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Football:
We are a long way from spring ball, which means plenty of time to talk about quarterbacks. Or lack thereof.
Patterson doesn’t even know when Rogers may get back to being 100 percent. In leading up to the bowl game, he mentioned that even doctors aren’t positive. There were doctors on various NFL teams who didn’t think Smith would ever play football again, something he has since done.
Rogers has done it, too, given his series in the Cheez-It Bowl.
“I’m just a ball coach, so it’s above my pay grade,” Patterson said last month. “We’ll see. All we can do is just get up every day and see if it keeps getting better. I think he’s better than he was when he started the season.
“One day I hope he wakes up and says it’s all good.”
I know, I know... another Clam Gene. But this is another fun walk down memory lane.
TCU used its win over Clemson as a catalyst to gain an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl, which eventually led to the Rose Bowl, which eventually led to inclusion into the Big 12.
After that ‘10 season, however, Clemson has done nothing but climb; it has won at least 10 games ever year since ‘11, including the title in ‘16.
“When we played TCU that was our first full year together,” Scott said. “No. 1, it started with culture and a mindset that he brought in. He changed the mindset of our guys that we are not some small school in upstate South Carolina; that we had the opportunity to be the best in college football.
“He changed the mindset of our guys that instead of hoping we could win some of those games, we truly believed we could win those games.”
If Texas isn’t back... and Murray leaves... it could be a wide open league in 2019.
While parity was already plentiful within the Big 12 conference in 2018, there’s potential for it to be even greater during the 2019 season, and that could benefit TCU. Gone are both Will Grier and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray -- barring an unexpected move by the latter -- from West Virginia and Oklahoma, respectively. Four teams in the conference will have new head coaches. Of those who are set to bring back both their head coach and starting quarterback in 2019, only Texas had more than 8 wins, and the Longhorns might just very well be the team to beat in the Big 12 next fall after posting a statement 28-21 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Basketball:
As we detailed yesterday, it would be foolish to think there’s no way Dixon ever leaves. But, it’s also easy to say that he’s got a better job than the one potentially on the table, already.
Dixon grew up in the Southern California area and his formative years were at the tail end of UCLA’s run followed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship run in the 1980s. Much like Texas being known for its football, LA is known for its basketball.
“For me, I grew up in it,” Dixon said. “[UCLA] was so good when I was a little kid and then the Lakers picked up after that. That was, in my mind, that’s where basketball started at UCLA, watching those games. It is what it is, but somebody’s got a job and he’s going to try to keep it I’m sure in [UCLA interim coach Murry] Bartow.”
Bartow has taken over after the school fired Steve Alford on Monday. Alford was in his sixth season with the Bruins, making three Sweet 16 runs, but was off to a disappointing start this season.
The players hear the noise too, but Dixon seems completely focused on the here and now, here and now.
Dixon added that he had addressed his players regarding the matter as well.
”They were joking about it and I told them, ‘You’re stuck with me, guys,’” Dixon said.
Since his arrival to TCU, Dixon is 56-28 overall with a 15-21 mark in Big 12 play. Dixon owns a 384-151 all-time mark as head coach spanning across his tenures with the Horned Frogs and Panthers.
TCU (11-1) is riding an 8-game win streak heading into its Big 12 opener. The Horned Frogs most recently defeated Indiana State on Christmas day to win the Diamond Head Classic tournament in Honolulu, Hi. TCU’s lone loss came at home vs. Lipscomb in mid-November.