 defense on paper.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Jaden Oberkrom is definitely going to be missed. Last season he hit 21/25 FG attempts including 3/3 from 50+ yards. They also need to break in a new punter. The good news is that the return game is in good shape with KaVontae Turpin back to return punts and kickoffs. TCU ranked 3rd in the Big 12 last season in both punt and kickoff returns.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.0
MEGALOCKS says:
TCU has a chance to get rolling with three of their first four games against relatively soft competition. Arkansas is the only truly difficult game in September and the Horned Frogs get to play them at home. To be honest, the entire schedule looks pretty manageable since the game at Baylor is a lot less scary now than we thought it would be when looking at the schedule last season. Oklahoma and Texas will provide really good tests, but overall, the schedule is pretty favorable.
Overall, we give the HORNED FROGS a 6.0 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season. The defense is going to be really good. That is pretty much a certainty. The offense is a bit of a question mark with so many new faces, but if Kenny Hill fits in as well as we think, this team has a lot of upside potential. TCU is 18-8 ATS (69%) the past two seasons after having a pretty miserable three year stretch against the number. The Horned Frogs will have to be respected every week ATS but they may be laying too many points in most games for us to get involved on a regular basis.
Want more TCU football ?
Website
http://www.gofrogs.com/sports/m-footbl/tcu-m-footbl-body.html
Forum
http://www.killerfrogs.com/msgboard/index.php?/forum/4-scott-nix-frog-fan-forum/
http://www.thefroghorn.com/index.php?/forum/3-frog-horn-sports/
https://tcu.forums.rivals.com/forums/tcu-football.10/
http://tcu.247sports.com/Board/TCU-Horned-Frogs-Message-Board-Forum-101445
http://www.scout.com/college/tcu/forums/4161-horned-frog-sports
News
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/tcu-horned-frogs
https://twitter.com/TCUFootball @TCUFootball
https://twitter.com/calexmendez @calexmendez Carlos A. Mendez