This is the fifth time in the last three years that Texas Christian has played for the UCFC. As you can see, their appearances have tended to be somewhat dramatic:
10/20/12: Texas Tech goes to Ft. Worth and beats the Horned Frogs 56-53 in three overtimes
11/10/12: Texas Christian goes down 23-10 to Kansas State.
10/04/14: Texas Christian stuns Oklahoma 37-33
10/11/14: Texas Christian blows a 21-point fourth-quarter lead in Waco, falling 61-58 to Baylor
Texas Christian bounced back from that heartbreaking loss to Baylor with two easy home wins: 42-9 over Oklahoma State and 82(!) - 27 over Texas Tech. They are now 6-1 for the year, and 3-1 in the Big XII. The AP has them ranked number 10 in the country. But today they are playing on their second conference road game -- and it's a tough one, up in Mountaineer country.
WVU, which currently holds the Big Gold Trophy, is 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big XII. They are ranked number 20 in the country, they've won four games in a row, and their only losses this season are to Alabama and Oklahoma. Today they hosted the ESPN Gameday show, and had Brad Paisley himself there on campus to show support for the Mountaineers. They pounded Baylor 41-27 in their last home game, and they will be very tough to beat on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. We have seen a lot of WVU over the last few years, and I think they are usually about 14-20 points better when they have that big home crowd behind them.
The Mountaineers will also have weather on their side. Yesterday it was 70 degrees and sunny in Fort Worth, Texas -- Texas Christian's home base. But in Morgantown, W. Va., today it is 44 degrees and overcast, with a good chance of rain. As we saw a few weeks ago, Texas Christian has gotten very good at the whole Big XII style of offense, with all its pretty patterns and deep passes. But it won't be so easy to do that Air Coryell stuff in the cold and rain of West Virginia.
This is a huge game for both teams -- and not just because of the UCFC. Look at the latest standings from the Big XII (AP ratings in parentheses):
(11) Kansas St: 4-0, 6-1
(20) W. Virginia: 4-1, 6-2
(12) Baylor: 3-1, 6-1
(10) Texas Christian: 3-1, 6-1
Oklahoma St: 3-2, 5-3
(19) Oklahoma: 2-2, 5-2
Texas: 2-3, 3-5
Texas Tech: 1-4, 3-5
Iowa St: 0-4, 2-5
Kansas: 0-4, 2-5
Whoever wins this game will control its own destiny in the Big XII, while the loser will probably be unable to win the conference title.
This is only the third meeting between WVU and Texas Christian. Interestingly, each of the last two matches were won by the road team. In 2012, Texas Christian went to Morgantown and came away with a 39-38 victory. Last year, WVU got payback with a 30-27 win in Fort Worth.
The folks in Vegas have made Texas Christian a 3 1/2 point favorite, with an over-under of 69. That would work out to something like a 37-33 Horned Frog victory. That certainly sounds like a Big XII score, and I do believe that Texas Christian is the best team in the Big XII. But that wasn't enough for them to beat Baylor, and I have major doubts about whether they can beat WVU on its home turf.
If WVU wins, then this traveling road show will be in Austin, Tex. next week for a game between WVU and You-Tee. If Texas Christian wins, it will take the Big Gold Trophy home for a showdown with Kansas State.
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