TCU 2015 College Football Favorite Season Preview

After getting the short end of the stick in their bid for a berth in the first-ever four-team Playoff Championship, TCU (12-1 SU, 11-2 ATS) will enter the 2015 NCAA Football betting season with one main goal in mind – giving the NCAA selection committee some payback – by reaching this season’s playoffs. You see, despite losing just one game in 2014, the Horned Frogs were left out of the playoffs after falling from No. 3 to No. 6 on the playoff selection committee’s final ballot. Now, with a chip the size of Mount Rushmore on their collective shoulders, TCU will enter the 2015 regular season as one of the odds-on-favorites to not only reach the 2016 playoffs, but to win it all. Thanks to the in-depth analysis you’re about to get on the Horned Frogs as they get set for the 2015 regular season, you’re going to have a great idea of how TCU is going to fare over the course of the coming campaign.

Analyzing TCU’s 2015 College Football Odds Favorite Season Preview

Offense

Ten starters return for a Horned Frogs offense that ranked sixth in the nation in 2014. TCU finished seventh in passing and will turn to elite quarterback Trevone Boykin to take them to new heights this season. The Heisman Trophy candidate had a stellar 2014 season by throwing for 3,901 yards with 33 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Boykin also ran for 707yards and eight touchdowns to account for 41 touchdowns and over 4,600 yards of total offense.

Key losses

The only key loss that TCU has on the offensive side of the ball is due to the matriculation of offensive tackle Tayo Fabuluje. In other words, college football fans and betting enthusiasts can expect head coach Gary Patterson’s offense to get right back to its high-scoring ways as soon as the 2015 regular season gets underway. “That’s good,” Patterson said of his team’s preseason No. 1 ranking. “We were 70th last year, I think. That’s what people had us a year ago. That’s where we were ranked. It’s good for recruiting and all that kind of stuff, but that’s tougher because now you have to create a chip on your shoulder. People are going to say you are [No. 1], but now you have to go prove you are. You’ve gotta go prove it.”

Defense

I find it quite hilarious that, despite finishing 18th in the nation in total defense, including a stellar ninth against the run (108.8 ypg) and even more impressive eighth in points allowed (19.0 ppg), not many people talked about or gave the Horned Frogs’ defense very much credit for their success last season. Hell, I’ll be honest and admit that even I forgot that TCU finished in the top 20 in defense last season. Then again, the way the Boykin and the Horned Frogs’ offense consistently lit up the scoreboard, it’s kind of easy to overlook their defense in spite of its on-field excellence. TCU has six returning starters on defense, but took a couple of huge hits with the losses of starting linebackers, Paul Dawson and Marcus Mallet among others. Dawson is a sure-fire first round NFL Draft pick and Mallet will also likely play at the next level. In addition to finding replacements for those two, Patterson also needs to find suitable starters to replace strong safety Sam Carter, cornerback Kevin White and defensive tackle Chucky Hunter. Replacing five starters is certainly no small task, so it will be interesting to see how the remainder of the spring plays out for TCU.

Key Losses

LB Paul Dawson, LB Marcus Mallet, SS Sam Carter, DT Chucky Hunter, CB Kevin White.

By The Numbers

Not only did TCU average a whopping 46.5 points per game last season to finish second in scoring en route to their 12-win season, but the Horned Frogs were absolute money in the bank as they compiled an incendiary 11-2 ATS mark to finish atop the national ATS rankings. TCU kicked off its 2014 campaign with seven straight ATS victories – and finished it by bringing home the bacon in each of their last three games as well. The high-scoring Frogs also played over their game totals eight times in 13 games despite facing often stunningly high O/U totals all season long.

Overall Online Betting Outlook

If TCU’s 42-3 destruction of former Top 10 Mississippi in last season’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is any indication, then it’s clear that the Horned Frogs are going to be a legitimate title contender in 2015. The Horned Frogs undoubtedly have a very special player in dual threat quarterback Trevone Boykin and I expect them to score more than their fair share of points this coming season. However, I also believe a lot of the success that TCU wants to experience in 2015 will be dependent upon whether or not Gary Patterson can find suitable replacements on the defensive side of the ball. The Horned Frogs are losing the heart and soul of their defense in Dawson and Mallet, two players that combined to make an insane 236 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks this past season. Still, I see this team as a virtual shoo-in to finish in the top four, if they get the same kind of season out of Trevone Boykin that they did a year ago.