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The Kansas State Wildcats take on the TCU Horned Frogs. Check out our college football odds series for our Kansas State TCU prediction and pick.
The TCU Horned Frogs are producing a magical season. No one predicted this team to be a top-tier Big 12 championship contender before the season began. TCU had struggled the past few years under program icon Gary Patterson, who was brilliant for two decades in Fort Worth but ran out of steam in the final seasons of his tenure. The thing which tripped up TCU the past few seasons was the play of the offensive line. TCU quarterback Max Duggan was constantly running for his life, trying to avoid bruising hits and often failing to. He was pounded, and he couldn't function well because he was so conscious of the next hit and the next severe degree of impact on his body. The TCU defense wasn't especially strong, but the offense simply could not produce complete games.
That has changed this year. First-year head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley — the brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley — have devised a scheme and delivered a level of coaching which have enabled TCU to pass protect for Duggan and facilitate the operation of the Horned Frogs' offense. TCU has some lulls and occasional patchy spots of play, but those periods of time are much more limited. TCU would have bad halves and games in the final seasons of the Patterson regime, but this year, It's very rare to see TCU have anything more than a one-quarter drought on offense. TCU usually plays two and a half or three really good quarters of offense in each game. Minimizing struggles has been such an important part of this team's success. This past Saturday's win over Oklahoma State was just such an example. TCU played 20 subpar minutes and fell behind 24-7, but the offense roared into gear and was able to score 30 points in regulation, tying the game on two fourth-quarter touchdowns. TCU then scored touchdowns on each of its overtime possessions to complete the 17-point comeback and beat Oklahoma State 43-40.
Kansas State was expected to contend for the Big 12 title, but when the Wildcats lost at home to Tulane earlier in the season, it was easy to wonder if they were in for a long year. Coach Chris Klieman had a lot of work to do … and he has done his job extremely well. Klieman and his staff have managed to coach quarterback Adrian Martinez extremely well. Martinez has not thrown an interception this season, which is really astonishing when one considers how messy his tenure was at Nebraska. Kansas State has given Martinez a much higher quality of coaching, which is why Klieman is very respected in the profession and Scott Frost is out of a job. Kansas State's offense hasn't always been great this season, but not making mistakes is a central aspect of a really good team.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Kansas State-TCU College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Kansas State-TCU Odds
Kansas State Wildcats: +3.5 (-118)
TCU Horned Frogs: -3.5 (-104)
Over: 53.5 (-110)
Under: 53.5 (-110)
Why Kansas State Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats had last week off while TCU played an exhausting double-overtime game against Oklahoma State. Late in the season, fresher teams have a significant advantage, and that's going to help Kansas State here.
Why TCU Could Cover the Spread
TCU is protecting Max Duggan. In previous years, Duggan was thinking about backside pressure. This year, the Horned Frogs' offensive line is thriving. This has transformed the team. Sonny Dykes is exceeding all expectations, and after TCU came back from a 17-point deficit last week, it's hard to deny how tough and resilient this team has become.
Final Kansas State-TCU Prediction & Pick
TCU is defying the odds. At some point, the odds are going to catch up with TCU. Kansas State's defense should also have something to say about that.
Final Kansas State-TCU Prediction & Pick: Kansas State +3.5
