2010-2011 TCU Horned Frogs Football Team
I started watching and appreciating TCU football because they were in the same conference as my university. To this day, I'm still a huge fan of their 4-2-5 defense, which focuses more on speed with zone coverage than anything else. They also had incredible speed at the RB and WR positions and featured senior QB Andy Dalton, TCU's all-time winningest QB leading the team. Dalton would break and extend almost every QB record at TCU during this season.
It started with a win over ranked Oregon State - a game which ended up being a little closer than imagined, but pushed TCU's preseason ranking up from #7 to #5. One could tell this team was going to be good when they got a preseason top 10 ranking from the media, which loves schools from big conferences. Their next game was a laugher as they crushed Tennessee Tech 62-7 and found themselves facing Robert Griffin III and Baylor. They stuffed RG3 and Baylor all game long, winning 45-10. Against rival SMU, they struggled early, but pulled away in the second half with a 41-24 victory.
Then it began.
They shut down EVERYBODY.
Colorado State 27-0
Wyoming 45-0
BYU 31-3
Air Force 38-7
UNLV 48-6
This lead to a #3 TCU vs. #5 Utah matchup, which was the first top-5 battle between two MWC teams ever. Both undefeated and mowing over their opponents, tickets were going for a minimum of $160 a piece, unheard of for a game at Utah. It was the featured game in Lagasse's Stadium in Vegas - not Bama/LSU. I had watched both of these two teams all year long and took a seat for in-game betting and began unloading on TCU. This game was over before it started. Before Utah even knew the game had started, they were down 40-0. The final of 47-7 put TCU into position to be the first non-AQ school to make a serious run at playing in the BCS Championship game.
Then came the game they couldn't have - a 40-35 shootout against Brady Hoke's San Diego State team, which lead to their only dropping in the rankings all year - from #3 to #4. TCU destroyed New Mexico the next game 66-17 and then came the big wait.
TCU had to hope Cam Newton and Auburn would fall to Alabama or in the SEC championship, or that Oregon would fall in the Pac-10 Championship. Both teams were media darlings with all offense and no defense, while TCU boasted the best defense in the country. 3 undefeated teams deserved to play for the title, but after all was said and done, all three survived unbeaten.
TCU was left out of the championship for the second straight season, despite being undefeated. In an effort to keep undefeated Boise State and TCU out of the national championship, Ohio State President Gordon Gee claimed that teams like those play "Little Sisters of the Poor."
They headed to the Rose Bowl to play against Wisconsin - a team that in its last three games had put up 83 points on Indiana, 48 at Michigan, and 70 against Northwestern. The idiots on TV loved the offense and deemed TCU as inferior and unable to stop the running attack of Wisconsin and cited JJ Watt as the man who would shut down TCU's offense. What nobody in the media could understand, was TCU being a 2-3 point favorite. I watched both teams play at UNLV that year and knew TCU was the better team. Vegas knew it, the media didn't. This is why they play the game.
TCU comes out with an altered helmet, a classy display of respect for the Rose Bowl.
I couldn't wait for my beloved Horned Frogs to shut up Brent Musburger and the morons on tv saying TCU was out of Wisconsin's league.
The first play of the game was a 40 yard run by Wisconsin... oh god... But TCU's bend, don't break, defense held them out of the end zone and Wisconsin lead 3-0. TCU marched right down the field and put up a TD. Wisconsin answered back with a TD and TCU did the same, taking a 14-10 lead. The offenses seemed unstoppable and the energy was electrifying. Then... the defenses woke up and TCU lead 14-13 at the half. I ran over to my computer and bet my entire online roll on UNDER 27.5 in the 2nd half. I knew TCU's defense well enough to know that once they were locked in, it was over. What I didn't anticipate was TCU driving right down the field again and taking a 21-13 lead just out of intermission.
TCU's defense completely shut down Wisconsin until there was 7 minutes to go. I looked at my dad and said, "The only thing I fear here is Wisconsin running the ball every play until they score." The fatigue of endless running at them wore down the smaller TCU line. And it happened... run, run, run, run, pass, run, run, run, run, run, Touchdown. Ugh... My under bet was in danger only because of overtime. Oddly enough, when Wisconsin went for the 2-pt conversion, they PASSED. TCU batted it down at the line. Moments later, they recovered the onside kick, got a first down, and it was over.
David had beaten Goliath, although David was the better team. Soon after, billboards showed up around Columbus, Ohio.
There really should have been a playoff, as TCU deserved a shot at the title. They finished ranked #2 and feature numerous players now in the NFL.
It was a thrilling season as a fan and awesome as a sports bettor.