2009 TCU Horned Frogs Betting Recap
Online betting players figured the Horned Frogs would be one of the top “BCS busters” heading into the 2009 season, beginning their season with two road wins over ACC teams, Virginia and Clemson, along with a 56-21 romp over Texas State in their home opener. The Horned Frogs never slowed down, rolling over SMU at home, coming away with a three-point win at Air Force and a 44-6 rout over Colorado State. Their first test came against then-No.16 BYU on the road, the Horned Frogs passed with flying colors, routing the Cougars 38-7 in one of the toughest places to play in the country. From there, the rest of the regular season was almost a formality for TCU, who won at home over UNLV, then-No.16 Utah and New Mexico, along with road victories at San Diego State and Wyoming by an average of 37.4 points. But of course, the unbeaten Horned Frogs were left out of the BCS title talk and instead, they were paired against fellow “BCS busters” Boise State, who beat the Horned Frogs 17-10 in a hard-fought Fiesta Bowl.
The Horned Frogs came away with the best defense in the country, finishing third against the run and sixth against the pass, but the offense was no slouch either, coming in seventh in the country. Andy Dalton continued to be startlingly consistent, but his three picks in the Fiesta Bowl has to be eating away at him. He did a great job of spreading the ball around as four receivers had 400 yards or more, but no more than 532 yards. Still, the defense was the lynchpin of the team, led by end Jerry Hughes, who had 11.5 sacks.
2010 Preview To Bet TCU Horned Frogs
NCAA football betting odds for the Horned Frogs should be pretty good as they’re coming off their first appearance in a BCS bowl, but again, because they’re in the Mountain West, they’ll be left out of the national-title conversation. Dalton is back to lead a balanced offense, and even with the graduation of Joseph Turner, the running game is in good hands with Matt Tucker, Ed Wesley and Dalton himself. Dalton also has all of his favorite targets back from the 2009 season, but the Horned Frogs will have to stay solid up front. On the defense, replacing the departed Hughes will be TCU’s biggest worry as he was easily their main pass-rush threat. They may have to use a rusher-by-committee instead of depending so heavily on one player. The Horned Frogs have depth in the secondary, where they lost both of their starting corners, but Jason Teague and Greg McCoy should be able to step in. They may not be as good as 2009, but the TCU defense won’t slip that much.
If you’re going to bet on the Horned Frogs, their season opener against Oregon State looks enticing, especially when you see that this “neutral-site” game is at Cowboys Stadium, which is definitely closer for TCU fans. Still, the Beavers have Pac-10 title aspirations, and they’re not going to lie down for the Horned Frogs. TCU will then host Tennessee Tech and Baylor, before heading for a rivalry game at SMU and another road game at Colorado State. The Horned Frogs will welcome Wyoming and BYU to town, and they have to beware of the Cougars, who will surely want revenge for the home beating they took from TCU in 2009. The Horned Frogs have another home game against Air Force before heading out on the road to UNLV and Utah, who are in their final year in the Mountain West before making their way to the Pac-10. The Horned Frogs wrap up the season with a home game against San Diego State and a trip to New Mexico.
The TCU offense should be even better than last year, which will make up for a defense that won’t be as dominant as they were in 2009. Still, going undefeated through the regular season for two straight years is pretty tough, and someone is going to catch TCU slipping. Still, they’re the class of the Mountain West, so bet on the Horned Frogs’ sports betting odds to win their conference in 2010.