Best Case/Worst Case in 2017: TCU Horned Frogs

All of our Best Case/Worst Case scenarios:Texas / Texas A&M / Texas Tech / TCU / Baylor / Houston / UTSA / SMU / UTEP / Rice / North Texas / Texas StateWill this season be a dream or a nightmare for your favorite FBS program in the state of Texas? In this series, we take a look at the best and worst case scenarios for all 12 teams.TCU 2016 record: 6-7Best Case There is no question that 2016 was a disappointment for the Horned Frogs, as the team struggled with the transition from Trevone Boykin to Kenny Hill at quarterback. It’s hard to put all of the blame on Hill, especially when his receivers finished the year with the most drops in the country (38) according to Pro Football Focus. But Hill threw 13 interceptions and put a lot of strain on the defense, and he will have to improve his accuracy in order for TCU to be as successful as they are capable of being in 2017. To put it simply, the Horned Frogs will likely go as far as Hill takes them. The team is loaded with experience throughout the offense and defense, returning 17 starters from a season ago. That kind of experience should lead to significant improvement if Hill can take care of the ball, as the versatile Kyle Hicks (1,459 total yards, 14 TDs), WR Taj Williams (702 yards, 5 TDs) and WR John Diarse (442 yards, 3 TDs) are among a loaded group of skill players returning. Throw in Shaun Nixon, who missed all of last year with an injury, KaVontae Turpin, and newcomers Jalen Reagor and Omar Manning, and the Horned Frogs have all the weapons to put up big numbers offensively. While the offense is poised for an explosive season, the defense is going to be just as solid. Travin Howard and Ty Summers are stars in the middle of the defense while Ranthony Texada, Jeff Gladney, Niko Small and Nick Orr all return in the secondary. Three new starters on the defensive line will be the difference maker. The early part of the schedule will go a long ways towards determining just how good TCU can be this season. Jackson State is essentially a warm-up game in the opener, but three straight games against Arkansas (road), SMU and Oklahoma State (road) will show whether or not TCU is ready to compete for a Big 12 Championship. A 4-0 start could mean that the Nov. 11 matchup in Norman against Oklahoma is for the conference title. The ceiling for this team is high, but will depend on Hill’s off-season improvement. Worst Case TCU struggled to take care of the ball and keep its offense on the field last season, and finished fifth in the Big 12. Even so, the Horned Frogs were close to having a drastically different season. The team lost to Arkansas 41-38 in 2OT to fall to 1-1 and lost to Oklahoma 52-46 to fall to 3-2. Both of those games were winnable, and a win over Kansas would have put TCU at 6-0 heading into a matchup against West Virginia. It’s quite possible that TCU could fall to Arkansas and Oklahoma State on the road early on the season, which would put a lot of pressure on the team to string together some wins in the middle of Big 12 play. With so much experience returning, falling to 7-5 is probably the worst-case scenario for the Horned Frogs. Anything less than eight wins would be an underwhelming season for a Gary Patterson team with 17 returning starters.

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