At this point through the Big 12 schedule, the TCU Horned Frogs are the last team in the conference with a shot at playing for a national championship. Though they don’t have a ranked team on the remainder of their schedule, the Big 12 championship, assuming they get there unscathed, will be the last shot for the Horned Frogs to stake their claim to a College Football Playoff spot.
The reality is the Horned Frogs may need a lot of help to get to the playoff. As USA TODAY Sports’ Eddie Timanus described in his week nine overreactions, the Horned Frogs’ schedule doesn’t do them any favors.
As for the Horned Frogs, they handled their business at West Virginia, but their non-conference achievements are unexceptional and the remainder of their Big 12 slate affords them no opportunities for top-tier wins except possibly on championship weekend. Would the résumé of an unbeaten ACC or Big 12 champion automatically be viewed as superior to, say, a one-loss SEC or Big Ten runner-up, or a 12-1 Oregon team with only that season-opening loss to Georgia marring a clean Pac-12 record? – Timanus, USA TODAY Sports
Being undefeated may not be enough for TCU. They’ll need to be impressive down the stretch and in the Big 12 title game, which would be their last shot at a ranked win before the playoff committee decides which teams will vie for the national championship.
Elsewhere, USA TODAY Sports Erick Smith projected seven Big 12 teams to land in bowl games this season. Let’s take a look at who’s going bowling.