The college football season looms large and TCU is seen as a fringe contender in the Big 12. Is this an oversight from the oddsmakers?
With mere weeks standing in the way of the start of the latest season of college football, those running the sportsbooks are sharing their thoughts on how it will play out.
In the Big 12, the reigning champion Texas Tech was so dominant in their run at the crown that the Red Raiders are being pumped up as the presumptive victor once again.
But in the case that the conference known for parity cannibalizes once again, which team could ascend to claim the throne for itself?
With a proven head coach that has taken his team to the brightest stage, TCU could very well be one of these challengers that rises to the occasion.
And the oddsmakers are not completely out on the notion of a title making its way to Fort Worth.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Horned Frogs open with the sixth-best odds to emerge from the Big 12 at 28-1 in its sportsbook.
These are respectable chances for a team looking to prove itself behind years of growing turned to hardened experience.
However, TCU is also projected to take a step back on its win total, with a preseason over/under of 6.5.
For a program that has hit the nine-win mark the past two outings, it appears that the Horned Frogs could be a prime target to cash in by taking them to capture at least seven wins.
Outside of the impact it has on potential winnings, which are in no way guaranteed, the low expectations could be setting TCU up for another chance to take the sport by storm.
Again, TCU may not have competed for a Big 12 title since 2022 but it has consistently racked up wins under Sonny Dykes. And the last time the Horned Frogs did not at least qualify for a bowl game was in 2023 after a 5-7 campaign.
Since the absolute high of a national championship appearance followed by the humbling reality of missing out on the postseason entirely, TCU has been a model of consistency. Although it is not quite to the level it would like to be known for.
TCU has its work cut out for it heading into the fifth season under Dykes, with dates with both participants in the previous Big 12 Championship, Texas Tech and BYU, as well as tough outs Utah and Arizona.
This could explain the hesitancy to lock in the Horned Frogs for another nine wins or more and explain where they slotted in the title race.
But with a relatively easy non-conference schedule and several winnable matchups in the league, TCU should soar past the bowl eligible mark set by the sportsbooks. And with a few big-time wins could completely flip the odds on their head.
