Last season wasn't up to TCU's recent standards -- the Horned Frogs failed to record double-digit wins for the first time since 2007. The team suspended quarterback Casey Pachall in October following a DWI arrest, and he didn't play another down. Injuries took their toll on key contributors, and oh yeah, there was that whole transition into the Big 12.
2013 TCU football schedule: Dates, toughest opponents and more
TCU is capable of improving on last season’s 7-6 record, but the schedule isn’t going to do the Horned Frogs a lot of favors.
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2013 TCU schedule
Projections from Football Outsiders’ 2013 college football almanac.
Despite the personnel issues, Gary Patterson’s team managed to get bowl eligible in its first season in the Big 12, and with Pachall back to lead the offense, the Frogs might be poised to round back into championship form. If they’re going to contend for the league crown, though, they’re going to have to successfully navigate an incredibly tough October.
TCU travels to Oklahoma on Oct. 5, and after a breather against Kansas, it must play Oklahoma State and Texas on back-to-back weekends. That’s three games against teams projected by Football Outsiders’ F/+ metric to be top-10 squads, two of them on the road.
Even setting aside those league heavyweights, there are plenty of other challenges on TCU’s schedule. The Horned Frogs open the year with a non-conference contest against LSU in Arlington, and after a game against the cannon fodder otherwise known as Southeastern Louisiana, they head straight into league play with a road game at Texas Tech. The back end of the schedule includes home games against West Virginia and Baylor, as well as road trips to Iowa State and Kansas State.
Kansas is the only FBS team on the schedule that did not reach a bowl in 2012.
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