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Football:
Big 12 Playoff Prospectus: The Four Teams That Can Make the Final Four | Sports Illustrated
I am trying SO hard not to get my hopes up... but... the piece are there. So many seniors. Gary. Kyle. Ty. Travin. It’s not likely... but don’t tell me it’s not possible.
In order to have faith that TCU can snag a spot in the national semifinals, one must believe that two things will return to the way they once were. The first is quarterback Kenny Hill, who had a rocky debut in Fort Worth last season but hinted at greatness with a 511-yard, three-touchdown showing at then-No. 9 South Carolina three years ago. Hill almost definitely won’t reach that level again, but if he can become the third member of an elite Big 12 quarterbacking trio, along with Mayfield and Rudolph, it could supply TCU with the requisite horsepower to hang with conference big boys Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The second factor is the Horned Frogs’ defense, which has finished outside the top 50 in Football Outsiders’ S&P + ratings in consecutive years. Even if TCU can’t return to its pre-Big 12 peak on that side of the ball, it has the potential to roll out a unit that could credibly counter most of the high-powered offenses around the league. Should the Horned Frogs fail on either count, they’ll fall out of the CFP race before the midpoint of the season: By the middle of October, TCU will have faced Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State on the road.
College football rankings: 9 things to know about 2017's preseason AP Poll | SB Nation
This. Isn’t. Helping. Either.
Some teams S&P+ likes, but voters don’t:
LSU is No. 4 in projected S&P+, No. 13 in the AP
Notre Dame is No. 15 in S&P+, unranked in the AP
TCU is No. 19 in S&P+, unranked in the AP
TCU eager to move past so-so 2016 season but face tough schedule | San Antonio Express-News
It’s not just fans that are more than ready for the season to start - the players are anxious to get the bad taste of 2016 out of their mouths, too.
“It’s all about getting that feeling, just being comfortable not only with the team, but the offense and everything,” Hill said. “It’s about growing from year to year. You have to keep getting better each and every year.”
TCU’s attempt at yet another remarkable rebound begins Sept. 2 at home against Jackson State.
The Horned Frogs’ schedule, however, is one of their toughest since joining the Big 12 in 2012. In addition to playing at Arkansas on Sept. 9, TCU plays on the road against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, the top three picks to win the Big 12, according to a preseason media poll.
“Just like I am,” Patterson said of his impatient players, “they’re ready to go.”
Former TCU LB Tank Carder To Miss Entire Season For Cleveland Browns | Texas HS Football
This is such a bummer for Tank, one of the all-timers at TCU and the expected starting middle linebacker for the Browns this fall.
The former TCU and Sweeny star was injured during the first quarter of Monday night’s preseason game against the New York Giants. After being primarily a special teams player since entering the league, Carder was competing with Joe Schobert for the starting middle linebacker job according to Pro Football Talk.
Carder was drafted in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills back in 2012 but was among the final roster cuts before the season. He was picked up by the Cleveland Browns shortly after and has remained with the team since. The MVP from the 2011 Rose Bowl has amassed 53 total tackles in his NFL career.