Frogs O’ War Roundtable: Bowl Projections

For this week’s roundtable, our staff dives into possible bowl selections and opponents for the Frogs:

What bowl would you prefer TCU play in? Why?

Jamie: Texas or Liberty Bowl, because either will be against an SEC opponent. The Texas Bowl is at the top of the list for me, because it’s an easy drive to Houston from Dallas. Also, it means that TCU will have beaten Kansas State on Saturday to finish fourth in the conference.

Chris: Obviously, I would love for TCU to bump up into the Russell Athletic Bowl if the Bedlam winner makes the Playoff, but I don’t think that would happen. I’d prefer to beat Kansas State and get into the Texas Bowl because we would most likely get a shot at Texas A&M in football and would help establish stronger recruiting ties in the Houston area. Also, it would be much easier for TCU fans to get there.

JT: Please God not the Armed Forces Bowl

Melissa: TCU making it to fourth in the league after how bleak things looked would be awesome, so I’m #TeamTexasBowl. It’s also the only game I will be able to attend. That being said, playing A&M in a down year [for TCU] could end poorly, but I would love to face off against a quality opponent with the upward trajectory this team has shown over the past month.

Scott: I second Chris on the Russell Athletic Bowl, but the possibility of that happening is rather slim (although Oklahoma State should really be considered a one-loss team…). If A&M ended up in the Texas Bowl it would be a defacto home game for them, and this TCU team has actually fared better on the road than at home. Plus, I would rather this team be in Houston than Memphis as well, so if we’re strictly going off bowl selection I think that’s a better option anyway.

Who would you like to see TCU play? Why?

Jamie: Texas A&M or Tennessee. I definitely want to see TCU play against an SEC opponent. Don’t count this as some sort of arrogance, because I definitely don’t assume that TCU would beat either of these teams, I just think it would be an incredibly fun matchup/game. Also, TCU fans would more likely travel to see the Frogs play A&M or Tennessee, than they would if the opponent was, say Colorado State.

Chris: A&M hands down. A lot of people would be watching that game intently and we could help establish who really runs this state. Plus, I think Kenny Hill would be really excited for that game and would have a performance similar to what he did against Baylor.

JT: It is A&M for me. I think it could be a cool return for Kenny to defeat a team that turned on him (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). For some reason we have been paired up with A&M a lot recently in baseball and women’s soccer. I would like it to become a trend that we beat them often. Also, my wife went to A&M and I would love to lord our victory over her forever. Perhaps her and I will have a wager over the game, though, for the sake of our marriage, we probably shouldn’t watch the game together.

Melissa: I desperately want to play A&M in football, but I don’t know that this is the year. I would feel pretty good about TCU’s chances against a subpar Aggie secondary and Trevor Knight, and it would be fun to see what the running backs could do against such a strong defensive front. Plus, with weeks to prepare, GP over Sumlin every time. And the in-state bragging rights would be unbelievable if the Frogs were to win. I think TCU would be an underdog against the Aggies, but favored over Tennessee, Georgia, and Kentucky, but the payoff would be much bigger by playing TAMU. I will take an average to below average SEC team over any other opponent though, because even down year SEC holds more cache over Colorado State or UNT.

Scott: Once again (sort of) seconding an opinion here, but this time it’s Melissa’s. This is not the year I would want to play A&M in football, as it’s a high-risk/high-reward situation. Sure, it’d be great for recruiting and bragging rights to get a win over a loudmouth SEC-in-Texas fan base, but it’s pretty hard to fathom the smugness that would come from an Aggie win over new-age TCU. Not to mention the “my team didn’t want to be there,” or “it’s a down year for us” excuses we’re sure to hear from the fans of whichever team loses (yes, including our own). I’d much rather play a quality SEC opponent like Georgia or Tennessee, both of whose fan bases by all accounts are a thousand times more tolerable than that of the maroon, farm-loving little brother of UT. Either way a quality win or loss over a good SEC program.