TCU Is Geared Up

Is there any type of anticipation that could rival the buildup to the 2011 Rose Bowl for the Horned Frogs? The little guys were going up against the big boys (literally). The story leading up to the game was about nothing but how the Wisconsin Badgers were going to overpower the little team in purple.

Andy Dalton, along with a strong defense, was able to lead TCU to its first Rose Bowl victory, solidifying the fate of the Frogs to become a member of the BCS conference member.

The journey from the Southwest Conference to membership in the Big 12 has been long and well deserved. Gary Patterson has helped build the Horned Frogs into a national brand and have done so by their performance on the field. Patterson’s teams have won at least 10 games in eight seasons. They’ve also won five conference championships (4 MWC, 1 C-USA) and two BCS bowl appearances which includes the 2011 Rose Bowl victory.

What is a program supposed to do when it is consistently putting quality teams on the field, but is also always finding itself on the outside looking in? Fortunately for TCU, the Big 12 was in position to add a new member and thanks to an impressive track record, saw the value in making the Frogs an official member of the conference.

Excitement in Fort Worth has never been higher. The school announced recently it has sold 31,000 season tickets, the most in history. Fans will finally be able to take a tour of the newly renovated ($164 million upgrade) Amon G. Carter Stadium this Thursday and can see their team open their inaugural Big 12 season against Grambling State this Saturday.

With a victory against Grambling State, head coach Gary Patterson will become TCU’s all-time winningest coach, surpassing the Horned Frog legend, Dutch Meyer. History will be made for the program on Saturday, but don’t expect Patterson or the players to get caught up in all the hype and expectations from the outside.

“Everything we’ve done to this point is great,” Patterson said. “But now the real work starts. Now we’re climbing. It’s another challenge. It’s another way we’ve got to keep climbing the mountain. The higher you get on the mountain, the thinner the air, the harder it is.”

One of the secrets to TCU’s success is Patterson. It became very clear during Big 12 Media Days. Patterson seems to like how excited everyone is, but also realizes simply making it to a bigger conference doesn’t mean the train stops. Gaining membership into the conference deserves praise for the amount of success it took to get to this point, however if a conference championship and BCS championship isn’t in the team’s sight, then all the previous success wouldn’t matter.

What is a successful season for the Frogs in 2012? This question is directed towards the fans, but it would be nice to see what the actual expectations from Patterson are. There will be an adjustment period for TCU. Don’t expect them come out in their first season in the Big 12 with 11 wins and a Fiesta Bowl berth. They will be facing bigger & better athletes every week. That’s not to say they can’t compete. You can always go back to the Rose Bowl victory against Wisconsin. The Badgers were bigger than TCU up front, but the defense held their own. The question, however, is whether or not they can hold their own every week.

“I’ve told (fans) that everyone needs to calm down,” Patterson said in the Star-Telegram. “One thing our group has to understand is you have not arrived just because we got to the Big 12. You have to win in the Big 12. Just because you’re in a conference doesn’t make you a good football team. You make yourself a good football team.”

TCU won’t be heading into conference play without any talent on its side. Junior quarterback Casey Pachall is one of the better in the conference and has a nice selection of skill players to lean on. The defense struggled more than we’re used to seeing from the program under Patterson last year. It ranked 32^nd in total yardage allowed and 28^th in scoring defense. While some teams would love to finish with those numbers, the Horned Frogs had been one of the top defenses in the nation for three consecutive years prior to last season.