Trevone Boykin and TCU had a great season despite barely missing the first-ever CFP. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)
FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU sensed it had done enough.
The Horned Frogs throttled Iowa State 55-3 in the last game of the year and, after entering the game ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff poll, things looked rosy.
Then Selection Sunday came and TCU (11-1) dropped three spots into sixth. It missed out on the playoffs and instead was sent to the Peach Bowl for a Dec. 31 matchup against Ole Miss (9-3) in Atlanta.
By beating Iowa State, the Horned Frogs claimed a share of the Big 12 championship with Baylor, which handed TCU its only defeat, a 61-58 setback on Oct. 11 in which the Bears rallied with 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
In the end, however, that loss may not have hurt TCU as much as the lack of a championship game in the Big 12, which plays a round-robin setup among its 10 members. The conference also declined to declare a champion. Instead, it allowed Baylor and TCU to be co-champs, which also seemed to present issues for the CFP committee.
Take away the playoff snub, however, and the season has been an incredible ride for a team that missed out on the postseason a year ago with a disappointing 4-8 finish.
Using a new spread system implemented over the offseason, the Frogs quickly flourished as junior quarterback Trevone Boykin proved especially effective in an up-tempo system that incorporated his strengths as both a passer and rusher.
“I feel like we’ve done everything we needed to do on our end to be one of those top four teams, but at the end of the day, we’re Big 12 champs and I’m excited about that,” said Boykin, who led the Big 12 in total offense with a 363-yard average.
“The journey has been crazy for us. After the past couple of years, it’s nice to be able to send the seniors off with a Big 12 championship. It’s something I can’t explain.”
The same was true for TCU’s slide into the sixth position of the CFP poll. Obviously, any margin of victory against Iowa State, which finished winless in Big 12 play, would not have been enough after Ohio State climbed into one of the coveted top four spots with its rout of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game. Also, Baylor beat Kansas State to inch past TCU.
Still, the Frogs remain a potent team that has the backing of a solid defense led by linebacker Paul Dawson, the Big 12’s leading tackler. A veteran secondary led by junior safety Chris Hackett (six interceptions) feeds off takeaways as TCU compiled a plus-18 turnover margin.
With their fall from the playoff picture and into the Peach Bowl, the Frogs must feed off the turnaround they manufactured throughout the season, while regretting the outcome they let slip away at Baylor.
“It is a great accomplishment. Starting from 4-8 last year, not everybody believed in us,” said senior defensive tackle Chucky Hunter. “We worked hard and were dedicated. The chemistry is here. Everything is here that you see in a national championship team. We’re just blessed. Hard work does pay off.”
ROSTER REPORT:
–RB B.J. Catalon has not played since suffering a blow to the chin in the Nov. 1 win at West Virginia. RB Aaron Green moved into the spot and has three 100-yard performances as a rusher.
