The 2014 regular season comes to an end for both the TCU Horned Frogs and Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday in Fort Worth, but the teams have polar opposite expectations for how things will go after that.
How to watch Iowa State vs. TCU: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
The Horned Frogs have their last chance to impress the selection committee when they host the Cyclones.
At 11-1 and firmly in the College Football Playoff picture at No. 3 in the rankings, TCU is jockeying for position and hoping for a little help from Baylor. The Horned Frogs have been ranked ahead of the Bears despite losing their head-to-head matchup, but that may very well end if Baylor beats Kansas State on Saturday. A loss from Baylor (or any of the other teams ranked ahead of TCU, for that matter), would go a long way towards easing the Horned Frogs into the Playoff. However, they first have to take care of Iowa State.
Iowa State, meanwhile, is ready for next year. They’re 2-9, and are currently riding a five-game losing streak. They were able to beat in-state rival Iowa for some bragging rights, but other than that, 2014 has been a long march towards next season. Doesn’t really seem fair that they end this miserable slog with perhaps their toughest opponent, but sports sometimes aren’t very fun.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Saturday, Dec. 6th, Noon ET
TV: ABC
Radio: Iowa State | TCU
The numbers
Rankings and records: TCU enters the game 10-1 (7-1 Big 12) and ranked third in the College Football Playoff rankings. Iowa State is 2-9 (0-8 Big 12). The Horned Frogs lead the all-time series 4-1.
Vegas: TCU opened as a massive 33-point favorite. The line has rose to -34.5 with an over/under of 69, per Odds Shark.
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy with a high of 68.
Two things at stake
For TCU: A shot at the Playoff. With the Big 12 lacking a championship game, this is the final game of TCU’s regular season. They have a chance to be included in the College Football Playoff, but that all goes away if they stumble and lose against Iowa State. The Cyclones have been bad all season, but this would be a really bad time for the Frogs to get overconfident. They’ve been known to ruin season’s before.
For Iowa State: Break their conference losing streak and end season on a good note. 2014 has been a miserable year for the Cyclones. They’re winless in conference, and are staring down a worse season than their already-bad 3-9 campaign in 2013. They’ve been looking ahead to next year for a while already, but they have a chance to pick up a memorable win that they can build on going forward if they can knock off TCU. It’s a big if, sure, but it’s all they’ve got left this year.
One big matchup
Trevone Boykin vs. the Iowa State defense. Iowa State's defensive rankings: 115th in scoring defense, 123rd in total defense, and 144th in defensive F/+. They haven't been able to stop anyone this year outside of Iowa, and they're facing one of the most dynamic offenses in the country in TCU. Boykin is a dynamic threat on both the ground and in the air, and it will require a Herculean effort from the Iowa State defense to slow him down.
Further reading
For more on TCU, head over to Frogs O’ War. For more on Iowa State, check out Wide Right & Natty Lite.
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