Stanford Football: 5 bold predictions for Alamo Bowl vs. TCU

Stanford makes its first-ever trip to the Alamo Bowl to face TCU. Here are five bold predictions for the Thursday-night showdown between conference runners-up.

The last time Stanford played TCU, the Horned Frogs were one of the top teams in the Mountain West. TCU played a two-game series against what was then a dormant Pac-10 juggernaut being reanimated by Jim Harbaugh. Gary Patterson’s squad won both games, surviving 38-36 in their trip to Palo Alto in 2007 and trouncing the Cardinal 31-14 in Fort Worth the following year.

TCU has played in the Alamo Bowl just once before, when they overcame a 31-0 halftime deficit to beat Oregon 47-41 in triple overtime. Stanford has never played football in San Antonio in its long gridiron history. It should be one of the better matchups of the 2017-2018 bowl calendar.

The Horned Frogs arrive at the Alamodome as a 10-3 favorite. Along with a 14-7 disappointment in Ames against Iowa State, TCU’s only other losses both came against Big 12 champion Oklahoma. They feature one of the top defenses in the country, and an offense that can certainly put points on the scoreboard.

Stanford has a shot at another 10-win season in 2017. All they need to do is take down the Horned Frogs in a battle of teams that lost their respective conference championships. Three of Stanford’s four losses came by a field-goal deficit. With some bolder roster decisions, they could potentially have stolen a few more victories and factored in the College Football Playoff discussion.

With boldness in mind, here are five bold predictions for Stanford’s Alamo Bowl debut against TCU on Thursday night.