TCU News: Don’t sleep on the Frogs

Football

Don’t sleep on TCU football this season, says Kirk Herbstreit | Newsday

Herbie is picking TCU to win the Big 12 and get to the College Football Playoff. For him, TCU’s success will start on the defensive side of the ball.

“They have a chance, I think, defensively to be much better than they were a year ago,” said Herbstreit, who was on a call to promote Allstate’s #StreitCred program in which fans can tweet him their picks for the week’s standout performances. “They had so many different injuries on that side of the ball, so I think they come back better on defense.”

Kenny Hill’s work on creating new reputation at TCU pays off | Fort Worth Star Telegram

Hill has worked hard to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches, and it is paying huge dividends.

“You could tell he came in trying to prove himself through his work ethic to gain our trust and confidence,” receiver Deante Gray said. “He’s been very transparent with everybody, very open, talking with everybody and just becoming a Frog. So that really showed and paid off during spring and two-a-days.”

TCU position outlook: Playmaking required from defensive backs | Fort Worth Star Telegram

With Ranthony Texada back on the field, along with Nick Orr and Denzel Johnson, the Frogs are looking to the secondary to have a big season. Josh Carraway knows how big of a deal it is to have a guy like Texada back healthy.

“It’s awesome just having somebody like that, who’s been playing for two years, been here for three years, that you can trust is going to do his job every single time.”

Men’s Basketball

TCU’s Dixon to make Big 12 debut against Kansas in FW | Fort Worth Star Telegram

Jamie Dixon has a tall mountain to climb, and it certainly didn’t get easier when the Big 12 released their full conference schedule on Thursday. The Frogs open conference play with games against Kansas and Oklahoma.

TCU will begin conference play with a two-game home stand at Schollmaier Arena that includes a Jan. 3 appearance against Oklahoma, a Final Four team last season, before making the first road trip of the season, Jan. 7 at West Virginia.

TCU Announces 2016-17 Schedule Thursday | GoFrogs.com

It’s a good schedule for Dixon’s first season at the helm.

The Horned Frogs, who usher in a new era with the return of head coach Jamie Dixon, will play 13 non-conference games, including 10 home dates inside Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. TCU will have 16 of their 18 league contests broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, while two others will be made available on FOX Sports Net. The squad will play 14 league games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, including seven in Fort Worth.