TCU @ Minnesota NCAA Football Odds Preview

Posted by Daniel Strum on Thursday,September 3, 2015 1:49, EDT in

The long-awaited 2015-16 college football season is here for the thrill of College Football betting fans and it so happens that one of the best teams in the nation will be helping us to kick start the season in style on Thursday, September 3rd. The No. 2-ranked TCU Horned Frogs and Gary Patterson will be the team to watch at the TCF Bank Stadium when they take on the Minnesota Gophers and Jerry Kill tonight. The Gophers have been playing some of their best football over the recent years in the Big 10, but can they really matchup to the explosive Frogs who gave them a thrashing in last year’s college football odds?  Let’s find out, as we preview this enticing NCAA Football non-conference game.

How To Bet the Horned Frogs @ Golden Gophers NCAA Football Odds, TV & Game Info

Venue: TCF Bank Stadium, Minnesota
Date: Thursday, September 3, 2015
Time: 9:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN

Let’s Break Down the TCU @ Minnesota NCAA Football Betting Match Up

Every year, the college football odds come with surprises, and if that argument is to hold water, things could be better or worse for both TCU and Minnesota when they meet in this game. For example, two years ago, the Horned Frogs were one of the poorest teams in the country, collecting just 4 wins for the season, but in 2014, they were a near-perfect team, losing just once in the entire season.

If TCU is not as good as it was last year, then the Gophers should have a chance of winning this Thursday matchup. Being advantageously played in their home turf is the first plus for Minnesota. The biggest plus, though, for the Gophers is their defense that is led by two All-Big 10 preseason corners in Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray, two players that are guaranteed to harass TCU’s receivers in all kinds of ways.

Meanwhile, the offense will be boasting of the veteran leadership of quarterback Mitch Leidner. Yes, Leidner was far from efficient when the Gophers lost 30-7 to TCU, completing just 12-of-26 passes for 151 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. His inconsistency was also evident throughout the season, as he completed less than 52 percent of his passes in 2014. But then again, Leidner had a couple of good games under his belt, and with more experience, he should be able to play in a better way tonight.

In addition, although David Cobb and his 1,629 yards are now in the NFL, the running game that has been the most lethal weapon in Kill’s unit is still present, boasting of the presence of senior Rodrick Williams and freshman Rodney Smith. With a receiver corps that is up in the air, it looks most likely that the running game from 2014 (70% of Minnesota’s offensive plays were rushing plays and 60% of the team’s offensive production came from running the ball) will still be the bread and butter of Minnesota’s offense in 2015, starting tonight.

What Could Be In Store For Minnesota

However, if the Horned Frogs are as good as they were in 2015, the Gophers are guaranteed a hellish night. For starters, journeyman Boykin is returning with nearly all the pieces from his breakout 2014 season, meaning he should still be able to run and pass the ball easily. As per many reviews, the Frogs have the best offensive line in school history, forecasting danger to Kill, even if Minnesota’s defense is polished.

To put you into proper perspective, the 30-7 win by TCU over Minnesota in 2014, though being a comfortable blowout win, was TCU’s lowest scoring output of the season. You can only imagine what would happen if they decide to go full throttle in this year’s game, considering they are much better (on paper).

As a point of hope for Minnesota fans, the Frogs suffered many key losses in the defensive back, including Kevin White, Sam Carter and Chris Hackett, which could give Leidner and his unit some wiggle room to make a couple of key players. But make no mistake saying that the Frogs will be weak at the back—the likes of Denzel Johnson, Kenny Iloka, Derrick Kindred and Ranthony Texada spell experience and defensive depth for TCU, while the team also boasts of equally speedy and dangerous linebackers. Given the iffy nature of Minnesota’ offense (as of now), the Frogs could easily find a way of escaping a way with a couple of mistakes.

My Expert Game Prediction & Pick

Being the No.2-ranked team in all the important preseason polls, you can expect that the Gophers, just like any team TCU will be meeting this year, to throw everything at the Frogs in search of an upset and statement win. Still, even with such a factor (and many other above-discussed reasons considered), it doesn’t look like Gophers will be getting the win in this game.

The biggest reason they won’t do so is that they’ll be facing a better TCU offense, and considering the Horned Frogs leaped over every obstacle and blew out everything in their path in 2014 (offensively), a comfortable win plus cover looks most likely for Patterson’s boys. So give me the Frogs plus the easy points in the NCAAF Odds, along with an OVER in the game’s total.